For many dogs, the hardest part of becoming a champion isn’t winning.
It’s finding a major.
Majors come up constantly in dog show conversations, ringside, in Facebook groups, and in the car on the way home. The term gets used as if everyone already knows exactly what it means.
If you’re new to showing, it can feel like one more piece of dog show vocabulary that everyone else somehow learned years ago.
Here’s the actual explanation, and more importantly, what exhibitors mean when they talk about “hunting majors.”
A Major Is a Win Worth Three or More Points
Every AKC dog show awards points toward a dog’s championship. The number of points depends on how many dogs of your breed and sex are actually competing that day.
Most wins are worth one or two points.
But to finish an AKC championship, a dog must earn 15 total points, and the rules require that at least two of those wins be majors, meaning wins worth three, four, or five points.
Anything under three points does not count as a major, no matter how many times you win it.
To complete a championship, a dog must:
• Earn 15 total points
• Win two majors under two different judges
• Earn points under at least three judges overall
Many dogs accumulate ten or twelve points through steady one and two point wins, then spend months waiting for the majors needed to finish.
Why the Major Requirement Exists
The major requirement wasn’t designed to make things harder.
It was designed to make sure AKC championships actually mean something.
Without it, a dog could theoretically finish a championship by winning fifteen small one point shows, sometimes beating only a single other dog.
Technically a champion. But never truly tested against meaningful competition.
The major requirement ensures that, at least twice on the way to the title, the dog wins against a real field judged by different people.
What Makes a Show a Major
Whether a show is worth one, two, three, four, or five points depends on how many dogs of your breed and sex are actually competing that day.
AKC publishes a point schedule by breed, by sex, and by geographic division that sets the exact thresholds required for each point level.
For a numerically smaller breed, it might only take four or five dogs in competition to reach major territory.
For a popular breed like a Golden Retriever in the Northeast, it might take twenty or more bitches actually showing to reach a three-point major.
The thresholds reflect how many dogs of that breed are actively competing in each region. That’s why popular breeds in busy divisions are often harder to finish, while rarer breeds or less populated divisions may reach majors with fewer dogs.
The AKC updates the point schedule every May, and it is available at akc.org by breed, sex, and division.
Knowing the numbers for your breed before planning your show season is always worth doing.
Why Majors Break
Here is the part many new exhibitors discover the hard way.
You don’t control how many dogs actually walk into the ring.
A dog may get sick. A bitch may come into season. A dog may suddenly blow coat before the weekend. Someone may decide the drive is too far or that the weather isn’t worth the trip.
Plans change.
A show that looked like a solid four point major on paper can drop below the threshold before judging begins.
You win.
Your dog takes Winners.
And the win is suddenly worth one point instead of four because the entry fell apart.
That’s called a broken major, and there’s no do over.
Every exhibitor who stays in the sport long enough experiences it.
One approach is looking at shows that actually pulled strong entries for your
breed last year. ShowPoints shows prior year entry data by breed and show, so you can see which events in your region had the entries to hold a major and which ones fell apart.
Where Majors Usually Happen
Some types of shows are simply more reliable for majors.
Specialty shows are often the most dependable option because many of the active exhibitors in a breed enter the same event.
Clusters can also help. Multiple shows over a long weekend at the same venue give exhibitors several chances against the same entry pool.
Shows near major metropolitan areas tend to draw stronger entries simply because more exhibitors are within driving distance.
And if you’re new to a breed, one of the most valuable things you can do is talk to your breeder or mentor. Experienced exhibitors usually know which shows consistently pull entries and which ones rarely do.
Sometimes Majors Are Built, Not Just Found
One thing many new exhibitors eventually learn is that majors don’t always happen by accident.
Breeders and exhibitors often stay in touch about upcoming shows. If a show is close to the number needed for a major, people may encourage others in the breed to enter so the class reaches the threshold.
Sometimes those conversations happen through breeder networks or mentors. In many breeds there are even Facebook groups where exhibitors share entry counts or mention when a show is close to making a major.
It doesn’t guarantee a win. The competition is still real.
But when exhibitors coordinate entries, it can help ensure there are enough dogs in the ring for the win to count.
Geography Matters More Than Many People Realize
AKC divides the country into geographic divisions, and each division has its own point schedule based on historical entry numbers.
That means the same breed may require different numbers of dogs for a major depending on where the show is held.
In divisions with very active competition, the threshold for a major may be quite high. In other divisions the number required may be lower simply because fewer dogs typically compete there.
Because of that, experienced exhibitors sometimes look beyond their immediate area when planning their show calendar.
A show a few hours away, even across a state line, may consistently reach major entry numbers when local shows do not.
The championship points count exactly the same no matter where the show is held.
A Few Practical Tips
Look across state lines. Your points don’t care where you live, only where the show is held.
If your division has high thresholds for your breed, a neighboring division may have significantly lower ones. Driving an extra hour or two can sometimes be the difference between a show that reliably makes a major and one that keeps breaking.
It also helps to pay attention to past entries. A show may technically be capable of making a major but rarely does in practice. Looking at what actually happened in previous years often gives a better sense of where majors tend to hold.
Tools like ShowPoints can make this easier by bringing show calendars, judging panels, and the ability to input your results into one place, making it simpler to see patterns and plan a show season more strategically.
The Bottom Line
A major is a win worth three, four, or five points.
To finish an AKC championship, a dog must earn:
• 15 total points
• Two majors under two different judges
• Points from at least three judges overall
For many owner handlers, finding those majors is the hardest part of the journey.
When someone says they drove five hours for a major, they aren’t exaggerating.
They’re simply planning their show seasons around the places where majors are most likely to happen.
ShowPoints was built to help exhibitors keep track of shows, judges, results, and their own show history in one place.
Instead of piecing information together across multiple websites, you can start seeing patterns in your entries and plan your show season more strategically.
Download ShowPoints and start planning smarter.
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