Purebred (dog) - Showdog

A showdog is a purebred dog that participates in dog shows with its owner or handler.

The term showdog is commonly used in two different ways. For people in the dog fancy, a showdog is an exceptional purebred dog that conforms to breed type, and an outgoing, high energy character. For people who have no interest in dog shows, the term "showdog" is often used facetiously to refer to a dog whose only attributes are in its appearance. Raymond Coppinger says, "This recent breeding fad for the purebred dog is badly out of control.".

Dog shows (and the related sport of Junior Handling for children and young people) continue to be popular activities; a single show, the 2006 Crufts dog show alone had 143,000 spectators, with 24,640 purebred dogs entered, representing 178 different breeds from 35 different countries. The sport of conformation dog showing is only open to registered purebred dogs.

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