Historic Top Dog Database
based on Canadian Kennel Club Show Data **

Single Year Top Dog Standings and Statistics



1963
1964

1966


1969
1970
1971
1972
1973




1978




1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
2019
2020
2021
2022
**






**Note: In 2023 the CKC transferred the Top Dog system to canuckdogs.com, meaning that there is no longer overall show statistics, or individual group performance statistics; we maintain the Single Year Records, found nowhere else

Single Year Records (all breeds, all years)
 note: this is a list of the historic single-year record holder for each breed, group, and all-breeds, NOT a ranked list of single year winners
 also note: from 2018 on, single year points include RBIS wins

Historic Single Year Records (prior to 1988) tabulated by Marg McQuinn

Multi-year survey of Canadian dog show entries (1988-2022)

Top Dog History (1963-2009) and History of the Top Dog System

Individual Group and Breed Standings (1988-2007; Terriers are from 1986-2017
)


SPORTING
HOUND
WORKING
TERRIER
TOY
NONSPORTING
HERDING

Note: All files are in pdf format which may be searched by most browsers

Data Compiled by Barry Truax (enquiries at: truax@sfu.ca)

You can access these results for your breed in the following ways:
 
1) Annual Top Dog standings (complete).

2) Ranked Group Level Judging statistics for all dogs in the Breed who have won points with at least one BB win, including the % of group appearances that have resulted in a placement. The dogs are ranked according to total number of points won. This represents a multi-year career total for each dog for the years covered. The list is ranked so that one can easily identify the biggest breed winners. This information can be followed up with option 5 below to see which judges were involved.

3) Ranked Group Level Judging statistics where for each judge that has judged the breed 20 or more times, a ranked statistical summary of their Group and BIS placements is given, based on a % figure for their Group placements of the breed. The total number of points awarded to the breed is also given. This information can be followed up with option 6 below to see which dogs were involved. The list is ranked so that one can easily see which judges have awarded the most (and least) group placements to the breed.

4) Complete Group Level Judging Statistics for all judges; this can be consulted for judges that don't appear in option 3.

5) Group Level Judging where for each BB dog, all of the judges that have judged it at Group level are listed, along with their placements.

6) Group Level Judging where for each judge, all of the dogs they have judged at Group level are listed, along with their placements.

7) Best in Show Level Judging where each dog that has been judged at that level, all of the BIS judges are listed, along with their placements.

8) Best in Show Level Judging where for each judge, all of the dogs they have judged at that level are listed, along with their placements.

9) Single year record holders listing for each group and breed (complete from the beginning of the Top Dog system in 1963), updated annually, and only available here!

Note: The Top Show Dog Point System was established in 1963 by Elizabeth Dunn, publisher of Dogs in Canada. It ranks dogs who have won at least one Best of Breed and above, up to Best in Show) based on the number of dogs defeated at each show. That is, there is no data for class dogs or puppies. In the early years, various people compiled the data manually, including Joan Morden who did this job for many years. At that point, only the total number of points for the top 3 in each breed was reported, along with top 10 per group and all-breeds. The Top Dog tabulations above for 1983-87 are what was printed in Dogs in Canada (without corrections). In 1988 Barry Truax computerized the data tabulation by creating his own software. His reports expanded the records to what is seen here, including breed and group statistics and details about each dog's wins, a task which he continued until 2007, entering and compiling over 875,000 Best of Breed wins with the assistance of his partner Guenther Krueger. The final result of this work is this database that incorporates his complete results, including multi-year 'career' and judging statistics unavailable elsewhere.

Since then the CKC has tabulated the official results, and canuckdogs.com has published unofficial (but very accurate) results throughout the show year, usually updating their site the same day as the show! Their website makes it easy to document each dog's career, and the details of their standings since 2009. The intermediate year (2008) between these two databases is partly covered here with the top dog and top group and breed winners, based on the CKC data. Unfortunately I have been able to update the multi-year statistics for each breed from 1988-2007 only for Terriers, but even the all-breed results over these years show an impressive legacy of Top Dogs, particularly given that the size of Canadian shows was up to two-thirds higher that those of today (peaking in 1995, see the survey above).