Children and teenagers are the future of the sport of dogs and responsible dog ownership. The more they learn, the more they will grow in dog sports and as a person. The values, attitudes, and responsibility learned while competing as Juniors serve children throughout their entire lives.
Junior Showmanship
Junior Showmanship offers children between the ages of 9 and under 18 years of age an opportunity to develop their handling skills, learn about good sportsmanship, dogs, and dog shows. Juniors are judged on their ability to present, or handle, their dogs as they would in the breed ring.
Learn More About Junior Showmanship
Other Sports for Juniors
Juniors may also compete and earn titles on their dogs in many AKC Events. The Junior Recognition program awards points for participation in all AKC events and additional points for earning qualifying scores or placements. Learn about Obedience, Agility, Rally, Tracking, Hunt Tests, Herding, FastCAT, Field Trials, Earthdog, Lure Coursing, Coursing Ability, Scentwork and Coonhound Events in which all juniors are eligible to compete.
Introduction Videos
- Retriever Hunt Test
- Bringing Juniors Into The Sport
- Juniors Organization Overview
- Intro to Junior Showmanship
Best Practices
Resources Links
- Junior Handler Number Request – **please send one email per junior**
- Junior Report Access Code Request
- Rules and Regulations
- Guidelines for Junior Judging Competitions
- Junior Showcase Article
- Junior Coordinator Role
- Junior Coordinator Club Actives Report
- Junior Flyer
- Junior FAQs
- Junior Handler Address Update
- Junior Handler Certification
- Junior History
- Junior Newsletter
- Junior Pin and Title Bars
- Junior Showcase Events
- Junior Showmanship Judging Guide
- Junior Stories
- Pee Wee Special Attraction Guidelines
- Perspectives
AKC National Championship Events
AKC Junior Recognition Program
AKC Junior Scholarships
- Junior Scholarship & Past Recipients
- Performance Events Scholarship & Past Recipients
- Companion Events Scholarship & Past Recipients
AKC Junior Ambassador Program
- Junior Ambassador Program
- Junior Ambassador Brochure
- Junior-Ambassador-Suggested-Activities
- Junior Ambassador Participation Form
AKC Junior Education Material
- Purchase 4-H Workbooks
- 4-H downloadable Forms
- Dog First Aid Kit – Suggested Items
- 4-H Dog Project Manual
- 4-H Dog Project Presentation for 4-H Leaders