The Reading Room • Explainers
You need 15 points, including two majors, under at least three different judges. Here’s what every one of those words means — and why the same breed needs 40 dogs for a major in Pennsylvania but only 15 in Wyoming.
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The 30-second version
Your dog earns points by beating other dogs of the same sex in its breed. More dogs beaten = more points.
To become a Champion, your dog needs:
- 15 points total
- At least two “majors” — single wins worth 3, 4, or 5 points
- Those two majors must come from two different judges
- At least some of the remaining points must come from a third judge
Three judges minimum. No single judge can hand your dog a championship alone.
Where this fits: the title ladder
Class dog → Champion (CH): This article. 15 points, two majors, three judges.
Champion (CH) → Grand Champion (GCH): How Grand Champion Points Work. 25 points in Best of Breed competition, then Bronze (100), Silver (200), Gold (400), Platinum (800).
Each title unlocks the next. You can’t earn GCH points until the championship is finished.
Step 1: Decode the entry numbers
Open any judging program and you’ll see something like this next to your breed:
What “11-19-4-6” means
11 non-champion males competing in the regular classes. 19 non-champion females. 4 champion males and 6 champion females entered for Best of Breed. Total: 40 dogs.
The superintendent’s boilerplate reads: “The numbers following each Breed indicate the number of Regular Class Dogs, Regular Class Bitches, Best of Breed (Dogs–Bitches), and Non-Regular Class Dogs or Bitches.”
Step 2: Males and females are scored separately
This is the part that confuses everyone. Winners Dog (the best non-champion male) earns points based only on how many males were competing. Winners Bitch earns points based only on how many females were competing. Each sex has its own column in the point schedule, and the thresholds are often different.
Same show, same breed — different math by sex
Every breed has a point schedule — a table published by AKC that says how many dogs it takes to earn each point value. Here’s what one looks like (Golden Retriever, Division 2):
| 1 pt | 2 pts | 3 pts | 4 pts | 5 pts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dogs column | 2 | 8 | 14 | 19 | 28 |
| Bitches column | 2 | 11 | 19 | 27 | 41 |
Find your breed’s full schedule at akc.org → Point Schedule (pick your division).
Using our 11-19 example:
Winners Dog
in the Dogs column
Winners Bitch
in the Bitches column
The bitch earned a major. The dog didn’t. Same ring, same day, same breed.
The bonus round: when a class dog beats the champions
Here’s where it gets exciting. If Winners Dog goes on to win Best of Breed (or Best of Opposite Sex), the champion dogs he just beat get added to his count.
Using our example: 11 class dogs earned 2 points. But there were also 4 champion dogs in the ring. If Winners Dog beats all 4 champions for Best of Breed, his count jumps to 11 + 4 = 15 dogs defeated — and on our schedule, 15 dogs is worth 3 points. That’s a major.
The same works for Winners Bitch with the champion bitches. A class win that looked like a small win can turn into a major if the dog goes all the way.
The crossover: Best of Winners
After Winners Dog and Winners Bitch are chosen, they face off for Best of Winners. Here’s the crossover: the winner gets whichever point value is higher.
Our example: Winners Dog earned 2 points, Winners Bitch earned 3. If the dog wins Best of Winners, he doesn’t stay at 2 — he picks up her 3. If the bitch wins, she keeps her 3. Either way, Best of Winners walks away with 3 points, not 5. You get the higher number — never both added together.
Step 3: Why the same breed needs different numbers in different states
AKC divides the country into 15 divisions. Each division has its own point schedule for every breed, recalculated every year from the prior year’s actual entry data. The schedule takes effect each May.
This is tied to your division — the region — not your ZIP code, not your city, not the specific show. Every show in Division 2 uses the Division 2 schedule, whether it’s in Philadelphia or Pittsburgh.
The logic: a 3-point major should represent roughly the same competitive achievement everywhere. In regions where a breed draws huge entries, you need more dogs to earn the same points. Where entries are thin, fewer dogs do it.
Golden Retriever: what a 5-point major takes
| Division 2 PA / NY / NJ / DE | Division 13 Mountain West | |
|---|---|---|
| Dogs needed | 28 | 11 |
| Bitches needed | 41 | 18 |
Same breed, same title. A 5-point major takes 28 dogs in the Mid-Atlantic but only 11 in the Mountain West. For bitches it’s 41 vs. 18 — more than double.
Division 2: AKC Schedule of Points effective May 12, 2026. Division 13: effective May 15, 2024. Current schedules at akc.org.
Here’s the part nobody tells you: a low number isn’t an advantage. The schedule is built from last year’s actual entries — so the threshold reflects how many dogs typically show up, not how many you wish would.
Wire Fox Terriers in Division 2 need just 6 dogs for a 5-point major. Sounds easy — until you realize the reason the number is 6 is that Wire Fox Terriers barely show up in the Mid-Atlantic. If only 3 enter on a given weekend, there aren’t enough dogs to generate any points. You can drive five hours and go home with nothing.
Meanwhile, Golden Retrievers need 28 dogs for the same major — but those 28 dogs are there, every weekend. The points are available. You just have to beat them.
So it cuts both ways. High-entry breeds: the bar is high, but the dogs show up. Low-entry breeds: the bar is low, but finding enough dogs in one place at one time is the real battle. A single-digit major can be just as hard to earn as a double-digit one — the difficulty just lives in a different place.
Putting it together: the championship formula
What it takes to become a Champion
a 3rd judge
A “major” is any win worth 3, 4, or 5 points. You need two of them, from two different judges, and at least some of your other points must come from a third judge. No single judge can hand you a championship alone.
Quick glossary
- Point schedule — AKC’s per-breed, per-division table. Updated every May.
- Major — a win worth 3, 4, or 5 points.
- Winners Dog / Winners Bitch — best non-champion male / female. Points calculated separately by sex.
- Best of Winners — WD vs. WB. Winner gets the higher of the two point values, never the sum.
- Best of Breed — class winners plus champions. Count class dogs of your sex plus all champions of both sexes.
- Division — one of 15 AKC geographic regions, each with its own schedule.
Sources: AKC Point Schedule, AKC Counting Points, Rules Applying to Dog Shows Ch. 16 Sec. 1.
Frequently asked questions
How many points does a dog need to become an AKC Champion?
15 points total, including two majors — single wins worth 3, 4, or 5 points. The two majors must come from two different judges, and at least some of the remaining points must come from a third judge.
What is a "major" in dog shows?
A single win worth 3, 4, or 5 points.
What does "11-19-4-6" mean in a judging program?
11 class dogs, 19 class bitches, 4 champion dogs, and 6 champion bitches — the entry breakdown for the breed at that show.
Are males and females scored together for points?
No. Winners Dog points are based only on the males competing; Winners Bitch points only on the females. Points are never combined across sexes.
What is Best of Winners?
After Winners Dog and Winners Bitch are chosen, they compete head to head. The winner gets whichever point value is higher — never the sum of both.
Why do point requirements differ by region?
AKC divides the country into 15 divisions, each with its own point schedule recalculated every year from prior-year entries. A 5-point major in Golden Retrievers takes 28 dogs in Division 2 but only 11 in Division 13.
Chasing points toward a championship?
Put your dogs on ThePetAdvisor — track every win, plan your weekends around the majors, and never miss a closing date.