您家里養過狗嗎？當您看到電視里各式各樣的狗比賽的時候，您是不是希望自己身邊的小家伙也去展示一下呢？在比賽中哪些標準是決定狗狗能否獲獎的關鍵？看了下面的文章，也許您自己就能辦一場狗狗比賽啦！
Have you ever run across a dog show as you channel-surfed the TV? If so, you might have wondered what the heck was going on. People in blazers and slacks are jogging dogs around a fully-packed arena in a dignified procession.
Over here is a droopy-faced bloodhound (大警犬), over there a meticulously groomed prancing poodle (獅子狗), and in between a small Maltese dog that your untrained eye almost mistook for a mop. How can judges possibly compare dogs that seem so fundamentally different?
In a dog conformation show, judges aren't merely comparing the dogs to each other. Rather, they judge each dog against the parameters of the idealized version of its breed. In other words, when the judge looks at your poodle, Fluffy, he is comparing Fluffy to the written standards of the ideal poodle. The standards address various body parts and attributes, including:
? Balance: overall appropriate proportions in size
? Weight
? Size
? Eyes: color, size, shape
? Ears: shape, length, position ? Head: shape
? Muzzle (口鼻): shape, length
? Whiskers (腮須): thickness
? Teeth: kind of bite (e.g. level or scissors bites)
? Tail: how it arches and sets (e.g. how high or low)
? Shoulders: bone, muscle
? Legs: muscles, stance, proportionality
? Coat: texture, length
? Color: accepted breed colors
A judge will use his hands to inspect the dog's body, including its bones and muscles. In addition to assessing physical characteristics like these, judges assess the dog's walk (gait) and attitude. For instance, criteria might require that the dog's attitude be cheerful, as for the beagle, or proud, as for the poodle. The American Kennel Club (AKC) has assembled these criteria for each of their recognized breeds. It gathers this information from the clubs and organizations that specialize in those breeds. The dog that the judges think matches its breed's criteria the best wins the competition.
（來源 howstuffworks.com 實習生朱一楓 英語點津 Annabel 編輯）
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