Champion, Grand Champion, Best in Show, CC… if the abbreviations on a Samoyed’s show record read like another language, this guide explains what they mean — and why they matter when you’re choosing a puppy.
How dog showing works in Australia
Purebred dog showing in Australia is run under Dogs Australia (the Australian National Kennel Council, or ANKC), through each state’s canine body — Dogs Victoria, Dogs NSW and so on. At a championship show, dogs are judged against their breed’s official Standard: the judge’s job is to decide which dog best matches the ideal for the breed in type, movement and temperament.
The Samoyed sits in Group 6 (Utility) alongside other working breeds. Dogs are first judged within their breed; the breed winners then go forward to compete at Group level, and the Group winners compete for the top award of the whole show.
The awards at a single show
These are the abbreviations you’ll see in our Show Results. They build from the breed ring up to the whole show:
| Code | Award | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| CC | Challenge Certificate | Awarded to the best dog and best bitch of the breed. Carries the points that count toward a Champion title. |
| RCC | Reserve Challenge Certificate | Runner-up to the CC in each sex. |
| BOB | Best of Breed | The best Samoyed at the show, chosen from the two CC winners. |
| RUBOB | Runner-Up Best of Breed | Second-best of the breed. |
| BIG | Best in Group | The best dog in Group 6 (Utility) — the Samoyed competing against every other Utility breed. |
| RUBIG | Runner-Up Best in Group | Second in the Group. |
| BIS | Best in Show | The top award — the best dog of every breed at the whole show. |
| RUBIS | Runner-Up Best in Show | Second-best in the whole show. |
| BISS | Best in Specialty Show | Best in Show at a breed-specialty show (e.g. a Samoyed Club show) — a prestigious win judged only against other Samoyeds. |
There are also class awards by age — Baby Puppy, Minor Puppy, Puppy, Junior and so on — and honours like Best Puppy in Group or Best Puppy in Show, which recognise the most promising youngsters.
The championship titles
Titles are earned by accumulating challenge points — awarded for CC, Best of Breed, Best in Group and Best in Show wins — over many shows, under different judges. They are not bought or bred in; every point is won in open competition. The ladder runs:
Champion Ch.
The foundation title: 100 challenge points, won across at least four Challenge Certificates under at least four different judges at four different shows. It says a dog has been judged an excellent example of the breed, repeatedly and by many eyes.
Grand Champion Gr. Ch.
A step beyond Champion — 1,000 challenge points. Reaching it takes sustained winning against strong competition over a long campaign.
Supreme Champion Sup. Ch.
The highest conformation title in Australia: the Grand Champion points plus three all-breeds Best in Show wins (or ten Best in Group / Specialty Best in Show wins). Very few dogs of any breed ever reach it.
Neuter Champion Neut. Ch.
A parallel title for desexed dogs competing in Neuter classes — recognising that a great dog is still a great example of the breed after being desexed.
Point thresholds and rules are set by Dogs Australia and are updated from time to time; the figures above reflect the long-standing system.
Why titles matter when you’re choosing a puppy
A wall of titles isn’t about ribbons for their own sake. To finish a Champion — let alone a Grand or Supreme Champion — a dog has to be independently judged, again and again, as a sound, correct, typical Samoyed. For a family looking for a puppy, a strong show record behind the parents is real, third-party evidence that a kennel is breeding to the Standard: correct structure, true breed type, and the steady, friendly temperament the Samoyed is loved for.
Good breeders pair that with health testing — hips and eyes — so the dog that looks right is also built to live a long, sound life.
Kalaska’s record
Over more than 50 years, Kalaska Samoyeds have bred 130+ Australian Champions, 14 Grand Champions and 9 Supreme Champions, with titled dogs in Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Japan. Our online Show Results capture our more recent wins in detail — a growing record rather than the full five-decade history.
