{"id":692,"date":"2017-12-23T22:19:08","date_gmt":"2017-12-23T22:19:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/?page_id=692"},"modified":"2026-05-26T16:37:40","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T16:37:40","slug":"akc-code-of-sportsmanship","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/akc-code-of-sportsmanship\/","title":{"rendered":"AKC Code of Sportsmanship and Civility"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-695\" src=\"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/akcvizsla.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"162\" height=\"139\" \/><\/p>\n<p>AKC\u00ae Code of Sportsmanship and Civility<\/p>\n<p>Preface: The tradition of competitive purebred dog events predates 1884\u2014the year the American Kennel Club (AKC\u00ae) was founded. Those involved in these sports share core values, including a strong commitment to sportsmanship and a welcoming, respectful culture that embraces the diverse community united by a love of dogs.<\/p>\n<p>These values are evident across all aspects of the sport: conformation, performance, companion, and family dog activities. Many believe that the enduring principles of sportsmanship and civility are key reasons the sport has thrived for over 140 years.<\/p>\n<p>Recognizing that periodically reaffirming our shared values strengthens our community, the revised code will be shared widely to highlight the foundational values and principles that define the sport.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportsmen respect the history, traditions and integrity of the sport of purebred dogs.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople always place the welfare of their dog above all else.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople prioritize the long-term health and preservation of their breed, making decisions that reflect a deep commitment to responsible breeding and ownership.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople respect the history, traditions and integrity of the sport of purebred dogs.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople conduct themselves in a manner that reflects positively on the sport, the American Kennel Club, and themselves.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople appreciate, encourage and support all who associate with and participate in the sports by fostering an environment where respect, equity, inclusion, and courtesy are foundational.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople understand, uphold and abide by all AKC bylaws, rules, regulations and policies.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople contribute to a positive atmosphere at events by avoiding negative gossip, disparagement, or unsportsmanlike behavior.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople extend their values of civility, fairness, and respect to all digital and social media platforms.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople actively support the education and mentorship of newcomers, helping them learn the rules, values, and traditions of the sport in a respectful way.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople recognize that they are role models in the sport, and strive to lead by example through humility, kindness, and ethical conduct.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople treat fellow exhibitors, judges, officials, volunteers, spectators, and AKC staff with dignity and respect, regardless of experience, background, or differences in opinion.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople are committed to fair play, honesty, courtesy, and competition, approaching both winning and losing with grace.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople understand that strong competition and civility can\u2014and should\u2014coexist. They appreciate the quality of their competitors, and the effort put forth by others.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople uphold their responsibilities to the sport of purebred dogs and refuse to let personal gain or self-interest influence their decisions or behavior.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 The sportsperson judges only on the merits of the dogs and considers no other factors. \u2022 The sportsperson judge or exhibitor accepts constructive criticism.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 The sportsperson exhibitor declines to enter or exhibit under a judge where it might reasonably appear that the judge\u2019s placements could be based on something other than the merits of the dogs.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 The sportsperson exhibitor refuses to compromise the impartiality of a judge.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople are willing to share honest and open appraisals of both the strengths and weaknesses of their breeding stock.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople decline to exploit any positions of authority or recognition for personal advantage.<\/p>\n<p>\u2022 Sportspeople appreciate those that have gone before them and realize they are responsible for maintaining and enhancing the sport for future generations.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a9 American Kennel Club\u00ae<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>AKC\u00ae Code of Sportsmanship and Civility Preface: The tradition of competitive purebred dog events predates 1884\u2014the year the American Kennel Club (AKC\u00ae) was founded. Those involved in these sports share core values, including a strong commitment to sportsmanship and a welcoming, respectful culture that embraces the diverse community united by a love of dogs. These [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-692","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/692","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=692"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/692\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2111,"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/692\/revisions\/2111"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vizslaclubofillinois.org\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=692"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}