ABSTRACT
The American Kennel Club website describes the training, breeding and showing of dogs as pleasurable and fun activities. While training and showing dogs can be entertaining, rarely are the structures and processes underlying these activities interrogated. Social and cultural assumptions about the human-canine relationship exist that justify the use of the canine body and mind for entertainment. These assumptions underscore human control and dominance over canines. Examining American Kennel Club breed standards and literature about how to train, breed and show dogs in both conformation and dog sports, this chapter explicates the ways that the dog fancy contributes to canine exploitation and suffering.
