Duck-Tolling Retriever's 'Freestyle' at Westminster Dog Show Makes the Highlight Reel

Dog shows are definitely a serious task, and no one is discounting that. Dogs train for these shows all year long, and there is so much skill for both the dogs and their handlers involved. Dog shows are beautiful.

Even the smartest, most dedicated show dogs in the world are goofy sometimes, though. At their core, they are dogs, and dogs love to cause chaos and have fun. The best is when they combine showing, their job, with goofing off, their personal life. Recently, one of the biggest dog shows in the world chose to highlight one dog's goofy side:

I love that the Westminster Kennel Club included this. I think a lot of people feel like dog shows are all a little too serious, and this just goes to show that they haven't lost the plot!

Related: Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever's First Meeting with Farm Animals Is Too Sweet

Dory is a Nova Scotia Duck-Tolling Retriever (affectionately dubbed the "Toller" by people who don't want to say all of that), and she competed in the 2023 WKC Dog Show. One of her main categories was " Masters Agility ," where she ended up placing 9th in the 16-inch division. So, not a perfect score, but she did get some of the recognition she deserved!

As you can see in the video, she did complete the course; she just added in a little extra flare. It may have hurt her overall performance score a little, but in the court of public opinion, she's perfect in every way.

Do Dogs Get to Have Fun at Dog Shows?

There are many different "levels" of dog shows , some of which are considered more serious than others. However, the basic premise of all dog shows is the same. The dogs compete for "conformation," meaning how well they conform to that kennel club's breed standards, and they compete in different events depending on their breed.

For example, a German Shepherd may compete in a scenting event or show off their bite skills. A Border Collie's events usually include agility and herding. A Toller competes in agility and typically some form of obedience event that involves retrieval. A show dog is trained in competing, and they generally enjoy doing it.

When they're not competing, though, no one is judging them, and dogs have downtime. They'll spend a little bit of this time training, but they're also allowed to get some exercise just for fun, like a nice game of low-stakes fetch. They may also get to meet other dogs in their divisions - it's a little like being at summer camp. You meet the kids in your bunk and make friends. If I was at this dog show, you can bet I would've called dibs on being friends with Dory!