The dog world has so many unique terms, slang, and acronyms that it may seem like a different language at times.  It can be overwhelming at first, at the very least.  This glossary of terms is divided into three parts (see below), and will hopefully prove helpful in deciphering the meanings behind the dog-show-speak that you will doubtless hear at any event.

A
Almond eye--eye shape in which the tissue surrounding the eye is elongated
Amble--a relaxed, easy trot in between the walk and the show ring gait
Angulation--the angles formed at the meeting joint of two bones, usually used to reference the front (where the shoulder meets the upper arm) or rear (where the pelvis meets the femur and the femur meets the second thigh) angulations. 
Anterior--the portion carried foremost in normal locomotion
Apple head--a domed or rounded topskull
Apron--the longer fur and the chest and lower neck
 

B
Balance--term used to describe the similar characteristics of the dog's parts--proportions (height vs. length, for example) or balance of front and rear angulation 
Bandy leg--a leg that bends outward in an arch
Barrel chested--describes overly-sprung ribs--a very rounded rib cage
Basewide--wide footfall in gaiting
Bat ear--an erect/prick ear with a broad base and rounded top
Beard--long hair on the underjaw
Beefy--over development of the hindquarter muscling
Belton--a color pattern seen in several breeds (i.e. English setters)
Bitchy--usually used to define an overly-refined male
Bite--the position of the jaws and all teeth when the mouth is closed
Blanket--the coloring on the back and upper sides of the dog between the neck and the tail
Blocky--sqaure-ish in body
Bloom--the sheen of a healthy coat
Bodied up--mature looking, well-developed, lacking puppyish conformational characteristic
Bone--pertaining to the substance and girth of the dog's bones, usually referring to leg bones
Bossy--overdeveloped shoulder muscles (equivalent of beefy, only in the front)
Brindle--another coloration pattern, broken tiger striped
Brisket--thoracic area (inc. chest, rib cage)
Broken coat--a rough but sparse wire coat
Brush--the feathering on the underside of the tail
Bull neck--a thick, stout, well muscled neck
Butterfly nose--partially unpigmented nose leather
Button ear--an ear type in which the base of the ears is erect, but the top tips neatly foreword

C
Camel back--general term used to describe an arched back
Carpal--largest bone in the pastern (wrist)
Cat foot--describes a tight-knuckled foot in which the toes are well arched
Caudal/coccygeal--the vertebrae that make up the tail
Cervical vertabrae--the vertebrae that make up the neck
Cheeky--too much fill in the skull cavities causing the sides of the face (cheeks) to bulge
China eye--blue or clear eye coloration
Chiseling--pertaining to head structure, the outline and smoothness of the facial region
Chops--jowls, thick, heavy flesh on the lips and jaws
Clipping--a gaiting fault in which the rear feet actually knick the pads of the front feet when in a full trot
Close-coupled--a short loin in comparison to other proportions
Coarse--lacking refinement
Cobby--very compact all over in body
Conformation--term describing the physical structure of the entire dog
Coupling--the loin
Cow-hocked--hocks bending inwards when in a natural stance
Crabbing--gaiting fault in which the front and rear legs do not line up when viewed from behind or in front
Crest--the arch on the top of the neck in some breeds
Cropped ear--an ear that had been surgically altered or trimmed to stand up erect
Croup--the region on the top of the dog between the hip bones, extending to were the tail is set on

D
Dentition--the number and placement of teeth in the mouth
Depth (of chest)--an indication of the volume of internal room for the heart, lungs, etc--referenced to the elbow
Dewclaws--extra toe or toes on the inside of the pasterns, and sometimes hocks--routinely removed shortly after birth in most breeds
Dewlap--loose hanging skin under the neck
Dish face--a concave top of muzzle or slightly upturned nose
Divergent hocks--hocks that turn outward when at a natural stance
Dock tail--a tail that has been surgically shortened or removed
Double coat--a two layered type of coat, the first thick and plush, the outer one consisting of coarser guard hairs
Down face--pertaining to the planes of the head, the slope of the muzzle plane being steeper than that of the skull plane
Down in the pastern--weak pasterns
Drive--referring to the amount of  thrust from the rear when gaiting
Drop ear--an ear folded or creases in at least one place
Dry neck--taut skin on the underline of the neck (opposite of wet neck)
Dudley nose--flesh colored nose leather 

E
East-west--front structural fault in which the legs and feet point outwards, away from eachother
Elbowing out--the elbows outturned, away from body
Even bite--meeting of upper and lower incisors with no overlap
Ewe neck--a concave, usually weak neck line
Expression--general appearance of the look in the eye
Eyeteeth--upper canine teeth

F
Feathering--fringe of hair on the underside of the tail, brisket, and backs of legs
Femur--bone of the upper rear leg (largest bone of the rear leg)
Fibula--one of the bones that make up the lower/second thigh
Fiddle front--elbows turned outward, pasterns turned inward, toes pointed outward
Flag--a long feathered tail, carried high
Flat croup--a croup with insufficient slope or taper from the hip bones to the root of the tail
Flat sided--lacking proper spring of ribs
Flews--inner corners of the upper lips
Flewsy--too much flews
Flying ears--erect/prick ears on a breed that should not have prick ears
Flying trot--a very fast gait where all four feet are off the ground for a brief moment
French front--see "fiddle front"
Frill--see "apron"
Full dentition--refers to an adult dog with all its teeth in and fully developed
Furnishings--see "feathering" 

G
Gait--the pattern of footfall and movement of bones and joints when in motion--when used in a show ring setting, it describes the dog's movement at a trot
Gaskin--lower/second thigh
Gay tail--a tail carried high and slightly curved over the back
Goose neck--a long tube-like neck, lacking musculature and strength (opposite of bull neck)
Goose stepping--a gaiting fault with an accentuated and seemingly careless lift in the forelegs
Grizzle--a mixture of three or more colors on one hair
Guard hairs--the coarse outer coat on a double coated breed 

H
Hackles--hairs on the back and the back of the neck that the dog raises when alerted
Hackney gait--a fault in all but two AKC recognized breeds in which the front legs are lifted high with an arching wrist while gaiting
Hard knuckled--a tight foot with prominent arches in each of the toes
Hare foot--an elongated foot with little arch in the toes
Harlequin--color pattern usually piebald (bi-color splashes)
Haw--the third eyelid--membrane on the inner corner of the eye, seen in wet faced breeds
Height--measured from the ground to the point of the withers
Hock--the collection of tarsus bones on the rear legs--the true heel
Hocking out--see "divergent hocks"
Hucklebones--top of hip bones
Humerus--bone of the upper arm 

I
Incisors--the smaller row of teeth between the two canines; present on both upper and lower jaws 

J
Jowls--flesh of the lips and jaws

K
Kiss marks--tan spots on the cheeks and over the eyes in some breeds
Kiss of Ala--a small snip of differing color on the center of the top of the skull
Knuckling over --a universal fault where the carpal (wrist) bones flex forward under the weight of the dogs standing 

L
Layback--term used to describe the dog's front or rear angulation
Layon--the angle of the shoulder blade from the nearest vertical axis
Leather--outer flap of the ear
Level bite--see "even bite"
Level gait--no rise or fall of the withers or topline when at a standard show ring gait
Liver--a color; deep brown
Loaded--pertaining to over-development of certain groups of muscles
Loin--sides of the dog in the lumbar vertebrae region
Loose front--loose attachment of muscles to the shoulder, producing a gait in which the front is slung all about sloppily
Lumbar vertebrae--the vertebrae between thoracic (over ribs) and coccygeal (tail)
Lumber--an awkward, uncoordinated looking gait 

M
Mandible--lower jaw bone
Manubrium--frontal area of the chest
Mask--dark shading on the face
Merle--color pattern; dark patching upon a lighter background, as seen in some breeds like Australian Shepherds
Metatarsus--smaller bone that makes up the hock
Milk teeth--puppy teeth
Mismark--a specimen with highly undesirable and/or untypical coloring or markings for its breed
Moving close--when viewed from the rear or front, the legs move toward the centerline of the body while gaiting
Moving straight--describes a dog with little reach and drive in gaiting
Muzzle--foreface; head in front of the eyes 

N

O
Oblique eyes--outer corner of eyes placed higher than inner corners
Occiput--point of the skull bone, back of head
Otter tail--thick rooted, tapering tail with parted hair on the underside
Out at elbows--elbows turn outward, away from body, at a natural stance
Overdone--refers to a dog whose angulation is extreme; too much
Overhang--a heavily pronounced brow
Overreaching--a gaiting fault in which the rear legs must reach to one side or another to avoid clipping the front feet
Overshot--an overbite; upper in scissors project beyond the lower ones 

P
Padding--a gaiting fault in which the front feet flip up and outward to avoid clipping with the rear
Pads--the thick leathery projections on the souls of the feet
Paper foot--an overly flat foot with thin pads and little, if any arch to the toes
Peak--see "occiput"
Parti--variegated patches of two or more colors
Pastern--region of the front leg between the carpus and the foot (the wrist)
Pelvis--hip bones
Penciling--thin lines of black between otherwise tan colored tows in some breeds
Pigeon toed--feet (front or rear) pointing inwards, towards eachother
Pig mouth--see "overshot"
Pincer bite--see "even bite"
Planes--referring to the head, the plane of the muzzle and the plane of the topskull
Planing--the comparison of the angles of the two planes of the head
Plume--see "feathering"
Poke--neck carried low and outwards when gaiting
Popping hock--gaiting fault describing an accentuated lift of the hock portion just after full extension of the rear
Pounding--gaiting fault;  front stride is shorter than the rear, front feet pound the ground in an ungainly manner
Prick ear--an erect or upright ear
Puppyish--does not refer to actual age, but rather to an immature look in overall conformation (i.e. no spring of ribs, or loose front action--typical traits of puppies)

Q

R
Racy--tall and of a lithe, slight build
Ragged--muscling appears rough and protruding, instead of smooth
Rangy--unproportionally tall, long, and of a lighter build than is desired
Rat tail--thick root covered in curly hair, tapering to a sharp point w/ little to no hair
Reach--describes the length of forward stride taken by the forelegs when in motion
Refinement--pertaining to the amount of raciness
Restricted--a gaiting fault caused by underangulation where either the front or the rear appears painfully constricted and unable to reach full extension on the move
Ribbed up--a long rib cage
Ring tail--carried up and in a semi-circle over the croup
Roach back--a noticeable arch or rise over the thoracic and lumbar regions
Rocking horse--refers to a dog who braces (or rocks backwards) while in a stack rather than lean over its front
Rolling--a gait in which the rear seems to be swaying and ambling along
Roman nose--a down faced dog with the addition of a further sloping tip of nose plane
Rubber hocks--a gaiting fault in which the hocks flex and twist both ways to bear the weight of the rear
Rudder--another term for the tail
Ruff--the thick. lush hair growth around the neck in some breeds 

S
Saber tail--tail carried in a semi-circle
Sable--color pattern; silver, gold, tawny, or grey hairs tipped in black
Sacrum--vertebrae of the pelvic girdle
Saddle--large black marking over the back
Scissors bite--a bite type; the outer surfaces of the lower incisors touches the inner surfaces of the upper incisors. This is the most desirable bite for most (but certainly not all) breeds.
Screw tail--a twisted, kinked tail
Self--one solid color
Semi-prick ear--ears carried erect with the tips leaning forward
Shelly--a shallow, narrow body lacking proper fill and spring of ribs as well as being fine boned
Sickle hocks--straight, restricted hock joints resulting in inability to full straightened hocks while gaiting
Sickle tail--carried out an in a semi-circle
Single tracking--all footprints falling upon a single, central line of travel while gaiting
Skully--a very broad topskull
Slab sides--flat, under-sprung ribs
Slew foot--general term for feet turned outwards
Smooth coat--a very short, tight fitting and slick single layer coat
Snipey--a pointed muzzle lacking proper fill and underjaw
Splay foot--a flat foot with toes spread apart from eachother
Spring--refers to the amount of roundness to the rib cage
Spread--the distance between the front legs
Standoff coat--a heavy, somewhat long coat that stands out from the body, rather than lying flat
Steep--used to denote incorrect angles
Steep croup--a croup which makes a dramatic slope from the hip bones to the root of the tail
Stern--another term for the tail
Sternum--breastbone
Stifle--kneecap
Stilted--a gaiting style; very choppy with lots of up and down bounce due to straight angulation
Stop--the indentation between the eyes; the step up from the muzzle plane to the skull plane
Straight front--too little angulation in the front
Straight in the pastern--not enough give in the pastern area when in a natural stance
Substance--pertaining the the amount of bone
Swan neck--like a ewe neck, only with bulging on the underside of the neck as well as a concave upper neck

T
Thoracic vertebrae--the vertebrae that make up the spine over the rib cage area
Throaty--excess of loose skin under the neck
Thumb marks--black splotches on the backs of the pasterns
Tibia--the smaller of the two major bones in the hock
Tied at the elbows--see "paddling"
Topline--the horizontal made by the top of the withers through the bottom of the croup
Tuck up--the shallower depth of body beneath the loin area
Tulip ear--carried erect with only the edges turning forward and in
Twisting hocks--see "rubber hocks"
Type--the characteristic physical qualities that distinguish one breed from another
Typey--a specimen with outstanding breed type

U
Ulna--the smaller of two major bones in the forearm
Underline--the contour of the underside of the brisket and the abdominal floor
Undershot--an underbite, opposite of overshot
Unsound--a dog with one or more severe conformational or health faults that would render it incapable of performing the breed's original function

V
Varminty--a keen and piercing expression 

W
Walleye--a bluish eye
Webbed--a thin but solid membrane between all toes
Weedy--rangy and with insufficient amount of bone
Well let down--having short hocks
Wet neck--see "throaty"
Wheel back--see "roach back"
Whip tail--a long, straight, evenly tapering, smooth coated tail
Winging--a gaiting fault in which one or both front limbs twist outward
Wirehair--a coat of hard, crisp, somewhat kinked hairs
Withers--the region between the neck and the back
Wry mouth--a cross bite where the upper and lower jaws do not line up 

X

Y

Z

 Organizations
AKC--American Kennel Club
UKC--United Kennel Club
CKC--Canadian Kennel Club
ARBA--American Rare Breed Assoc.
ASFA--American Sighthound Field Assoc.
NADAC--North American Dog Agility Council
USDAA--United States Dog Agility Assoc.
OFA--Orthepedic Foundation for Animals

Win Acronyms

WD--Winners Dog (best non-champion male)

RWD--Reserve Winners Dog (runner-up to WD)

WB--Winners Bitch (best non-champion female)

RWB--Reserve Winners Bitch (runner-up to WB)

BOW--Best of Winners (either WD or WB is eligible)

BOS--Best of Opposite Sex (to the BOB winner)

BOB--Best of Breed or Best of Variety (in breeds with multiple varieties)
BIS--Best in Show (at an all-breed show)
SBIS or BISS--Best in Specialty (winner of BOB at a specialty show)
AOM--Award of Merit (runner-up/highly considered for BOB, usually given at specialties or national championship shows)
BIF--Best in Field (for sighthounds only - the equivalent of BIS at a lure coursing event)
HIT--High in Trial (highest score in obedience trial)
BJS or BJH--Best Junior Showman/Handler

For a comprehensive listing of event titles that a dog can earn, be sure to check out the page, What Titles Mean

Dog Show Lingo
Dog--a male canine
Bitch--a female canine
Put up--placed in a class or winning the class
Put down--not put up for any award
Ringer--a substitute for; a dog closely resembling another dog
Pointed--has earned at least one point towards AKC bench or field championship
Major pointed--has earned at least one major toward AKC bench or field championship
Cluster--a group of consecutive shows held at the same show site
Circuit--a convenient string of consecutive shows at different locations, not far apart
Hander's show/Handler draw--a show that draws large numbers of professional handlers
Specialty--a show for one breed only, usually offering more classes and prizes than a standard all-breed show
Supported Entry--a show where large numbers of the supported breed will be shown, but not a specialty
Bench show--a show where the exhibits (the dogs) must be on display all day
National--the specialty put on by the parent club, usually the largest
Parent Club--the national club for the breed in the USA
Sire--male parent
Dam--female parent
Stud dog--a male dog used for breeding purposes
Brood bitch--a bitch used for breeding purposes
Foundation Bitch--a bitch used for breeding while starting one's own bloodline that has had significant genetic influence on the bloodline, even generations removed from her
Line--refers to a distinctive "family" or bloodline of dogs in specified breed; each breeder has his/her own distinct "line"
Inbreeding--the breeding of immediately related specimens (i.e. brother x sister)
Linebreeding--the breeding of closely related dogs, but not close enough to be considered inbreeding
Outcrossing--the breeding of unrelated specimens; breeding to a dog or bitch from another line
 

In the Show Ring
Stack--a show dog's standing pose
Free Stack--a show dog's natural pose w/out being touched by the handler
Gait--referring to the trot of a dog in the show ring
Bait--food, treats, or toys used to get a dog's attention, expression, or free stack in the ring
Baiting--the use of bait
Six to Nine--refers to the dog show class for puppies six months or over and under nine months
Nine to Twelve--same as above, only between nine and twelve months
Twelve to Eighteen--see above
Open--open to any dog to enter, but usually adults/mature specimens are entered in this class.
Special--referring to a champion of record who is still being shown and campaigned
'Breed--having won the Best of Breed or Variety award: EX: "Fido took the breed on Sunday"
'Opposite--having won the Best of Opposite Sex award, same context as above
Winners--having taken (won) Winners Dog or Winners Bitch
'Reserve--having taken Reserve Winners Dog or Bitch
Making the cut/Getting pulled--being "shortlisted," or selected out of a larger group for further examination by the judge.  Usually the final placements of the class or group are made from those dogs in "the cut."
The Cut--the handful of dogs that the judge wishes to further consider for placements; those that don't make the cut are typically dismissed.

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