Bendigo, Eaglehawk and Castlemaine and District kennel clubs are co-hosting the four-day event with the main show on Saturday a celebration of 90 years of dog showing in Bendigo.

The day will be complete with cake while best of breed winners will receive a specially marked travel mug and group and show winners will take home rosettes.

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The four days of dog shows has already been considered a success given the number of canine contestants with 4201 entries across the six championships.

Helen Leech, who is secretary for each of the Bendigo, Castlemaine and Eaglehawk kennel clubs, said entry numbers were well above other events held across Victoria.

Castlemaine KC president and Bendigo KC life member Carol Hobday said it meant the world to the clubs to be celebrating 90 years of dog showing in Bendigo.

"Like every other club, we have been through good times and tough times," she said.

"I have been a member for 20 years and in my time Bendigo has always been a popular venue for shows.

"My daughter was at the Dogs Victoria library and found an article about the first exhibition in Bendigo. The most interesting part was Vic Rail put on a special train for exhibitors from Melbourne."

In its first championship in 1932, Bendigo KC showed its ability it is able to attract a large number of entries.

The April 1932 edition of the Kennel Control Council Gazette highlighted the Bendigo Kennel Club's "particular consideration for those metropolitan exhibitors who will travel by the train leaving Melbourne at 7.50am".

"A special van for the conveyance of exhibits will be attached to this train, which will arrive at Bendigo half an hour before judging commences," the article reads.

Individually, the Bendigo, Castlemaine and Eaglehawk kennel clubs each have less than 20 members.

But they work closely together to ensure success at the annual circuit they put on each year which sees six championships held over four days.

Lyn Holt is a committee member on the Eaglehawk and Bendigo KC committees. She said the region's three kennel club committees feature a lot of the same people.

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"We have never had to say we haven't got enough people to run the show," she said. "Even though we are all the same people (on each committee).

"I'd say we would be just about the biggest dog show in Victoria. If we're not, we are very close to it.

"You don't see many events where there are six championships. We've got them all together in the pavilion and protected from weather conditions.

"The judges we have from Adelaide wish they had similar facilities over there. We're very lucky."

The move into the Bendigo Showgrounds Regional Exhibition Centre has brightened the future of the three clubs.

"It's really promising. We love the venue, we love our exhibitors," Ms Hobday said. "But it has taken a lot of years to get where we are now.

"The year of Black Saturday, council asked us to move from the oval to the pavilion so they could hold a fundraising concert. Everyone enjoyed it and kept going from there.

"The clubs were very poor then. Bendigo and Eaglehawk were struggling. But after going inside that pavilion, things started to look up.

"The first year council gave it to us for free, which put money in our coffers. Then we rang almost every business in Bendigo for support, which was overwhelming. Since then the clubs have gone ahead in leaps and bounds."

Moving forward, the kennel clubs are hoping for new members and more participants to join what is considered a sport for the senior citizen.

"Dog showing is an ageing sport ," Ms Hobday said. "We're trying to get young ones interested and encouraging them a lot to join the older generation.

"It is a family sport. It is a social sport. I have been doing for 30 years and I think it is wonderful.

"People should come and speak to breeders and see their favourite dogs. Nearly every breed you could name and more is here."

The Bendigo, Eaglehawk and Castlemaine kennel club dog show is on at Bendigo Showgrounds and continues until Sunday, August 7.

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