By the end of this weekend, Colorado Springs will have gone to the dogs — at least at the Norris Penrose Event Center.

Thousands of pooches from around the U.S. and Canada will meet at the event center Friday through Sunday for the Colorado Spring Kennel Club All-Breed Dog Show. That means three days of competitions, including confirmation judging, junior showmanship, and obedience and rally trials.At stake: points that add up to national rankings and invitations to exclusive shows like Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.Kara Schlander, a Boulder resident, will be showing her German shorthaired pointer, Sierra.Schlander is looking forward to letting Sierra strut her stuff for judges and local pet lovers who come to watch.The Colorado Springs show means a chance for Sierra to earn points without traveling far. It also means more quality time for the two, who are as inseparable as peanut butter and jelly.“I can’t leave the house without her wanting to come with me,” said Schlander, 15, of her show pup and companion. “I always get a sad look when I leave for school. But I always come back.“I do, I do,” she said to Sierra. “I’m saying how you’re a loving dog.”Schlander said her dog-handling style isn’t that of a “pageant mom.”  The dynamic duo competes only because both parties find it fun and rewarding. As soon as that changes, they’ll stop, she said.“Sierra gets all happy and jumpy when she wins,” Schlander said. “I want her to have fun along with me. Showing your dog takes teamwork.“If she didn’t enjoy it, I would know. If I didn’t enjoy it, she would know.”Local breeder, owner and handler Karen Rooks Nauer will also bring her German shorthaired pointer to the show — four of them, to be exact: Tara, 8, Tracy, 6, Joy, 6, and Piper, 2.Nauer, 57, has been training and showing dogs for over four decades. She and her husband frequently travel to competitions, and their vehicles show it.“I have a 2006 minivan and it already has 128,000 miles on it,” Nauer said. “My husband has 156,000 miles on his SUV, and we have a motor home too.”

The couple has limits, though. For the sake of the dogs, they draw the line at shows over a two days’ drive away and would never fly with them.

“We usually go as far east as the Midwest — Nebraska, Wisconsin,” she said. “We go to California, Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, Texas. We’ve been gone almost every weekend since the end of February.”

Not surprisingly, Nauer said the toughest part of showing dogs is carving out time from their busy schedules for travel and training.

After all, the couple must support their hobby. David works full time as a senior manager at Verizon, and Karen works three days a week as an executive vice president at a health company. Both must carefully ration and schedule vacation time so they can judge and compete at shows.

“It’s a part-time job,” said Nauer, who spends two hours a week in classes with her dogs and another hour each day training them. “I’m, like, too busy. Then there’s nails, bathing, making sure they get enough exercise. It’s a big commitment.”

But it’s a commitment that reaps rewards.

“The most joyful thing is when I get a tennis ball out and I see these dogs chasing these tennis balls and having a party,” Nauer said. “That’s the best. And they love you no matter what. At the end of a bad day there’s always a wagging tail, even if it’s a short tail.

“Our dogs are great companions. It’s just icing on the cake when they win titles.”