A dog show is a competitive event in which judges evaluate dogs on their physical appearance and condition. In this photograph, a woman parades a doberman pinscher for the judges’ review.
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The National Dog Show, presented by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia and the American Kennel Club, took place over the weekend at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, fully returning for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, the show went on without spectators. Instead, cardboard cutouts sat in the audience and the dogs competed without applause.

The National Dog Show has aired on television every Thanksgiving Day after Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade for 20 years. This year the show was open to vaccinated spectators as well as well-behaved dogs. While the judges announced best in breed winners, the “Best in Show” winner will not be announced until the show airs on Thursday, Nov. 25.

The bichon frise is a popular show dog. This photograph shows bichons frises lined up for judging at a dog show.
AP Photo

The American Kennel Club (AKC), the best-known dog registry in the United States, classifies dog breeds into seven major groups for exhibition in dog shows. The seven groups are (1) sporting dogs, (2) hounds, (3) working dogs, (4) terriers, (5) toy dogs, (6) nonsporting dogs, and (7) herding dogs. The AKC also has a miscellaneous category for dogs that are growing in popularity but that have not yet been accepted for registration.

This weekend over 1,500 dogs made their way to the Philadelphia area to compete with their owners, handlers, milk-bones, and hair dryers. There are 209 registered breeds in the show this year competing in the 7 group competitions. Each breed competes to be “Best of Breed.” Those winners participate to be “First in Group” in each of the seven groups. From the seven dogs named “First in Group,” the judges name the overall champion as “Best in Show.”

The American Kennel Club added a new breed to the registry this year. The Biewer terrier, a German toy breed, is making its debut on the show. The breed, pronounced like“beaver,” is a relative of a Yorkshire terrier with white, tan, and brown fur. They are known as friendly and athletic companions.

Last year, Claire the Scottish deerhound, a type of hound, won “Best in Show.” In 2019, a bulldog named Thor won after taking the non-sporting group. A whippet, a hound breed, named Whiskey won in 2018. This year perhaps a Biewer terrier will take home the blue ribbon.

February 17, 2020

Last week, on February 11, Siba, a luxuriously black three-year-old standard poodle, pranced proudly after earning the coveted Best in Show award at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City. With a storied history of over 140 years, the show is highly anticipated every year. Beginning last Saturday, more than 200 canine breeds and varieties competed in the initial round of judging, but only one could be “top dog.”

Siba, the standard poodle named Best in Show, competes in the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 11, 2020. (credit: Photo by Johannes EISELE / AFP) (Photo by JOHANNES EISELE/AFP via Getty Images)

The Westminster Kennel Club of New York City holds the most prestigious dog shows in the United States. The shows have been held annually since 1877. That year predates the invention of the automobile, the airplane, and the television; the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Lincoln Memorial; and baseball’s first World Series. Since Westminster’s first show, 12 states have joined the union. Westminster even predates the establishment of the governing body of the sport, the American Kennel Club (AKC), which was founded in 1884. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the second longest continuously held sporting event in the United States. Only the Kentucky Derby, first run in 1875, has been staged longer.

Kennel clubs in many countries sponsor dog shows. At these competitive events, dogs are evaluated on their physical appearance and behavior. In the United States, the AKC regulates most dog shows, and dogs must be AKC-registered to compete. The club maintains official descriptions of each dog breed called breed standards. Breed standards include such details as the size and shape of the dog’s body and the color and texture of its coat. Other characteristics include temperament, type of movement, and how the coat must be trimmed. Judges award points based on how closely an animal meets the breed standard.

In an all-breed dog show, judges first select the best member of each recognized AKC breed. These dogs then compete against one another to be chosen best in each of the seven major groups of dogs. From these seven dogs, the judges name the overall champion as Best in Show. The most coveted award in the dog show world, Best in Show at Westminster was given for the first time in 1907.

The Westminster Dog Show includes multiple events over four days. This year, a Shetland sheepdog named Conrad won the herding group. Bourbon, a Whippet, represented the hound group. The toy group was won for the second-straight year by Bono, a Havanese (the national dog of Cuba). Daniel, a golden retriever and the crowd favorite in the final competition, won the sporting group. Wilma, a boxer, repeated as the working group winner. The terrier group champion was Vinny, a wire fox terrier. Siba, representing the non-sporting group, was the fifth standard poodle to win Best in Show, and the first since 1991. Miniature poodles have won three times and toy poodles twice. Wire fox terriers have more Westminster Best in Show titles (15) than any other breed.

The Westminster Dog Show also includes the Masters Agility Championship, won by a border collie named Pink; the Masters Obedience Championship, won by Heart, a Labrador retriever; and a youngster named Johnathon Wehry claimed the Best Junior Handler prize (for kids aged 9-17) for guiding his cocker spaniel, Jagster.

February 15, 2019

With a storied history of over 140 years, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City is highly anticipated every year. Beginning last Saturday, more than 200 canine breeds and varieties competed in the initial round of judging, but only one could be “top dog.” On February 12, the appropriately named King, a wire fox terrier, pranced proudly after earning the coveted Best in Show award.

King, a wire fox terrier, proudly paws the Best in Show trophy at the conclusion of the 143rd Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Feb. 12, 2019. Credit: © Lev Radin, Shutterstock

The Westminster Kennel Club of New York City holds the most prestigious dog shows in the United States. The shows have been held annually since 1877. That predates the invention of the automobile, the airplane, and the television; the building of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Lincoln Memorial; and baseball’s first World Series. Since Westminster’s first show, 12 states have joined the union. Westminster even predates the establishment of the governing body of the sport, the American Kennel Club (AKC), which was founded in 1884. The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is the second longest continuously held sporting event in the United States. Only the Kentucky Derby, first run in 1875, has been staged longer.

Kennel clubs in many countries sponsor dog shows. At these competitive events, dogs are evaluated on their physical appearance and behavior. In the United States, the AKC regulates most dog shows, and dogs must be AKC-registered to compete. The club maintains official descriptions of each dog breed called breed standards. Breed standards include such details as the size and shape of the dog’s body and the color and texture of its coat. Other characteristics include temperament, type of movement, and how the coat must be trimmed. Judges award points based on how closely an animal meets the breed standard.

In an all-breed dog show, judges first select the best member of each recognized AKC breed. These dogs then compete against one another to be chosen best in each of the seven major groups of dogs. From these seven dogs, the judges name the overall champion as Best in Show. The most coveted award in the dog show world, Best in Show at Westminster was given for the first time in 1907.

The Westminster Dog Show includes multiple events over four days. This year, a Bouvier des Flandres named Baby Lars won the herding group. Burns, a longhaired Dachshund, represented the hound group. The toy group was won by a Havanese (the national dog of Cuba) named Bono. Colton, a schipperke, represented the non-sporting group. Bean, a Sussex spaniel, won the sporting group. The working group winner was Wilma, a boxer. And the terrier group champion was the Best in Show winner, King. Wire fox terriers have won Best in Show at Westminster more times (15) than any other breed.

The Westminster Dog Show also includes the Masters Agility Championship, won by a border collie; the Masters Obedience Championship, won by a Labrador retriever; and the AKC Meet the Breeds event that allows people to interact with more than 100 different dog breeds and—surprise!—more than three dozen breeds of cats.