The Westminster Kennel Club dog show is back for a 149th year 鈥� and back at New York鈥檚 Madison Square Garden for the first time since early 2020.
It鈥檚 a happy homecoming for the United States鈥� most prestigious canine event, which moved to venues outside Manhattan in recent years because of the coronavirus pandemic and then other considerations. But organizers longed to return to the self-described World鈥檚 Most Famous Arena.
鈥淚f you love dogs and you want to see the very best dogs from all around the world competing for the top prize of best in show at Westminster, just be there,鈥� club President Donald Sturz said. For fans who can鈥檛 be there in person, Fox Sports is showing the event鈥檚 various components on FS1 and FS2 and streaming some on the network鈥檚 website and app; Westminster is streaming some others. The competition spans Saturday, Monday and Tuesday, with best in show awarded around 11 p.m. Tuesday on the East Coast.
Might Mercedes, the German shepherd who was Westminster鈥檚 runner-up last year, become top dog this time? Or could this be the year for Monty the giant schnauzer, who was a Westminster finalist the last two years, won the American Kennel Club鈥檚 big show in December and is currently the sport鈥檚 top-ranked dog? Will the prize go to another high-ranking dog 鈥� or a dark horse?
Here are the basics on Westminster and the dog show world it epitomizes.
When is Westminster?
It begins Saturday morning at the Javits Center convention hall with agility and obedience championships and some demonstration events, including Westminster鈥檚 first experiment with flyball. That鈥檚 essentially a canine relay race that involves running a course of jumps and retrieving a ball.
The traditional, breed-by-breed judging 鈥� what show folk call 鈥渃onformation鈥� 鈥� unfolds Monday and Tuesday. First-round competition, where dogs are judged against others of their breed, happens during the daytime at the Javits Center. Then, in what are essentially semifinals, each breed winner is judged against others within its 鈥済roup鈥� of dozens of breeds at Madison Square Garden in the evenings. In the final round, the seven group winners compete for best in show Tuesday night.
At each level, judges decide which dog in the ring best matches the ideal, or 鈥渟tandard,鈥� for its own breed.
How many dogs?
About 2,500 dogs from 201 breeds and varieties (subsets of breeds) are signed up to compete.
Hailing from every U.S. state and 12 other countries, contestants include such familiar breeds as golden retrievers and such rarities as sloughis. No doodles, though. At least for now, those poodle mixes aren鈥檛 recognized as purebreds by the American Kennel Club, the governing body for Westminster and many other U.S. dog shows.
Dachshunds are the best-represented breed, with 52 entered.
The agility and obedience contests involve a few hundred more dogs, including mixed-breed ones. Last year a border collie-papillion combination named Nimble became the first mixed-breed winner in the agility trial鈥檚 decade-long history.
How do dogs get into the show?
First, breeders determine which puppies are physically and temperamentally suited for showing. Those pups are raised, trained and groomed to put their best paw forward in the show ring. 鈥淏eginner puppies鈥� can start competing in AKC shows at 4 months.
Some owners exhibit their own dogs where and when they can. Others have professional handlers who crisscross the country to compete most weekends, sometimes with multiple pooches.
Trying for a national ranking is known as 鈥渃ampaigning鈥� a dog, and no wonder. As in politics, hopefuls 鈥� or, here, their owners and handlers 鈥� may gather intel about rivals鈥� plans and either seek or avoid a face-off. They may weigh a particular judge鈥檚 record. Some even run full-page ads in dog magazines to congratulate, salute and promote their animals.
Are there favorites?
All Westminster dogs are champions, as measured by their sport鈥檚 complicated point system. But yes, there are stats, kept by the Canine Chronicle magazine.
Besides Monty and Mercedes, entrants include Vito, a pug who won the National Dog Show televised Thanksgiving Day, along with 2024 Westminster semifinalists Comet the shih tzu and Louis the Afghan hound. There鈥檚 a high-ranking otterhound, representing one of the country鈥檚 rarer breeds, and a big-winning wire fox terrier, whose breed won more than any other at Westminster.
Still, show cognoscenti often say victory goes to 鈥渢he dog on the day,鈥� meaning the one that has the performance of a lifetime.
And regardless which dog the judge chooses, others sometimes win the audience鈥檚 heart. Among the crowd faves over the years: a Sussex spaniel who sat up straight on his hind legs before the judge; a treat-seeking Leonberger who gnawed at his handler鈥檚 pocket while going around the ring; and a shiba inu shown by a 10-year-old girl.
What breeds win most?
Wire fox terriers have taken the top prize 15 times, most recently in 2019. Poodles of various sizes have 11 wins. A miniature poodle named Sage won last year.
Many breeds haven鈥檛 won yet, including such favorites as the French bulldog and Labrador retriever. But never say never: Two of the last three winners have been firsts for their breeds: the petit basset griffon Vend茅en and the bloodhound.
What do winners get?
Bragging rights, ribbons and trophies. There are no cash prizes, though the agility and obedience winners each get to direct a $5,000 Westminster donation to a training club or the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.
OK, it鈥檚 prestigious, but aren鈥檛 there protests?
Animal rights activists routinely protest outside, and sometimes inside, the show. During last year鈥檚 final round, someone carrying a sign reading 鈥渂oycott breeders鈥� tried to climb into the ring. The demonstrator was quickly intercepted and arrested.
The Westminster club says it promotes responsible dog ownership and celebrates all canines while highlighting the 鈥減reservation鈥� of breeds with particular traits.
