The Westminster Kennel Club dog show returns to New York this week for its 141st year of canine competition. This Super Bowl of dog shows, which began in 1877, starts with an agility competition on Feb. 11, continues with traditional breed competition on Feb. 13 and wraps up with the award for best in show on Feb. 14. Last year, C.J., a German shorthaired pointer, won best in show.
How to watch
- The agility competition final airs from 8 to 10 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 12 on FS1 (Fox Sports 1).
- Portions of breed judging will air from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 13 and Tuesday, Feb. 14 on Nat Geo Wild.
- Daytime breed judging and the Masters Obedience Championship streams live from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Feb. 13 and 14 at Fox Sports Go.
- Group competition (hound, herding, toy and non-sporting groups) airs from 8 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 13 and from 8 to 11 p.m. on Feb. 14 (sporting, working, terrier groups and best in show) on FS1 (Fox Sports 1).
- Visit westminsterkennelclub.org for more information.
2/2: Meet the top 20 performing dogs competing in the 141st #WKCDogShow. See all the action February 12-14 on @FS1. pic.twitter.com/Ao1pZYNme0
— Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) February 7, 2017 How to watch in person
- Saturday, Feb .11: The Masters Agility Championship preliminaries run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and the American Kennel Club’s Meet the Breeds runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Piers 92 and 94 (711 12th Ave.) in New York. Tickets for both at the door are $35 for adults and $10 for children under 12. The Masters Agility Championship finals run from 7 to 9 p.m. Tickets at the door are $35 for adults and $20 for children under 12.
- Monday, Feb. 13: The daytime judging of hound, toy, non-sporting and herding groups — the portion that will determine best of breed in each group — runs from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Piers 92 and 94. Also ongoing at that time: the Junior showmanship preliminaries and the Masters Obedience Championship. Tickets at the door $35 for adults and $20 for children under 12. Evening competition for hound, toy, non-sporting and herding groups runs from 6 to 11 p.m. at Madison Square Garden (4 Pennsylvania Plaza). Tickets range from $40 to $65 or up to $100 for day and night access.
- Tuesday, Feb. 14: Sporting, working and terrier groups compete on Valentine’s Day at Piers 92 and 94, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets at the door $35 for adults and $20 for children under 12. Evening competition, including the junior showmanship finals and concluding with best in show, will run from 8 to 11 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. Tickets $40 to $65 and up to $100 for access to day and night events.
- For more information, visit Westminster’s ticket page.
New this year The pumi, a Hungarian herding dog, is newly eligible for competition. (Westminster Kennel Club)
- David Frei, often called the “voice of Westminster,” is no longer narrating the show (though he continues to serve as an analyst for the National Dog Show, which airs on Thanksgiving). Taking his place is WKC spokeswoman and dog show analyst Gail Miller Bisher, who has decades of experience as a dog trainer, handler and judge.
- “New” breeds for 2017, meaning dog breeds that are newly eligible for competition after being recognized by the AKC, are the sloughi (hound group), the pumi (herding group) and the American hairless terrier (terrier group).
- Another new element: at the non-competitive Meet the Breeds event on Saturday, Feb. 11, where spectators can learn more about breeds and get acquainted with the competitors, cats will join dogs for the first time. They will arrive courtesy of The International Cat Association. “They’ll be separated,” Bisher says of the felines and pooches,. “They”ll be in the cat section. We’ll be OK.”
More on Westminster
More than 3,200 dogs are entered this year in various competitions. The largest group — golden retrievers, with 65 dogs. Coming is second are Labrador retrievers and French bulldogs, with 46 dogs each.
Labrador retriever Heart, a dog from Columbia in Warren County, wears the champion’s ribbon after winning the Master Obedience Championship at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2016. (John Munson | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com)
New York claims the most dogs (260) entered at Westminster, with New Jersey dogs coming out on top among entrants in the agility portion of competition, with a whopping 94 competitors.
Jersey dogs also account for the largest group in the smaller Masters Obedience Championship, a segment of competition that debuted at Westminster last year with a winner from Warren County. Overall, New Jersey dogs account for the fourth largest group of entries (188) at the show, behind Pennsylvania and California.
Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @AmyKup or on Facebook.
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