Displaying items by tag: dog show
HOW DO THE MOST POPULAR BREEDS FARE
WHEN DOG SHOW JUDGES DO THEIR THING?
Breed Popularity not a Factor in Who Gets the Ribbons
PHILADELPHIA, PA (November 18, 2022) This year, the National Dog Show will be hosting will host over 1,800 dogs representing 194 different breeds and varieties of dogs and while the public likes their Goldens and their Labs, dog show judges rarely agree.
The big weekend is is upon us, Saturday, Nov. 19, and Sunday, Nov. 20 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. The Saturday show is The National Dog Show Presented by Purina, taped by NBC for air onThanksgiving Day from noon-2 p.m.in all time zones to an anticipated total audience of over 20 million.
Every year the American Kennel Club publishes a list ranking the breeds in popularity based on registration statistics. The American Kennel Club registered 800,000 dogs last year. The top 10 breeds for 2022 are, in order, Labrador Retrievers, French Bulldogs, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds, Poodles, Bulldogs, Beagles, Rottweilers, German Shorthaired Pointers and Dachsunds.
However, a breed’s popularity does not necessarily translate in the show ring. The Labrador Retriever has been the number one-ranked dog breed in the United States for the last 31 years, but has only won the sporting group at the National Dog Show once (2009). The Labrador Retriever has yet to win Best in Show in the 20-year history of dogdom’s most prominent showcase.
There’s a reason for that. Dog show judging is an intricate art. Each breed is judged on its individual merit according to the written blueprint for the breed, called a “breed standard.” Does the Coton de Tulear have a coat like a cotton ball? Does the Pembroke Welsh Corgi have a stubby tail? Does the Pekingese have a rolling gait? Once a dog wins against other competitors in their breed, they progress to one of the seven groups they are assigned to: Sporting, Herding, Working, Hound, Terrier, Non-Sporting, and Toy. In the group, those unique breed characteristics are what the judge is looking for, and that enables the judges to select one breed over another when it comes down to Best in Group and Best In Show.
Thus, a dog ranked 158th in popularity, such as the Scottish Deerhound, has a chance at winning Best in Show. In 2020 and in 2021 a Scottish Deerhound named“Claire” (GCHS Foxcliffe Claire Randall Fraser) did just that!
The most popular breeds have a mixed history of wins, with some winning their group several times and some never at all. The Bulldog, Thor, won the National Dog Show in 2019 and became an instant celebrity, bringing joy to lovers of the sixth most popular breed. None of the other top-ranked breeds have won in Philadelphia since 2002, but the prominent Beagle, Uno, won the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2008 and became a media phenomenon, including a visit to the White House.
Most Popular AKC 2021 |
Rank |
Group |
NDS Group Wins over 20 years |
1 |
Sporting |
2009, |
|
2 |
Non-Sporting |
2017, 2015, 2014 |
|
3 |
Sporting |
2019 |
|
4 |
Working |
||
Poodles (All Varieties) |
5 |
Non-Sporting/Toy |
2006 (toy), 2004 (toy& standard) 2003 (toy&standard)2002(standard) |
6 |
Non-Sporting |
2009, 2019 – Thor won Best in Show |
|
7 |
Hound |
2007 |
|
8 |
Working |
||
9 |
Sporting |
2021 |
|
10 |
Hound |
2001 |
Those viewing at home will most likely be cheering for the representative from the breed that they have sitting by their feet or on the sofa with them. Co-host and expert analyst for The National Dog Show on NBC David Frei calls this “The alma mater factor.” The wonderful thing about a dog showis that there can be as many as 212 breeds and varieties in competition and each one has the chance to take the big prize! Regardless, “the best dog,” as host John O’Hurley is fond of saying, “is the one next to you.”
If you will be traveling to The Expo Center this weekend, you can see a variety of representatives from each of the top ten breeds as well as many others. Tickets are now on sale for the annual canine extravaganza atwww.nds.nationaldogshow.com.Dog show weekend is Nov. 19-20 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaksand ticket prices are$16 for adults, $7 for children 4-11 with free admission for kids three-and-under. Parking is also free.