Grab your biscuits and leashes, because the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is quickly approaching.
Here is a guide to everything you need to know about the event, which began in 1877.
MORE: Adorable photos of our all-time favorites
What is the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is an annual competition featuring nearly 3,000 dogs who are judged against their own breed's standards. Basically, the dogs need to come as close as possible to what the event considers the perfect iteration of the type of dog.
Breed rounds take place at Piers 92 and 94, while Madison Square Garden hosts the Best In Show and group rounds.
The competition features seven different breed groups: hound, toy, non-sporting, herding, sporting, working and terrier.
The Best In Show competition, which includes the Masters Obedience Championship, isn't the only bone the Kennel Club throws to vying contestants; before the two-day main event, the club also hosts a "Meet and Compete" event, featuring the Masters Agility Championship and a Meet the Breed Session.
History of the Westminster Dog Show
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show predates the invention of the light bulb, the automobile and the zipper, and was initially held on May 8, 1877. The first show consisted of just gun dogs by a group of hunters who met regularly at Westminster Hotel. Original prizes for winning the show varied, with one such reward being pearl-handled pistols.
They formed the Westminster Kennel Club shortly after, and became the first club to join the American Kennel Club (AKC), formed in 1884. Popularity of the show continued to grow, eventually necessitating a cap of entrants at 2,800 and a move to Madison Square Garden for the main event.
The show began airing on television in 1948 and has been broadcast nationally since on USA Network, NBC or Fox.
Westminster Dog Show Winners
Terriers have been the most common winning breed of Best In Show, as that breed has won Best in Show 46 times. The second-most common is Sporting, with 19 wins, then Working with 15.
2017 DOG SHOW: Breed results, winners, Best in Show
Previous Best in Show winners
| Year | Winner | Breed | Group |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Ch. Rocky Top's Sundance Kid | Bull Terrier (Colored) | Terrier |
| 2007 | Ch. Felicity's Diamond Jim | Spaniel (English Springer) | Sporting |
| 2008 | Ch. K-Run's Park Me In First | Beagle (15 Inch) | Hound |
| 2009 | Ch. Clussexx Three D Grinchy Glee | Sussex Spaniel | Sporting |
| 2010 | Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot | Scottish Terrier | Terrier |
| 2011 | GCH Foxcliffe Hickory Wind | Scottish Deerhound | Hound |
| 2012 | GCH Palacegarden Malachy | Pekingese Toy | Toy |
| 2013 | GCH Banana Joe V Tani Kazari | Affenpinscher | Toy |
| 2014 | GCH Afterall Painting The Sky | Fox Terrier (Wire) | Terrier |
| 2015 | Ch. Tashtins Lookin For Trouble | Beagle (15 Inch) | Hound |
| 2016 | GCH Vjk-Myst Garbonita's California Journey | Pointer (German Shorthaired) | Sporting |
| 2017 | GCH CH Lockenhaus' Rumor Has It V Kenlyn | German Shepherd | Herding |
2017 breed group winners
| Hound Group | ||
| PLACEMENT | BREED | NAME |
| 1st | Norwegian Elkhounds | GCH CH Vin-Melca's Daggarwood Delight |
| 2nd | Basset Hounds | GCH CH Blossomhil's Topsfield Sanchu A Little Princess |
| 3rd | American Foxhounds | GCH CH Kiarry's Stonewall Jackson |
| 4th | Borzois | GCHS CH Belisarius Jp My Sassy Girl |
| Toy Group | ||
| PLACEMENT | BREED | NAME |
| 1st | Pekingese | GCHB CH Pequest Pickwick |
| 2nd | Pugs | GCH CH Hill Country's Let's Get Ready To Rumble |
| 3rd | Chihuahuas (Smooth Coat) | GCH CH Sonnus Filho (Sanchez) |
| 4th | Affenpinschers | GCHB CH Tamarin Tailback |
| Non-Sporting Group | ||
| PLACEMENT | BREED | NAME |
| 1st | Poodles (Miniature) | GCHB CH Danfour Avalon As If |
| 2nd | Boston Terriers | GCH CH Sabe's Simply Invincible |
| 3rd | Bichons Frises | GCH CH Belle Creek's All I Care About Is Love |
| 4th | French Bulldogs | GCH CH Haloridge's Cruisin The Open Sea |
| Herding Group | ||
| PLACE | BREED | NAME |
| 1st | German Shepherd Dogs | GCH CH Lockenhaus' Rumor Has It V Kenlyn |
| 2nd | Pulik | GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky |
| 3rd | Pembroke Welsh Corgis | GCH CH Coventry Allure At Wyndstar |
| 4th | Border Collies | GCHP CH Majestic Elite Clever Endeavor |
| Sporting Group | ||
| PLACE | BREED | NAME |
| 1st | Setters (Irish) | GCH CH Vermilion's Sea Breeze |
| 2nd | Wirehaired Pointing Griffons | GCH CH Whiskeytown Dalwhinnie Brie SH CGC |
| 3rd | Retrievers (Golden) | GCH CH Tamarack And Blueprint's Defying Gravity |
| 4th | Spaniels (Irish Water) | GCHB CH Beaufield's Boundary Water At Poole's Ide |
| Working Group | ||
| PLACE | BREED | NAME |
| 1st | Boxers | GCH CH Mephisto's Speak Of The Devil |
| 2nd | Akitas | GCH CH Mojo's Continuation Of A Myth |
| 3rd | Standard Schnauzers | GCHS CH Wunderkind One Golden Moment |
| 4th | Bernese Mountain Dogs | GCHS CH Villairns Tag You're It NDD RN |
| Terrier Group | ||
| PLACE | BREED | NAME |
| 1st | Norwich Terriers | GCHS CH Taliesin Twice As Nice |
| 2nd | West Highland White Terriers | GCH CH Lotrando Sunshine Celebration |
| 3rd | American Staffordshire Terriers | GCHG CH Roadhouse's Life Of The Party CA DN CGCA |
| 4th | Norfolk Terriers | GCH CH Yarrow Venerie Winning Ticket |
Westminster Dog Show 2018 schedule, TV coverage
Various stages of the show will air on select channels. Check our comprehensive TV schedule with live-streaming options. Here is the daily schedule of events at the Westminster Kennel Club (all times Eastern):
Meet & Compete
On Feb. 10, the Masters Agility Competition goes from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., while Meet the Breeds lasts from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Agility championship finals start later that night, lasting from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. with all events taking place at Piers 92 and 94.
Masters Obedience Championship
This event takes place Monday, Feb. 12, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Pier 94.
Westminster Dog Show
The show lasts over a two-day span, from Feb. 12-13. The daytime sessions last from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and take place at Piers 92 and 94, while the evening sessions, which include the Best In Show contest, last from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Other dog shows
If the Westminster Dog Show has you salivating for more canine shows, there are other options later in the year.
Crufts, in Birmingham, England, is the largest dog show in the world, lasting four days. This year's competition begins March 8.
There's also the National Dog Show, held in Philadelphia in November.
Lastly, the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship is held in Orlando, Fla., in December and is a slighlty bigger show than Westminster, hosting more than 3,000 dogs.