After a slight pandemic delay, the 145th Westminster Dog Show kicks off this weekend, when 2,500 dogs representing 209 breeds will compete for the highly coveted title of Best in Show.
Due to health concerns, the 2021 Westminster Dog Show will instead be held outdoors. at Lyndhurst Mansion, an historic estate 25 miles north of New York City in beautiful Tarrytown, New York. Westminster Dog Show Live Streaming
What exactly is the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?
The Westminster Dog Show is a rivalry facilitated by the American Kennel Club that brings canines of all varieties from around the world together to contend in nimbleness, compliance and conformity challenges.
The reason for the show is to assess rearing stock, and victors are chosen dependent on their capacity to contribute and improve the up and coming age of canines.
It is America’s second-most established consistently run game, second just to the Kentucky Derby. Consider it the canine world’s Super Bowl.
Where will it be held?
The Westminster Dog Show was hosted in New York City from its inception in 1877 through 2020, but this year the event will take place at the historic Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York, and it will be the first Westminster Dog Show to be held outdoors.
Sounds fun! When is it and how can I watch?
The Westminster Dog Show, hosted by FOX Sports’ Jenny Taft, begins Friday, but the majority of (and the most highly anticipated) events will be broadcast Saturday and Sunday on FOX, FS1 and FS2, and you can also watch on the FOX Sports app. Westminster Dog Show Live
What should I know about the events?
Westminster weekend starts with the eighth yearly Masters Agility Championship on Friday, trailed by Junior Showmanship, Breed, Group and Best in Show deciding on Saturday and Sunday. The Masters Obedience Championship will be held Sunday also.
On Friday, 350 canines will partake in two fundamental standard spryness adjusts (hops and weaves), and afterward 50 finalists – 10 from every stature class – will contend in the finals Saturday evening for the title of Grand Champion at the Masters Agility Championship.
The best weekend of the year is only days away! First up, the Masters Agility Championship! Watch the #WKCDogShow Masters Agility Championship Finals this Saturday, June 12 at 5pm on @FOXTV. pic.twitter.com/R3P553Ql2Q
— Westminster Dog Show (@WKCDOGS) June 9, 2021
On Sunday, 10 breeds will compete for the title of Master Obedience Champion. The first round of competition consists of utility and signal exercises, but the real action happens in the finals when all teams perform a six-minute routine to showcase their talents in range of obedience.
Last year, a 7-year-old Labrador Retriever named Heart won the Obedience Championship for the fifth consecutive year – every year since it was added to the dog show in 2016 – but newcomers will have a chance at the trophy this year as Heart has officially “retired.”
Watch the dog show online by official TV Channel FOX:
The big finale? It’s the final BEST IN SHOW competition beginning at 8PM ET on Sunday, June 13, 2021 telvised live on FOX. Cable subscribers can log in to foxsports.com/live or FOX apps with your cable provider to access a free live stream.
What is the TV schedule?
Saturday, June 12, 2021
FS2 – Breed judging, junior showmanship preliminaries, and obedience highlights 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
FOX – Masters Agility Championship 4:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. (EDT)
FS1 – Pre-show 7:00 p.m. (EDT) televised live
FS1 – Group competition 7:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. (EDT) televised live
Sunday June 13, 2021
FS2 – Breed judging and junior showmanship preliminaries from 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. (EDT)
FOX – Pre-show at 7:00 p.m. (EDT) televised live
FOX – Groups and Best in Show from 7:30 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. (EDT) televised live
Every year, Westminster welcomes new breeds into the fold. This year, watch for them to include the Belgian Laekenois, the dogo Argentino and the barbet.
How does it work?
All canines are set into seven gatherings for judging: Hound, Toy, Terrier, Herding, Working, Sporting and Non-Sporting. Canines win focuses dependent on the quantity of canines crushed – the more canines entered, the more focuses per win.
Canines are decided on how close they go to a composed standard depicting the ideal canine in their variety with regards to appearance, development, demeanor, and explicit actual qualities like tallness and weight, coat, colors, eye tone and shape, ear shape and situation, feet, tail and then some.
Then, at that point there is an interaction of disposal. The four canines that are made a decision about Best in Breed in their separate gatherings continue to contend in Best in Group, and the champ from each gathering advances to vie for the fantastic prize of Best in Show.
2021 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Live Stream Reddit
Fans of last year’s Westminster will be excited to learn Daniel, a golden retriever that won the sporting group – and the hearts of many viewers – will once again be competing. Siba, the reigning champion, will also return. Other dogs to watch include Bourbon, a Whippet which in January won the 20th AKC National Championship, and Pequest Wasabi, the Pekingnese that was runner-up and winner of the toy group.
Who are the dogs to look for this year?
Keep an eye out for four new breeds – Barbet, Belgian Laekenois, Biewer Terrier and Dogo Argentino – that will join the 209 AKC-recognized breeds and make their Westminster Dog Show debut this weekend.
What are some other fun facts about the Westminster Dog Show?
The oldest dog to win Best in Show was a Sussex Spaniel named Stump, who was 10 in 2009, and the youngest dog to win was a Rough Collie named Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven (no, we didn’t make that up), who was just 9 months old in 1929. Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven is also the only Collie to win Best in Show at the world’s premier dog event.
The Terrier Group has won the most (47 times), with the most recent winner being a Wire Fox Terrier in 2019, and the Herding Group has won only twice, with the most recent being a German Shepherd in 2017.
In Westminster’s history, only seven dogs have won Best in Show twice, and the Wire Fox Terrier is the breed with the most individual wins (14).
Neither Golden Retrievers nor Labrador Retrievers have ever taken home the Best in Show title, despite consistently being two of the most-entered breeds. There are 44 Golden and 41 Labrador Retrievers in this year’s show. Other well-represented breeds are the Vizsla (36), German Shorthaired Pointer (35) and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel (33).
What were the highlights last year?
Remember Daniel the Golden Retriever? Well, the support for Daniel was so huge that #DanielWasRobbed started trending on social media after the competition ended last year. (Daniel is doing just fine, though. He has his own children’s book now.)
P!nk, a Border Collie from Ohio, claimed the title of Grand Champion at the 2020 Masters Agility Championship for the third straight year with an outstanding 29.35-second performance, beating her previous winning run of 29.78 seconds in 2018.
Like P!nk, Wilma the Boxer was another standout fan favorite, this time from the Working Group.
