Agility is a sport that appeals to all dog lovers – from young people to senior citizens. It has a great spectator appeal. Agility is designed to demonstrate a dog’s willingness to work with its handler in a variety of situations. It is an athletic event that requires conditioning, concentration, training, and teamwork. Dog and handlers negotiate an obstacle course racing against the clock. Continue reading Westminster 2021: Agility 101→
Four newly AKC-recognized breeds will join the 209 eligible breeds at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in 2021.
Photo: WKC
The archetype water dog of France, the Barbet is a joyful, bright, and loyal companion. A rustic breed with roots as far back at the 16th century, this medium-sized dog locates, flushes, and retrieves birds. The Barbet will join the Sporting Group. Continue reading Westminster 2021: New Breeds→
(The video above is from last year’s WKC agility show.)
From the American Kennel Club: Dog agility is a sport where you direct your dog through a pre-set obstacle course within a certain time limit. Courses typically have between 14-20 obstacles, which can include tunnels, weave poles, tire jumps, seesaws, and pause tables where the dog must stop for a set amount of time. At each trial you and your dog will race around the unique courses designed for that day. All of this is done with your dog relying solely on the cues and body language you use to direct them on course.
Each dog at a dog show is presented to a judge by either its owner, breeder, or a hired professional. This person is known as the exhibitor or the handler of the dog.
The purpose of conformation shows (also known as dog shows) is to evaluate breeding stock. Judges select winners based on their ability to contribute and improve the next generation of dogs. Dogs start out in the classes competing for points toward their AKC championship title. Dogs win points based on the number of dogs defeated. The more dogs entered, the more points per win. It takes fifteen points, including two majors (wins of three, four or five points), awarded by at least three different judges, to become an American Kennel Club champion. Continue reading Westminster 2021: Conformation Primer→
Here’s a link to the FREE digital program for this year’s Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The photo above shows the table of contents so you can see what’s included.
As you probably know, the granddaddy of all dog shows, the Westminster Kennel Club Show, is generally held in the middle of the winter in the place everyone wants to be when it’s cold, New York City. However, with ongoing COVID-19 restrictions, the decision was made to make this year’s show an outdoor event, and the big show was moved to June in hopes of finding some good weather. It’s been hot hot hot in New York this week, but temperatures are supposed to moderate in time for this weekend’s event. Continue reading Coming Soon: Westminster 2021→
Photo: Westminster Kennel ClubGuess who just got her remote media credentials for the big summer Westminster Dog Show? That’s right – this girl!
Regular readers know this show is my favorite dog-related event of the year, but as with everything else, COVID-19 messed up the schedule as well as eliminating spectators and vendors. In order to still be able to hold the show this year, they moved it outside to Lyndhurst in Tarrytown, and since January in New York isn’t always outside-friendly, they rescheduled for June.
Even though the WKC show has been moved to the summer, this is normally the week we celebrate the grandaddy of all dog shows. In honor of this week, the Westminster Kennel Club is offering some online events. You can check out the ever-changing schedule here, but below is what is scheduled so far. Continue reading Westminster Celebration Week→
Everything you need to know about the 2021 Westminster Kennel Club dog show is just an app away. The WKC APP is your new go to for year-round dog content with important updates concerning the 2021 show, Road to WKC video series, archive videos, special features, and more. Continue reading All The Westminster News You Need to Know→
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