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2023 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show: Schedule, how to watch, channel
Hit paws on your early May plans: it's almost time for the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
The woof-tacular spectacle returns for the 147th time, as numerous dogs of over 200 unique breeds will put their skills on display in New York. It's the second-longest running sporting event in American history (behind the Kentucky Derby) with a rich history of winners and this year's event will span across three days.
What is the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?
The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show brings together thousands of distinguished dogs to compete in a number of judged events, the iconic dog show, and other competitions including agility, obedience and new this year, a dock diving trial.
At the dog show, judges aim to assess the quality of breeding stock and winning breeders will be rewarded based on their ability to produce purpose-bred dogs who conform to their written breed standards. Dogs are separated into seven groups: sporting, hound, working, terrier, toy, non-sporting and herding.
The qualifying period for the dog show was from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022, and the top dogs in each breed were invited to the national event.
Where will it be held?
The event will be held at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, the same location as the U.S. Open. It was previously hosted in New York City from its creation in 1877 through 2020, but moved to the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, NY for 2021 and 2022. This will be the first time it's held at the Bille Jean King Tennis Center.
Of note, Best in Show, All Groups, all Toy breeds, all Terrier breeds and Junior Showmanship Finals will be held on artificial turf at Arthur Ashe Stadium (which is part of the National Tennis Center). All other breed judging and Obedience will be on artificial turf in a tent-covered court.
When is the 2023 Westminster Dog Show?
The event will run from Monday, May 8th starting at 8 a.m. ET to Tuesday, May 9th ending around 11:00 p.m. ET.
How can I watch the 2023 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?
The 2023 Westminster Dog Show schedule is as follows:
Monday, May 8, 2023
- Select coverage of Breed Judging and Junior Showmanship Preliminaries: 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET, FOX NOW App and FOX Sports App
- Pre-Show Programming: 7:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET, FS1
- Group Judging (Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding Groups): 7:30-11:00 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX NOW App and FOX Sports App
Tuesday, May 9, 2023
- Select coverage of Breed Judging and Junior Showmanship Preliminaries: 1:00-4:00 p.m. ET, FS2, FOX NOW App and FOX Sports App
- Pre-Show Programming: 7:00pm-7:30 p.m. ET, FS1
- Group Judging (Sporting, Working, and Terrier Groups followed by Best in Show): 7:30 - 11:00 p.m. ET, FS1, FOX NOW App and FOX Sports App
How does it work?
Each dog will compete against others in its selected group, and will be awarded points based on the number of dogs it's able to defeat. So, the more dogs competing in any given event, the more points the winner will receive.
Dogs will be judged according to a pre-written standard detailing the ideal dog based on a number of factors such as height, weight, coat, colors, eye color and shape, ear shape, feet, tail and more. The 210 dogs who are deemed Best of Breed move on to compete in Best in Group competitions, and the best of those dogs will vie for the ever-coveted Best In Show title.
What should I know about the events?
The affair will begin with the Masters Agility Championship, in which dogs square off in a pair of preliminary agility rounds, and are timed on their quickness. The 50 dogs with the fastest times advance (10 from five respective height classes) to compete for the Champion’s crown.
Next comes the Obedience section, which kicks off with several signal exercises, heel work and scent discrimination. Junior Showmanship Finals and Group judging are evening favorites, and the event culminates with the Best In Show competition.
Who were the 2022 Westminster Dog Show winners and Best in Show?
Trumpet the Bloodhound was crowned Best in Show after wooing judges with a lovable face and showing off his glorious gait. Trumpet topped seven other dogs — Hollywood the Maltese (Toy Group), Winston the French Bulldog (Non-Sporting Group), River the German Shepherd (Herding Group), Belle the English Setter (Sporting Group), and MM the Lakeland Terrier (Terrier) to bring home the championship.
Trumpet defeated over 3,500 other dogs from 49 states and nine other countries. Here's a comprehensive list of all the winners.
