131th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

I'd like to adopt or purchase a new dog? Where do I start?

Start by watching the 131th Annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. The entire show is available for sale on DVD from the Westminster Kennel Club website (you can find the URL at the end of this article).

The show presents competitors from every dog breed for the "Best in Show" title. You'll learn a great deal by just watching the show and listening to the descriptions of each dog breed as they are systematically presented to the judges.

There are seven groups of dogs (Sporting, Non-sporting, Working, Herding, Terrier, Hound, and the Toy) being shown at the Westminister Kennel Club show today, with various entrants within each group. All breeds compete for the "best of breeds" titles and then the "best of breeds" winners compete to become the "best of groups" winners. Finally, the "best of groups"winners compete to win the "Best in Show" title.

It's important to note that the judges do not compare one breed with another to make their decisions for the "Best in Group" and "Best in Show" titles. Instead, the judges look for the dogs that best represent their individual AKC standards. The dog that best represents the standard for its breed wins the "Best in Show" title.

The following is a list of all the dog groups and the breeds within each dog group:

SPORTING BREEDS

Brittany
Pointer
Pointer (German Shorthaired)
Pointer (German Wirehaired)
Retriever (Chesapeake Bay)
Retriever (Curly-Coated)
Retriever (Flat-Coated)
Retriever (Golden)
Retriever (Labrador)
Retriever (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling)
Setter (English)
Setter (Gordon)
Setter (Irish)
Spaniel (American Water)
Spaniel (Clumber)
Spaniel (Cocker) A.S.C.O.B.
Spaniel (Cocker) Black
Spaniel (Cocker) Parti-Color
Spaniel (English Cocker)
Spaniel (English Springer)
Spaniel (Field)
Spaniel (Irish Water)
Spaniel (Sussex)
Spaniel (Welsh Springer)
Spinone Italiano
Vizsla
Weimaraner
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

NON-SPORTING BREEDS

American Eskimo Dog
Bichons Frises
Boston Terrier
Bulldog
Chinese Shar-Pei
Chow Chow
Dalmatian
Finnish Spitz
French Bulldog
Keeshond
Lhasa Apso
Lowchen
Poodle (Miniature)
Poodle (Standard)
Schipperke
Shiba Inu
Tibetan Spaniel
Tibetan Terrier

WORKING BREEDS

Akita
Alaskan Malamute
Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Bernese Mountain Dog
Black Russian Terrier
Boxer
Bullmastiff
Doberman Pinscher
German Pinscher
Giant Schnauzer
Great Dane
Great Pyrenees
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Komondor
Kuvasz
Mastiff
Neapolitan Mastiff
Newfoundland
Portuguese Water Dog
Rottweiler
Samoyed
Siberian Husky
St Bernard
Standard Schnauzer

HERDING BREEDS

Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd
Bearded Collie
Belgian Malinois
Belgian Sheepdog
Belgian Tervuren
Border Collie
Bouviers des Flandres
Briard
Canaan Dog
Collie (Rough)
Collie (Smooth)
German Shepherd Dog
Old English Sheepdog
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Puli
Shetland Sheepdog
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)

TERRIER BREEDS

Airedale Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Australian Terrier
Bedlington Terrier
Border Terrier
Bull Terrier (Colored)
Bull Terrier (White)
Cairn Terrier
Dandie Dinmont Terrier
Fox Terrier (Smooth)
Fox Terrier (Wire)
Glen of Imaal Terrier
Irish Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
Lakeland Terrier
Manchester Terrier (Standard)
Miniature Bull Terrier
Miniature Schnauzer
Norfolk Terrier
Norwich Terrier
Parson Russell Terrier
Scottish Terrier
Sealyham Terrier
Skye Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Welsh Terrier
West Highland White Terrier

HOUND BREEDS

Afghan Hound
Basenji
Basset Hound
Beagle
13 In.
Beagle
15 In.
Black and Tan Coonhound
Bloodhound
Borzoi
Dachshund (Longhaired)
Dachshund (Smooth)
Dachshund (Wirehaired)
Foxhound (American)
Foxhound (English)
Harrier
Ibizan Hound
Irish Wolfhound
Norwegian Elkhound
Otterhound
Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeen
Pharaoh Hound
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Saluki
Scottish Deerhound
Whippet

TOY BREEDS

Affenpinscher
Brussels Griffon
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Chihuahua (Long Coat)
Chihuahua (Smooth Coat)
Chinese Crested
English Toy Spaniel (B&PC)
English Toy Spaniel (KC&R) Havanese
Italian Greyhound
Japanese Chin
Maltese
Manchester Terrier (Toy)
Miniature Pinscher
Papillon
Pekingese
Pomeranian
Poodle (Toy)
Pug
Shih Tzu
Silky Terrier
Toy Fox Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier