The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is one of the oldest and most well-known events in America, but with so many judges, dogs, breeds and categories, it can all be a bit confusing.
The event is held over two days and the Best In Show competition at the end is the final part of the night on Tuesday. This year there are over 2,700 dogs in competition in a number of categories, splitting into even groups, including Hound, Toy, Sporting, Non-Sporting, Working, Herding, and Terrier.
For each of those breeds, a number of dogs compete and get judged throughout Monday and Tuesday, before making it to the final group event, which is decided by a judge. A selection is made from each group as the Best of Breed and after all seven are chosen, they face off for the Best In Show.
There are over 40 judges on the panel and winners are selected based on what is called the breed standard, which is a set of guidelines and qualities that can be observed by certain breeds of dogs. Certain ones are obvious, including how a dog's coat looks, how the fir is trimmed as well as how large or small they are.
There are a number of awards apart from the Best In Show and Best In Breed, including Best of Opposite Sex, Select Dog and Select Bitch, which can go towards the AKC's Grand Championship title. There is also a Reserve Best In Show Award, which is given by the Best In Show judge from the rest of the finalists after the top choice is made.
This year there are 187 different breeds, with two new additions from last year's competition in Treeing Walker Coonhound in the Hound Group and the Russell Terrier in the Terrier Group. Last year's winner was a Pekingeseout named Palacegarden Malachy, while the previous winners were of Scottish decent, with a Scottish Deerhound and a Scottish Terrier taking home the crown.
Michael J. Dougherty is the Best In Show judge and it will be up to him to figure out which dog should walk away with the top spot after the competition. He has over 50 years of experience and he has a panel of over 40 judges to help preside over the event.
The event has a long guidebook about rules for judges and all of the ones working the competition agree to provide fair judgment to all participants. The judges must check the privates of the dog and can also open up their mouths to check for cleanliness.
According to the main event website: Group judges are Ms. Karen Wilson of Sperryville, VA, Sporting; Mr. Luc Boileau of Burlington, WI, Hound; Mr. Robert Vandiver of Simpsonville, SC, Working; Mr. Jay Richardson of St. Charles, IL, Terrier; Mr. Dennis McCoy of Apex, NC, Toy; Ms. Florence Males of Pleasant Hill, CA, Non-Sporting; and Mr. Charles Trotter of Carmel, CA, Herding. Mr. Jason Hoke of Madison, WI will judge the Junior Showmanship finals.
The event hits a cultural touchstone for many people and it was memorably parodied in the Christopher Guest film "Best In Show", which followed a number of contestants at a similar show called the "Mayflower Kennel Club Dog Show" in a mockumentary style.