National Dog Show 2016: TV Schedule, Live Stream, Top Breeds and More

The National Dog Show has become a Thanksgiving tradition in the United States, airing right after the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC. The showcase, which is presented by Purina, is hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia.

The Skye terrier entered the 2016 event as the reigning breed champion, with Charlie taking home last year's Best in Show title. It marked the fourth time in the past seven years a terrier earned the top spot, led by the wire fox terrier, which captured back-to-back crowns in 2011 and 2012.

This year's competition was conducted at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center on Nov. 19 and 20. Let's check out all the key details to watch the Thanksgiving coverage. That's followed by an event preview, which doesn't include any spoilers.

Viewing Information

When: Thursday, Nov. 24 at 12 p.m. ET

Watch: NBC

Live Stream: NBC Sports Live Extra

Event Preview

Year	Breed	Name
2015	Skye Terrier	Charlie
2014	Bloodhound	Nathan
2013	American Foxhound	Jewel
2012	Wire Fox Terrier	Sky
2011	Wire Fox Terrier	Eira
2010	Irish Setter	Clooney
2009	Scottish Terrier	Sadie
2008	Pointer	Holly
2007	Australian Shepherd	Swizzle
2006	Toy Poodle	Vikki
2005	Bull Terrier	Rufus
2004	Fox Terrier	Gracie
2003	Doberman	Raisin
2002	Standard Poodle	Miki
2001	Labrador Retriever	Gus

The National Dog Show is broken down into seven groups of competition: herding, hound, non-sporting, sporting, terrier, toy and working. Each breed is placed into one of the classifications based on their traits and must first beat out all the similar dogs to advance. 

Only after a dog is judged Best in Breed does it advance to the group stage. From there, one dog from each pool is chosen to represent the group for the Best in Show competition. That whittles the large field down to seven contenders to battle for the coveted title.

The show's official website provided more insight into the judging process:

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The judges examine the dogs and place them according to how closely each dog compares with the judge's mental image of the perfect dog as described in the breed's official standard. The main consideration is the dog's conformation or overall appearance, temperament and structure. The judges are looking for characteristics that allow the dog to perform the function for which his or her breed was bred.

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Along with the Best in Show competition, one of the other marquee attractions during the telecast is the debut of new breeds. The National Dog Show announced the addition of the American hairless terrier, pumi and sloughi for 2016.

Carol Bryant of Fidose of Reality passed along comments from NBC's David Frei about the arrival that caught his eye.

"The pumi looks like a koala bear more than any other breed of dog," Frei said. "It's a little, curly black-coated dog and its standard says its supposed to have a whimsical look about it…it creates that with its facial expression and ears."

All told, it will be intriguing to see whether the recent run of terrier success will continue.

It's difficult for one group to rack up such consistent victories, given the elite competition at the national level. However, the terriers' track record in this event speaks for itself.