2017 Westminster Dog Show: TV Coverage, Live Stream Schedule and Expectations

The dogs are taking over Madison Square Garden.

Observers of the New York Knicks might already say that happened years ago, but the 2017 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show means that the canine variety of competitors will get the run of the World's Most Famous Arena.

Not just any dogs, either. These are the most talented canines—at least in the eyes of the judges—and they will be put through their paces on the green runways of the Garden floor.

The judging begins Monday, and lovers of these four-legged stars will be able to follow along on television and online. The television coverage gets underway Monday afternoon on Nat Geo Wild at 2 p.m. ET, and it will continue until 4 p.m.

FS1 will pick up the coverage Monday night at 8 p.m. and will continue through 11 p.m. Fans of the top dog show of the year can also follow along online by streaming the event on the Westminster Kennel Club website and Fox Sports Go.

Venue	Date	TV and Time (ET)	Live Stream
Madison Square Garden	Feb. 13	Nat Geo Wild: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; FS1: 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.	WKC website, FOX Sports GO
Madison Square Garden	Feb. 14	Nat Geo Wild: 2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.; FS1: 8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.	WKC website, FOX Sports GO

The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has reached its 141st year of competition, and more than 3,000 dogs from 202 breeds are competing in New York City.

Some of the top dogs in the competition include Gia, a champion greyhound; Devon, a West Highland white terrier; and Preston, a dark-haired puli, according to Kelly Bender of People.

Gia was victorious at the National Dog Show in Philadelphia in November and is in excellent form. Devon came up with a huge performance at the 2016 Crufts Dog Show, beating out more than 22,000 competitors. As a result, she is a serious contender here. Preston won the American Kennel Club National Championship, and there's little doubt that he'll be in the running in New York.

Some of the top breeds competing include the German shorthaired pointer, the wire hair fox terrier, the pumi and the American hairless terrier.

The Westminster Kennel Club will award Best of Breed honors to each of the different types competing, and those winners will advance to the group competition. 

There are seven different groups, including Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding. Awards are given for the top four places in each group, but only the winners advance to the Best in Show final round. 

The competitors are judged according to general appearance, movement and temperament as they are shown by their owners. Judges also look at the dog's coat, colors, eye color and shape, ear shape and placement, feet, tail, and other factors.