2019 Westminster Dog Show: TV Coverage, Live-Stream Schedule and Expectations
February 11, 2019
An event that has been held in New York City since 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has returned to Madison Square Garden.
More than 2,800 dogs of 203 breeds and varieties will be at this year's show, according to CBS New York. That includes two new breeds that will be making their Westminster dog-show debuts—the Grand Basset Griffon Vendeen and the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje.
Judging will take place on Monday and Tuesday, with the event culminating with the Best in Show competition on Tuesday night.
Over the next two days, there will be plenty of opportunities to watch judging and competitions on TV and live streams.
2019 Westminster Dog Show Schedule
Monday, Feb. 11
Breed judging, Junior Handler Preliminaries, Masters Obedience Championship, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Go
Breed judging, Masters Obedience Championship, 1-4 p.m. ET, Nat Geo Wild or fuboTV
Pre-show, 7-7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go or fuboTV
Group competitions (hound, toy, non-sporting and herding), 7:30-11 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go or fuboTV
Tuesday, Feb. 12
Breed judging, Junior Handler Preliminaries, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Go
Breed judging, 1-4 p.m. ET, Nat Geo Wild or fuboTV
Pre-show, 7-7:30 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go or fuboTV
Group competitions (sporting, working and terrier), Best in Show competition, 7:30-11 p.m. ET, Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports Go or fuboTV
Over the past six years, the Best in Show winners have been evenly spread out among the six groups of breeds, with the toy, terrier, hound, sporting, non-sporting and herding groups each having one winner during that span.
Last year, the Best in Show winner was a Bichon Frise, which is a member of the non-sporting group. It was only the 11th all-time Best in Show win for the non-sporting group.
The Terrier group has the most Best in Show wins at 46, well above the second-most, the sporting group, at 18.
Last year's winner was the second Bichon Frise to claim the Best in Show prize. The Wire Fox Terrier leads all breeds with 14 Best in Show wins, with the Scottish Terrier (eight) coming in second.
Of the 111 dogs that have won Best in Show in the past, 72 have been males, including last year's Bichon Frise winner, according to Quartz.
Although the Best in Show award is the biggest honor, there will also be Best in Breed honors awarded to multiple dogs. Prizes are given to the top four finishers for each breed, but only the winners advance to the Best in Show competition.
Dogs are judged by general appearance, movement and temperament, as well as their coat, colors, eye color and shape, ear shape and placement, feet, tail and other factors.
With a different group of dogs winning Best in Show each of the past six years, it appears there could be a wide range of breeds in the running for this year's top honor, so it may be a competitive show.