Today is the final day of the Westminster Dog Show 2022 and it really is a case of having saved the best for last. This bumper canine event is now in its 146th year and is once again a Champions-only competition, which means dogs must have won a total of 15 points at a number of AKC-permitted dog shows to qualify for entry.
Having already seen the Masters Agility and Obedience Championship finals, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d missed the most exciting events that the Westminster Dog Show has to offer. But, fear not, if you’re only tuning in today, there’s still a ton of action set to unfold.
We’re set to see the final rounds of the breed judging, with sporting and working dogs strutting their stuff throughout the day as well as the Junior Showmanship preliminaries and finals, and, of course, the pièce de ré·sis·tance at the end of the night - the Best in Show award.
What’s on at the Westminster Dog Show 2022 today: Breed Judging
First up today is the sporting and working dog breed judging. Here you’ll see the likes of the Akita, Alaskan Malamute and Bernese Mountain Dog as well as Dobermans, Great Danes and Neapolitan Mastiffs.
The judges will make a number of awards across the day, including:
- Best of Breed (BOB) or Best of Variety (BOV): this dog is judged to be the best in its breed or variety and will immediately advance to the Group competition later this evening.
- Best of Opposite Sex (BOS): this award goes to the best dog of the opposite sex of whoever won the BOB or BOV. So, if a male dog wins the BOB or BOV, a female dog will be awarded the BOS.
- Select Dog and Select Bitch (SEL): after the BOB and BOS are awarded, the champion dog and champion bitch the judges deemed to be the next best are awarded Select Dog and Select Bitch.
- Awards of Merit (AOM): At the judges discretion, they may give out an AOM to outstanding entries that didn’t quite make the cut for the other awards.
What’s on at the Westminster Dog Show 2022 today: Junior Showmanship
Today we’ll also be treated to the delightful Junior Showmanship preliminaries and final, which as far as we’re concerned is one of the loveliest parts of the whole show. In these events, the handling skills of children aged 9-18 will be assessed independent of the traits of the dog. This part of the competition is all about preparing future generations for responsible dog ownership and sportsmanship.
What’s on at the Westminster Dog Show 2022 today: Best in Show
Those dogs that won ‘First in Group’ across the seven groups (Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding) will come together this evening to form an elite group of winners who will compete for the converted red, white and blue ‘Best in Show’ ribbon. Who will steal the crown from last year's winner, Wasabi the Pekingese? Stay tuned to find out!
The Westminster Dog Show 2022 schedule
| Event | Time | TV/Streaming channel |
|---|---|---|
| Breed Judging (Sporting & Working) | 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET | westminsterkennelclub.org |
| Junior Showmanship Preliminaries | 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. ET | westminsterkennelclub.org |
| Selective Coverage | 1 p.m. - 4 p.m. ET | FS2/Fox Sports Go |
| Pre-Show Programming/Junior Showmanship Finals | 7 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. ET | FS1/Fox Sports Go |
| Group Judging (Sporting, Working, & Terrier with Best In Show to end) | 7:30 p.m. - 11 p.m. ET | FS1/Fox Sports Go |
