Willie Makes History As NJ Continues Streak Of Westminster Canine Obedience Trophy Wins

FLEMINGTON, NJ — A Flemington dog made Westminster Dog Show history, as he and his handler won the Masters Obedience Championships while also having the highest first-round score.

Willie, an Australian shepherd, and Kathleen Keller scored 397.5 out of 400 points Monday at the famous show in Tarrytown, N.Y.

Five-year-old Willie's officially registered name is OTCH Blue Skies At Dejavu UDX OM1, according to American Kennel Club records (for an explainer on why AKC names are so long, click here).

Keller and her husband, Stephen, also own Willie, a news release said.

In the obedience competition, each dog and handler team does a series of commands to test the dog's training, focus and skill.

Each team has two chances to get as close to 200 points as possible.

Willie and Keller scored 199.5 in that first round, which nabbed them that High Trial Award as well as Masters Obedience Champion. It is the first time the winning dog has won both titles in the competition's seven-year history, according to the American Kennel Club.

Willie showed tremendous focus during his trial run, competing tasks eagerly as Keller gave direction. The duo moved confidently around the judging area, and they left to whoops and applause from the crowd.

A video of their trial run is embedded above; if you cannot see it, click here to go to YouTube. Willie and Keller appear around 1 hour, 57 minutes in.

The Westminster Kennel Club will donate $5,000 to an American Kennel Club training club of Keller's choice or to the AKC Humane Fund.

New Jersey dogs have traditionally performed well in the obedience category — a black Labrador retriever named Heart won the Obedience Championship at Westminster for the first five years of the event. Heart and owner/handler Linda Brennan hail from Columbia. The 2021 winner, Grant, and owner Mary Ann Flanagan are from Glen Garden.

The Westminster Dog Show, hosted by the AKC, combines agility and obedience with conformation, or the traditional "dog show" portion of the event. As the AKC explains, dog show judges are looking for how well purebred contestants conform to their breed's standard.

"The closer a dog’s appearance is to the breed’s standard, the better that dog’s ability will be to produce puppies that meet the standard," the club says.

Purebred dogs are at center stage in conformation, but mixed-breed dogs (called "All-American dogs" at Westminster) may compete in obedience and agility.