Westminster Dog Show 2020: Results, NYC Events, Watch Live

NEW YORK, NY — New York City is going to the dogs next week for the 144th running of the Westminster Kennel Club's annual dog show in Madison Square Garden.

More than 2,600 dogs representing 204 distinct breeds will compete at Madison Square Garden and Pier 92 in Hell's Kitchen, according to the Westminster Kennel Club. This year will be the 144th annual running of the Westminster Dog Show, which has been a televised event since 1948. In addition to the contest for "best in show," dogs also compete in agility and obedience challenges.

This year mark's a first for the dog show: Three full days of competition. Dogs from Hound breeds will be judged beginning Sunday, leading up to the eventual "best in show" competition on Tuesday.

This year's competition will see the debut of one dog breed, the Azawakh. These tall and slender hounds were bred in Africa for the purposes of hunting hares and wild boar.

Read below for all the information you need to know about the dog show:

Results:

Update: The standard poodle named Siba was declared Best in Show winner of the 144th annual Westminster Dog Show.

As the Westminster Dog Show approaches Tuesday night's finale, Patch will keep you updated with results from the group stages. Dogs that win "best of breed" competitions are judged against different winners within their "group."

The seven groups in the Westminster Dog Show include: The hound group, the toy group, the non-sporting group, the herding group, the sporting group, the working group and the terrier group.

Group winners:

• Hound group: Whippets
• Toy group: Havanese
• Non-sporting group: Poodles (standard)
• Herding group: Shetland Sheepdogs
• Sporting group: Retrievers (Golden)
• Working group: Boxers
• Terrier group: Wire Fox Terriers

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Events:

Sunday, Feb. 9:

143 WKC Dog Show

• Judging of Hound and Herding breeds 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pier 94 (doors open at 7:30 a.m.)

Masters Obedience Championship

• Obedience competition from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Pier 94 (doors open at 7:30 a.m.)

Monday, Feb. 10:

Masters Obedience Championship

• Daytime Session (8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)

143 WKC Dog Show

• Daytime Session (8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)
  • Judging of terrier, non-sporting and toy breeds at Pier 94
  • Junior Showmanship preliminaries at Pier 94
• Evening Session (7:30-11:30 p.m.)
  • Judging of hound, toy, non-sporting and herding groups (doors open at 7:30 p.m.)

Tuesday, Feb. 11:

• Daytime Session (8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.)
  • Breed budging across sporting and working breeds at Pier 94;
• Evening Session (7-11:30 p.m.)
  • Junior Showmanship Finals (begins at 7 p.m.);
  • Group judging across sporting, working and terrier groups (begins at 7:30 p.m.);
  • Best in show!

Live Stream/Broadcasting Schedule:

The Westminster Dog Show will be broadcast on three different channels. Morning coverage will be broadcast on Fox with supplemental coverage on Nat Geo Wild and evening coverage will be broadcast on FS1.

Westminster Dog Show events can be live-streamed for free on the FS1 mobile app.

How do dogs get judged?

It's an age-old question that most casual dog show viewers probably don't know the answer to.
Dogs are graded on a set of criteria decided by experts on each breed. The breed's kennel club creates a perfect "standard" for each breed based on how they should look, walk and behave. Yes, idealized beauty standards aren't a solely human phenomenon.

The dog that best matches what the kennel club defines as the ideal dog of its breed will be declared the winner.

Here are some traits graded by the judges:

• Overall body proportions and weight;
• Thickness, length and color of fur;
• The dog's tail;
• How a dog walks, also called its gait;
• Attitude.