FOX Sports' John Strong, Jenny Taft preview Westminster Dog Show

The 149th variation of the Westminster Dog Show is astir here. 

The highly anticipated lawsuit returns to New York City unrecorded from the Javits Center and Madison Square Garden for the archetypal clip successful 5 years. 

The 12th Annual Master Agility Championship is Saturday from 4:30-7p.m. ET connected FOX. 

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Fox Sports announcers John Strong and Jenny Taft anterior to the United States playing Uruguay astatine GEHA Field astatine Arrowhead Stadium July 1, 2024, successful Kansas City, Mo.  (John Dorton/ISI Photos/USSF/Getty Images for USSF)

After watching the Super Bowl connected FOX connected Sunday, the conformity portion of the amusement begins with champion of breed judging from the Javits Center Monday, Feb. 10, from 1-4 p.m. ET connected FS2. Group judging past begins astatine 7 p.m. ET connected FS1 successful Madison Square Garden. 

Group judging volition proceed connected Tuesday, Feb. 11, connected FS1, wherever champion successful amusement is awarded. 

The big of FS1’s primetime coverage, Jenny Taft, and Fox Sports play-by-play announcer John Strong talked with Fox News Digital astir the upcoming Westminster Dog Show and its history.

Here is everything you request to cognize up of the festivities. 

What is the signifigance of the Westminster Dog Show?

"This is the 149th edition. I mean this is the second-oldest continuous sporting lawsuit successful American history. So, determination is an unthinkable magnitude of past to this and, obviously, adjacent twelvemonth volition beryllium large to observe the 150th edition," Strong said. 

For anybody successful the canine amusement world, winning astatine Westminster is similar winning the Super Bowl. 

"There is nary greater rubric than Westminster. There is nary greater amusement than Westminster. There is nary greater grant for a dog, breeder, handler, proprietor than champion successful amusement astatine Westminster," Strong said. 

Being a portion of Westminster is an grant for not conscionable those with the dogs competing. 

"Winning Westminster is similar the eventual honor, but besides judging Westminster is the eventual honor," Taft said. 

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Winner of champion successful show, miniature poodle GCHG CH Surrey Sage, owned by Cathy Gauche and shown by Kaz Hosaka, during the 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  (Lucas Boland/USA Today Sports)

How does the Westminster canine amusement work?

There are 2 parts to the Westminster Dog Show, the conformation and the agility championship.

Just qualifying for Westminster is an accomplishment. All the dogs competing successful New York City are champion dogs from astir the world. 

"There’s a batch of antithetic ways you tin suffice to get to Westminster. But, really, they’re each champion dogs, truthful they’ve each done good and competed and won successful antithetic events. There is simply a definite fig that you person to suffice for and enactment successful truthful you tin benignant of get those certifications passim the country," Taft said. 

"You tin amusement astatine antithetic places, and you person to person a definite fig of awards to past suffice for Westminster." 

Once a canine qualifies, the archetypal circular they person to get done is champion of breed. Best of breed is dogs of each the aforesaid breed competing against each other, and judges are looking for definite things. 

"There is simply a definite gait. There is measurements. They are looking astatine their teeth. You tin spot that the judges benignant of consciousness astir the assemblage type, and truthful determination is antithetic things that they are specifically looking for," Taft said. 

Strong said successful the champion of breed judging is similar a "science" due to the fact that judges comparison each dogs wrong the aforesaid breed. 

The Westminster Kennel Club’s standards are connected its website. 

"Each breed has a STANDARD, a written statement of the perfect specimen of that breed. Standards are written, maintained, and owned by the nationalist breed nine oregon "parent club" of each breed and are approved by the American Kennel Club," according to the Westminster Kennel Club.

"Generally relating signifier to function, i.e., the archetypal relation that the canine was bred to perform, astir standards picture the desired wide appearance, movement, temperament, and circumstantial carnal traits specified arsenic tallness and weight, overgarment type, overgarment color, oculus color, and shape, receptor signifier and placement, feet, tail, and more."

If a canine makes it retired the champion of breed round, it advances to to the radical classes.

Here are the 7 antithetic radical classes, and however they are categorized. All definitions of the groups are from the American Kennel Club. 

• Sporting groupDogs successful the sporting radical were bred to assistance hunters. A batch of the breeds person thick, water-repellent coats that are resistant to harsh upwind conditions erstwhile hunting.Breeds successful the hunting radical see the Labrador retriever, German shorthaired pointer, cocker spaniel and aureate retriever.
• Dogs successful the sporting radical were bred to assistance hunters. A batch of the breeds person thick, water-repellent coats that are resistant to harsh upwind conditions erstwhile hunting.
• Breeds successful the hunting radical see the Labrador retriever, German shorthaired pointer, cocker spaniel and aureate retriever.
• Hound groupDogs successful the hound radical were bred to warm-blooded quarry. They person beardown prey drives and trust connected their almighty noses to way down animals oregon escaped convicts.Breeds successful the hound radical see bloodhounds, dachshunds, and greyhounds.
• Dogs successful the hound radical were bred to warm-blooded quarry. They person beardown prey drives and trust connected their almighty noses to way down animals oregon escaped convicts.
• Breeds successful the hound radical see bloodhounds, dachshunds, and greyhounds.
• Working GroupDogs successful the moving radical were developed to assistance humans. From pulling carts, guarding homes and protecting homes, they are described arsenic dog-kind punch-the-clock, blue-collar workers. They are immoderate of the world’s astir past breeds and are known for stature, spot and intelligence.The boxer, Great Dane and rottweiler are among the breeds successful the moving group.
• Dogs successful the moving radical were developed to assistance humans. From pulling carts, guarding homes and protecting homes, they are described arsenic dog-kind punch-the-clock, blue-collar workers. They are immoderate of the world’s astir past breeds and are known for stature, spot and intelligence.
• The boxer, Great Dane and rottweiler are among the breeds successful the moving group.
• Terrier GroupDogs successful this radical were archetypal bred to spell underground successful pursuit of rodents and different vermin. They are fashionable companion dogs today.The terrier radical has won champion successful amusement much than immoderate different group, with 47 wins. The ligament fox terrier has won 15 times, the astir among immoderate breed.Other breeds successful the terrier radical are the bull terrier, Scottish terrier, and West Highland achromatic terrier.
• Dogs successful this radical were archetypal bred to spell underground successful pursuit of rodents and different vermin. They are fashionable companion dogs today.
• The terrier radical has won champion successful amusement much than immoderate different group, with 47 wins. The ligament fox terrier has won 15 times, the astir among immoderate breed.
• Other breeds successful the terrier radical are the bull terrier, Scottish terrier, and West Highland achromatic terrier.
• Toy GroupThese dogs are smaller, arsenic they tin acceptable comfortably successful the thigh of their owners. They are attentive, affective companions who are fashionable with those who unrecorded successful a city, arsenic their size makes them a bully acceptable for an apartment.The Chihuahua, pug, and shih tzu are among the breeds included successful the artifact group.
• These dogs are smaller, arsenic they tin acceptable comfortably successful the thigh of their owners. They are attentive, affective companions who are fashionable with those who unrecorded successful a city, arsenic their size makes them a bully acceptable for an apartment.
• The Chihuahua, pug, and shih tzu are among the breeds included successful the artifact group.
• Non-Sporting GroupAll the breeds successful this radical person 2 things successful common: bedewed noses and 4 legs. This is simply a patchwork radical of breeds who defy categorization from the different groups, truthful they acceptable successful this one.Breeds successful this radical see the bulldog, dalmatian and poodle.
• All the breeds successful this radical person 2 things successful common: bedewed noses and 4 legs. This is simply a patchwork radical of breeds who defy categorization from the different groups, truthful they acceptable successful this one.
• Breeds successful this radical see the bulldog, dalmatian and poodle.
• Herding GroupThe breeds successful this radical are developed for moving livestock similar sheep and cattle. These breeds are people intelligent, and their responsiveness makes them precise trainable. Herding breeds are commonly trained for constabulary work.Some breeds successful the herding radical see the borderline collie, German shepherd Dog, Pembroke Welsh corgi and the Icelandic sheepdog.
• The breeds successful this radical are developed for moving livestock similar sheep and cattle. These breeds are people intelligent, and their responsiveness makes them precise trainable. Herding breeds are commonly trained for constabulary work.
• Some breeds successful the herding radical see the borderline collie, German shepherd Dog, Pembroke Welsh corgi and the Icelandic sheepdog.

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Hallmark Jolei Out Of This World, owned by Bonnie J Miller DVM & Luke & Diane Ehricht, competes successful the champion of amusement contention during the 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  (Lucas Boland/USA Today Sports)

The dogs that triumph champion of breed past determination onto their respective groups. For example, the boxer who won champion of breed for the boxers, present moves onto to vie against each the champion of breed winners successful the moving group. 

Then judging becomes little of a subject due to the fact that the dogs bash not vie against their ain breed. 

Strong past says that, for the contention successful the aboriginal stages, it is clip for the dog’s personalities to shine. 

"One of the things I’ve been truly fascinated to recognize successful doing this is how, erstwhile you get aboriginal successful the competition, that’s erstwhile it becomes astir property arsenic overmuch arsenic thing else. And immoderate of these dogs, man, I’m telling you, they cognize they’re on," Strong said.

"They cognize they’re connected unrecorded television. They cognize they’re successful Madison Square Garden, the world’s astir celebrated arena, and they perform. That’s a large portion of it, and that’s truly chill to spot wherever the dogs that recognize that it’s their clip to radiance and that they’re the star."

To determination connected to the champion successful amusement competition, the dogs indispensable beryllium archetypal successful their group. So, each the dogs who finished archetypal successful the herding, non-sporting, sporting, terrier, toy, moving and hound groups determination on. 

What makes the champion successful amusement judging a small spot antithetic is the justice has not seen immoderate of these dogs before. 

"You’ve gone from 200 breeds down to those last seven, and, astatine that point, you person a justice who has been sequestered away, who has nary hint what they’re astir to see. They don’t cognize thing astir the dogs, they don’t cognize thing of who's won. They’ve been kept successful a blackout for 2 days, and they’re going to amusement up successful that ring. And they’re going to fundamentally say, ‘Of these 7 dogs, which is the astir unthinkable illustration of this canine that I’ve ever seen successful my life,’" Strong said. 

That justice past gives retired the champion successful amusement and reserve champion successful show. The champion successful amusement is the winner, and the reserve champion successful amusement is the canine who finished successful 2nd place. 

The different happening for the justice who oversees the champion successful show, is that the justice lone judges once.

"Judging Westminster is the eventual honor. Once you’ve judged, you really don’t justice ever again. That’s a one-time thing, which is benignant of cool," Taft said. 

Because determination is nary points strategy going into champion of show, determination is nary mode to foretell the winner.

"(The judging) is talked astir successful a mode that, similar everyone, has a antithetic champion successful show, right? I mean, if you speech to a miniature poodle fan, and they were astir apt truthful blessed that Sage won past twelvemonth and determination were immoderate that were saying, ‘What a second, so-and-so should person won,’ but it comes down to the judge, and that’s what I deliberation is truly unsocial astir it," Taft said. 

"It yet is simply a idiosyncratic choice. There are nary points going in, and it’s however they contiguous themselves successful the ring. When I’m watching, they each look beautiful. They each person an astonishing gait, ain the crowd. But, astatine the extremity of the day, it’s the champion successful amusement justice that makes that choice. It’s benignant of amusive due to the fact that you don’t cognize what to expect successful that way."

The winners of champion successful amusement bash not person immoderate prize money, conscionable bragging rights and the grant of winning astatine Westminster, the pinnacle of each canine shows. 

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Judge Rosalind Kramer poses for a photograph with the victor of champion successful show, miniature poodle GCHG CH Surrey Sage, proprietor Cathy Gauche and handler Kaz Hosaka during the 148th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.  (Lucas Boland/USA Today Sports)

What is the value of the Westminster Dog Show returning to Madison Square Garden?

The past 4 years, the Westminster Dog Show has not been astatine Madison Square Garden, but the amusement is making it’s instrumentality to New York City, wherever Strong said it belongs. 

"There is thing astir Madison Square Garden. There is thing astir Manhattan. New York City is the large American city, and we’ve loved being astatine Lyndhurst and being retired astatine the Billie Jean King USTA National Tennis Center, ace cool. But Westminster is location astatine Madison Square Garden. Westminster is location successful Manhattan, and that has been its location going backmost to the precise very beginnings, adjacent anterior iterations of Madison Square Garden itself," Strong said. 

"My archetypal amusement was successful 2020, conscionable earlier the pandemic truly took clasp of our lives. So, I got to acquisition (Westminster successful Madison Square Garden) once, and the past 4 years person been different. So, determination volition beryllium a, I cognize Monday nighttime erstwhile the archetypal radical is called out, erstwhile those archetypal dogs travel retired determination is going to beryllium an unthinkable magnitude of vigor and emotion to that moment, which I americium truly excited to capable to watch."

How does the agility maestro title work?

This portion of the canine amusement gives the dogs a accidental to amusement disconnected their athleticism.

The people is shown to the handlers 30 minutes earlier they compete, and they person to pb their canine done a people they person ne'er seen before. 

"Agility is truly amusive to spot successful person, and that’s connected Saturday. Seeing a papillion leap and spell arsenic accelerated arsenic imaginable done the teeter totter, it’s conscionable unbelievable, the weave pulls, similar it gives maine a headache watching," Taft said. 

Strong is not lone impressed with the dogs' athleticism but the handlers' athleticism. 

"What’s chill astir it is you get specified a assortment due to the fact that you get these midsize dogs similar borderline collies and, man, bash they fly. Their velocity and athleticism, and the humans are trying to support up with them. And the athleticism the handlers person to amusement is due to the fact that they person to get retired successful beforehand of them and person got to archer them. The dogs person ne'er been connected this people before. And truthful they person to person the instructions for wherever they’re expected to go," Strong said. 

Yet, nary substance however they perform, the dogs are ever happy. 

The victor of this agility title is the canine who completes the people successful the fastest clip with the fewest faults. 

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FOX’s sum of the Westminster Dog Show sandwiches the network’s Super Bowl coverage. 

The Kansas City Chiefs instrumentality connected the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl Sunday astatine 6:30 p.m. ET connected FOX.

FOX’s Super Bowl sum begins astatine 1 p.m. ET Sunday. Coverage tin beryllium streamed unrecorded connected Tubi for the archetypal time.

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