Westminster Dog Show 2020: What to know about 144th annual canine competition

Paul Myerberg | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Breeding gone wild: Why dogs today look nothing like they used to Thousands of dogs will strut their stuff at the Westminster Dog Show. Winners will be crowned, and losers will go home with their tails between their legs. Here’s how dogs got to center stage in the first place.

The 144th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show brings more than 200 primped and pampered breeds and varieties into New York City for the canine Super Bowl, which began Saturday and ends Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden with the naming of this year's Best in Show.

The show debuted in 1877 and is the second-oldest continuously held sporting event in the U.S., trailing the Kentucky Derby, which began in 1875.

Last year's winner was a wire fox terrier named King, continuing a tradition that dates to the competition's early years: Terriers have now claimed the top spot 47 times, the most of any breed. Wire fox terriers, in particular, have been Westminster’s dominant variety, with King the 15th to claim the honor.

For four days, Manhattan becomes the center of the dog universe.

Here's a primer on what to expect from this year's competition:

How judging works

Breeds at Westminster are categorized into seven different groups: herding, hound, non-sporting, sporting, terrier, toy and working. Judges are comparing each dog to the ideal of its breed and not necessarily to other dogs in competition, evaluating each contender on proportion, weight and size, head shape, gait and attitude, among other criteria. The best of each breed then competes against other breeds in their group with one chosen as the group winner; these dogs then vie for the Best in Show designation.

Meet the new breed

A new breed, the Azawakh, will join the competition in 2020. The Azawakh is a sighthound, a breed that includes certain types of Greyhounds, and originates from West Africa. (To be recognized by the American Kennel Club, a breed must be represented in number across the U.S. and have an established base of breeders and owners.) The AKC recognized two other breeds in December, the Barbet and the Dogo Argentino, but the pair won't be eligible for the competition until 2021.

Potential favorites

As noted, Westminster history favors the terrier group, which features 32 breeds in competition. Three dogs outside the terrier group come into Westminster with strong credentials and riding recent winning streaks. One is a Whippet named Bourbon — the Whippet breed is also a sighthound — who won two recent AKC-approved events in Georgia. A Havanese, In The Name Of Love, was named Best in Show at two AKC events in Fresno, California, in early February. And a Siberian Husky, Nick of Dynasty, won Best in Show last weekend at the Great Barrington Kennel Club in Massachusetts.

Popular dogs are also-rans

America's favorite breeds may be cheered on by viewers at home, but rarely, if ever, make the cut for Best in Show. That includes the most popular breed in the U.S. for the past quarter-century, the Labrador Retriever, which has never been named the best of its group. (Though the breed does very well in the Masters Obedience events.) Other name-brand breeds without a Best in Show win: the Golden Retriever, Dachshund, Chihuahua, Dalmatian, Great Dane and French Bulldog. The Dachshund is the closest to glory; a Longhaired Dachshund named Burns advanced to the Best in Show portion of last year's dog show.