The AKC National Championship is held by the American Kennel Club every year in December or January in the US since 2001.[1] Over 5,000 dogs from all over the world come to compete, but only seven go to best in show.
The 2021 AKC National Championship was livestreamed on AKC.TV on December 18-19 2021. The show premiered on ABC on January 2 2021 at 2 p.m. EST.
Its primary sponsor is dog food brand Royal Canin. It used to be sponsored by Eukanuba, a premium brand of dog food, but Royal Canin took over as lead sponsor in 2016.[2]
History
editThe first national championship was held in Orlando, Florida in 2001. The 2002 show was also in Orlando. The next show was held in 2003 and was in Long Beach, California. The two 2006 shows were held in Tampa, Florida (the show switched from being held in January to being held in December, which explains why there were two shows, and therefore two winners, in 2006).
With 2020 being hosted in Orlando, the championships will be held behind closed doors for the first time. In 2020, the Whippet became the first breed to win the title of Best in Show at the AKC National Championship more than once. In the most recent show (December 2021), a Giant Schnauzer named Bayou[3] won.
Past champions
editBest in Show:[4]
| Year | Dog | Name | Call Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Bichon Frise | CH Special Times Just Right! | JR[5] |
| 2002 | Kerry Blue Terrier | CH Torums Scarf Michael | Mick |
| 2003 | Norfolk Terrier | CH Cracknor Cause Celebre | Coco |
| 2005 | Bloodhound | CH Heathers Knock On Wood | Knotty |
| 2006 (Jan) | Alaskan Malamute | CH Nanuke's Snoklassic No Boundaries | Costello |
| 2006 (Dec) | English Springer Spaniel | Felicity's Diamond Jim | James |
| 2007 | Sealyham Terrier | Ch. Efbe's Hildago At Goodspice | Charmin |
| 2008 | Pointer | CH Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry | Holly |
| 2009 | Scottish Terrier | Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot | Sadie |
| 2010 | Australian Shepherd | CH Propwash Reckon | Reckon |
| 2011 | Standard Poodle | GCH CH Jaset's Satisfaction | London |
| 2012 | Wire Fox Terrier | GCH CH Afterall Painting The Sky | Sky |
| 2013 | Portuguese Water Dog | GCH CH Claircreek Impression de Matisse | Matisse |
| 2014 | Skye Terrier | GCH CH Cragsmoor Good Time Charlie | Charlie |
| 2015 | German Shepherd Dog | GCH CH Lockenhaus' Rumor Has It V Kenlyn | Rumor |
| 2016 | Puli | GCHB CH Cordmaker Mister Blue Sky | Preston |
| 2017 | Spaniel (Cocker) ASCOB | GCHP CH Silverhall Strike Force | Striker |
| 2018 | Whippet | GCHP CH Pinnacle Tennessee Whiskey | Whiskey[6] |
| 2019 | Pekingese | GCH CH Pequest Wasabi | Wasabi[7][8] |
| 2020 | Whippet | GCHP CH Pinnacle Kentucky Bourbon | Bourbon |
| 2021 | Giant Schnauzer | GCHG CH Lagniappe's From The Mountains To The Bayou | Bayou[3] |
| 2022 | Bulldog | GCHG Cherokee Legend Encore | Star |
| 2023 | Shih Tzu | GCHG CH Hallmark Jolei Out Of This World | Comet |
See also
editNotes
edit- ^ "AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin". American Kennel Club. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "Royal Canin Named the Official Sponsor of the AKC National Championship – American Kennel Club". akc.org. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 18 December 2016. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
- ^ a b "Giant Schnauzer "Bayou" Wins 2021 AKC National Championship". American Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 2 January 2022. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ "AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin – Exhibitors and Vendors – American Kennel Club". American Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 5 December 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
- ^ "20 Winning Show Dogs: A Roundup of AKC National Championship Winners". American Kennel Club. Archived from the original on 20 December 2019. Retrieved 2 January 2022.
- ^ Whippet "Whiskey" Wins Best In Show At Largest Ever AKC National Championship Presented By Royal Canin – PR Newswire
- ^ Pekingese Wasabi Wins Best in Show at AKC Nationals|PEOPLE.com
- ^ Pekingese "Wasabi" Wins Best In Show At Largest Ever AKC National Championship Presented By Royal Canin|Markets Insider