The Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show has come to a close; the prestigious Best in Show honor has been awarded to one amazing dog — Penny the Doberman Pinscher.
What started with a Masters Agility Championship and various exhibitions on Saturday concluded on Monday and Tuesday with the group judging to narrow the field down to the all-important Best in Show proceedings.
Penny was declared winner of the Working group earlier on Tuesday. In the Best of Show judging, she was up against Graham the Old English Sheepdog (Herding), JJ the Lhasa Apso (Non-sporting), Cookie the Maltese (Toy), Zaida the Afghan Hound (Hound), Cota the Chesapeake Bay Retriever (Sporting) and Wager the Smooth Fox Terrier (Terrier).
This marks the fifth time a Doberman has won Best in Show in Westminster’s 150 years, and the first since Royal Tudor’s Wild As The Wind in 1989.
10:57 pm ET
Westminster Dog Show Best in Show results: Penny the Doberman Pinscher wins
The winner of the 2026 Best in Show has been announced as four-year-old Penny the Doberman Pinscher. It’s the fifth time a Doberman has won in the show’s 150 years, and first since 1989.
Cota the Chesapeake Bay Retriever was named Reserve Best in Show, or first runner-up.
10:31 pm ET
Westminster Dog Show results: Group
The first four groups were determined on Monday before the remaining three were decided on Tuesday. Here are all seven finalists for Best in Show:
- Hound: Zaida the Afghan Hound
- Toy: Cookie the Maltese
- Non-sporting: JJ the Lhasa Apso
- Herding: Graham the Old English Sheepdog
- Sporting: Cota the Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- Working: Penny the Doberman Pinscher
- Terrier: Wager the Smooth Fox Terrier
10:23 pm ET
Terrier group results: Wager the Smooth Fox Terrier wins
The judging from the final group of the day is in. Here are the full results from the Terrier group:
- 1st: Wager the Smooth Fox Terrier
- 2nd: Storm the American Staffordshire Terrier
- 3rd: Joe the Miniature Schnauzer
- 4th: Rambler the Norfolk Terrier
9:23 pm ET
Working group results: Penny the Doberman Pinscher wins
The largest group of the show has finished, and it’s the Doberman who advances to Best in Show. Here’s the full placing for the Working group:
- 1st: Penny the Doberman Pinscher
- 2nd: Bodacious the Saint Bernard
- 3rd: Sonny the Portuguese Water Dog
- 4th: Maverick the Samoyed
9:16 pm ET
Sporting group results: Cota the Chesapeake Bay Retriever wins
The final results for the first of the three remaining groups have come in. Here’s the full placing for the Sporting group:
- 1st place: Cota the Chesapeake Bay Retriever
- 2nd place: unnamed Pointer
- 3rd place: Luca the Retriever (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling)
- 4th place: Loretta the Wirehaired Pointing Griffon
7:20 pm ET
Herding group results: Graham the old English sheepdog wins Monday
Monday’s final group had Graham the old English sheepdog coming out on top. Graham dethrones the German shepherd, who had won the herding group in three of the last four years.
- 1st place: Graham the old English sheepdog
- 2nd place: Sawyer the miniature American shepherd
- 3rd place: Juice the German shepherd
- 4th place: Farrah the bouvier des flandres
7:10 pm ET
Non-sporting group results: JJ the lhasa apso wins Monday
The lhasa apso took first place in the non-sporting group, which comprised a variety of different breeds and sizes.
- 1st place: JJ the lhasa apso
- 2nd place: Elle the schipperke
- 3rd place: Joy the shar-pei
- 4th place: Calaco the xoloitzcuintli
7:00 pm ET
Toy group results: Cookie the maltese wins on Monday
Four dogs were picked as finalists in the toy group, but it was Cookie the maltese who led the walk around the ring, signaling that he had been picked by the judge as the best among her group.
- 1st place: Cookie the maltese
- 2nd place: Asla the pomeranian
- 3rd place: Rip the pug
- 4th place: Comet the Shih Tzu
6:45 pm ET
Hound group results: Zaida the Afghan hound wins Monday
The Hound group was first up on Monday. Afghan hound Zaida was named best in group. Here are the results:
- 1st place: Zaida the Afghan hound
- 2nd place: The Zit the Ibizan hound
- 3rd place: Hottie the bloodhound
- 4th place: Saluki the kaspian
6:30 pm ET
How are dogs judged?
Cydney Henderson
The seven different breed groups are evaluated based on the standard set by their parent club, meaning competing dogs aren’t compared to other competitors but to the ideal proportions, weight and size, head shape, gait and other qualities of the breed.
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What breeds are in the competition?
The participating dogs are divided into seven categories:
- Hound
- Toy
- Non-sporting
- Herding
- Sporting
- Working
- Terrier
The first four groups were judged on Monday; the remaining three are judged on Tuesday.
6:00 pm ET
Who won the Westminster Dog Show in 2025?
Cydney Henderson
The 149th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show returned to Madison Square Garden for the first time in five years in 2025. One dog stood above the rest. Monty the giant schnauzer was named Best in Show on Tuesday, besting more than 2,500 dogs across 200 breeds during two days of competition.
5:45 pm ET
What channel is the Westminster Dog Show on?
The Westminster Dog Show will broadcast on Tuesday (group judging, Best in Show) on FS1 and FOX One. It can also be streamed on the FOX Sports app.
5:30 pm ET
When is the Westminster Dog Show 2026
The Westminster Dog Show culminates with the group judging and Best in Show portion of the event on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.detroitnews.com ’
