The National Dog Show Presented by Purina is a conformation show

Conformation show

Conformation shows, also referred to as breed shows, are a kind of dog show in which a judge familiar with a specific dog breed evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.A...

 sanctioned by the American Kennel Club

American Kennel Club

The American Kennel Club is a registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States. Beyond maintaining its pedigree registry, this kennel club also promotes and sanctions events for purebred dogs, including the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, an annual event which predates the official...

. The National Dog Show has been ongoing since 1843. The show is held by the AKC's Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...

 division, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia. It traditionally takes place on the antepenultimate weekend in November over two days. The NDS's motto: Dog before master.

The National Dog show is one of the three major

Triple Crown

The term Triple Crown is often used to describe the act of winning or completing the three most difficult or prestigious events in a given field:*Triple Crown of Alpine Skiing*Major League Baseball Triple Crown*Triple Crown...

 dog shows in the United States, along with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship

AKC/Eukanuba National Championship

The AKC/Eukanuba National Championship is held by the American Kennel Club every year in December or January in the US. As the name indicates, its primary sponsor is Eukanuba, a high-end brand of dog food. Over 3,000 dogs from all over the world come to compete, by invitation only, but only seven...

 and the Westminster Dog Show. Winners may be invited to compete at Crufts

Crufts

Crufts is an annual international Championship conformation show for dogs organised and hosted by the Kennel Club, currently held every March at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, England. It is the largest annual dog show in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records, and lasts...

. As with all AKC conformation shows, mutts

Mixed-breed dog

A mixed-breed dog, also known as a mutt or mongrel, is a dog whose ancestry is generally unknown and that has characteristics of two or more types of breeds. A mixed-breed may be a cross-breed dog, a random-bred dog, or a descendant of feral or pariah dog populations...

 are not eligible to participate.

The show is nationally televised in the United States on NBC

NBC

The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...

 every Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving (United States)

Thanksgiving, or Thanksgiving Day, is a holiday celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday in November. It has officially been an annual tradition since 1863, when, during the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national day of thanksgiving to be celebrated on Thursday,...

; the show immediately follows the network's coverage of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...

 and airs at noon in all time zones. John O'Hurley

John O'Hurley

John George O'Hurley is an American actor, voice actor, and television personality. He is known for the role of J. Peterman on the NBC sitcom Seinfeld and was the host of the game show Family Feud from 2006 to 2010.-Early life:...

 is the program's host, and the show's presenting sponsor is Nestlé Purina PetCare

Nestlé Purina PetCare

Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is the pet food division of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., following its acquisition of the American Ralston Purina Company on December 12, 2001 and subsequent merger with Nestlé's Friskies PetCare Company. As a wholly owned subsidiary, it is headquartered at the General...

, makers of numerous brands of dog food

Dog food

Dog food refers to food specifically intended for consumption by dogs. Though technically omnivorous, dogs exhibit a natural carnivorous bias, have sharp, pointy teeth, and have short gastrointestinal tracts better suited for the consumption of meat...

 such as Alpo

Alpo (pet food)

Alpo is an American brand of dog food marketed and manufactured by the Nestlé Purina Petcare subsidiary of Nestlé. The brand is offered as a canned or packaged soft food, as well as in dry kibbles.-History:...

, Beneful

Beneful

Beneful is a brand of dog food marketed and manufactured by Nestle Purina. The brand is offered as dry kibble as well as "prepared meals"—soft food that has the appearance of stew....

, Dog Chow

Dog Chow

Dog Chow is a name brand of dog food marketed and manufactured by Nestlé Purina PetCare. The brand is offered world wide as dry kibbles, in numerous formulas including one for young dogs, called "Puppy Chow", one for elderly dogs, called "Senior 7+", and a weight maintenance formula called "Fit &...

, and Purina ONE

ONE (Purina)

Purina ONE is a trademark of Nestlé Purina PetCare for a line of premium dog and cat food products. Purina ONE foods typically contain some type of meat as their first named ingredient, while still containing by-products, grain fragments , and whole corn.-History:The brand was introduced in 1986 as...

.

The program drew an audience of approximately 18.7 million viewers in 2008, making it the most watched dog show in the United States.

Previous Best in Show winners

• 2002: Standard Poodle
• 2003: Doberman
  Doberman
  Doberman or Dobermann most commonly refers to Doberman Pinscher, a breed of dog, or to its creator, Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann.It may also refer to:*Doberman , a 2003 album by Tomoyasu Hotei*Doberman , a Japanese ska/punk band...
  
  
• 2004: Terrier
  Terrier
  A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, very active and fearless dogs. Terrier breeds vary greatly in size from just a couple of pounds to over 70 pounds and are usually categorized by size or function...
  
  
• 2005: Colored Bull Terrier
  Bull Terrier
  The Bull Terrier or English Bull Terrier is a breed of dog in the terrier family. They are known for their large, egg-shaped head, small triangular eyes, and "jaunty gait." Their temperament has been described as generally fun-loving, active and clownish...
  
   (Rocky Top's Sundance Kid
  Rocky Top's Sundance Kid
  Ch. Rocky Top's Sundance Kid , is a Bull Terrier who is best known for being the 2006 Best In Show winner at the Westminster Dog Show. He is the first Colored Bull Terrier to win Best in Show at Westminster, with the only other victory for his breed going to a White Bull Terrier in 1918...
  
  )
• 2006: Toy Poodle
• 2007: Australian Shepherd
  Australian Shepherd
  The Australian shepherd is a breed of herding dog that was developed on ranches in the Western United States. Despite its name, the breed, commonly known as an Aussie, did not originate in Australia They acquired their name because some of the Australian sheepdogs arrived in the United States with...
  
   (Buff Cap Creslane Arctic Mist)
• 2008: Pointer
  Pointer (dog breed)
  The Pointer, often called the English Pointer, is a breed of dog developed as a gun dog. It is one of several pointing breeds.-Appearance:...
  
  
• 2009: Scottish Terrier
  Scottish Terrier
  The Scottish Terrier , popularly called the Scottie, is a breed of dog. Initially one of the highland breeds of Terrier that were grouped under the name of Skye Terrier, it is one of five breeds of terrier that originated in Scotland, the other four being the modern Skye, Cairn, Dandie Dinmont, and...
  
   (Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot
  Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot
  Ch. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot , also known as Sadie, is a Scottish terrier from Mackinac Island in the U.S. state of Michigan. She was named the 2010 Best In Show winner at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show...
  
   a/k/a "Sadie")
• 2010: Irish Setter
  Irish Setter
  The Irish Setter , is a setter, a breed of gundog and family dog. The term Irish Setter is commonly used to encompass the show-bred dog recognized by the American Kennel Club as well as the field-bred Red Setter recognised by the Field Dog Stud Book....
  
   (Windntide Mr. Sandman)
• 2011: Wire Fox Terrier (GCH CH Steele Your Heart)

External links

• Official Web site
• Videos, from Hulu
  Hulu
  Hulu is a website and over-the-top subscription service offering ad-supported on-demand streaming video of TV shows, movies, webisodes and other new media, trailers, clips, and behind-the-scenes footage from NBC, Fox, ABC, and Obstacle on October 20th 2011 Nickelodeon and CBS and many other...