Dog Show 101: What to know about the 150th Westminster show

NEW YORK — It's go time for thousands of America's most dogged competitors.

Big or small, sleek or shaggy, imposing or impish, they're all trying for the top prize at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show in its milestone 150th year.

Might Comet the shih tzu snag the trophy after coming close the last two years? What about Neal the bichon frisé, another 2025 finalist who's competing again? Could this be the year for Zaida the Afghan hound, who has twice won the World Dog Show, a major international showcase, but has yet to make the finals at Westminster?

Or will the prize go to another well-known contender — or a dark horse?

Here's what to know about the United States' most prestigious canine competition.

When is the Westminster dog show?

The breed-by-breed judging — officially called ''conformation'' — happens Monday and Tuesday, at a combination of the Javits Center convention hall and Madison Square Garden. Best in show is awarded at the Garden around 11 p.m. EST Tuesday.

How many dogs are there?

Some 2,500 dogs from 212 breeds and varieties (subsets of breeds) are signed up to compete. (No doodles, though. These popular poodle mixes aren't recognized as distinct breeds by the American Kennel Club, the governing body for Westminster and many other U.S. dog shows.) There are contestants from every U.S. state and 18 other countries.

A few hundred more dogs, including mixed-breed ones, competed Saturday in Westminster's agility and flyball contests.

Who are some dogs to watch?

Besides Comet, Neal and Zaida, entrants include Soleil, a Belgian sheepdog who won the National Dog Show televised last Thanksgiving Day, and a Lhasa apso called JJ, who triumphed at the huge AKC National Championship that aired in late December. The runners-up from those shows — George, an American foxhound, and a Gordon setter named River — also are due at Westminster.

But anything can happen at Westminster, a champions-only show where every contestant is a proven winner. Cognoscenti often say victory goes to ''the dog on the day,'' meaning the one that has the performance of a lifetime.

Whichever dog the judge chooses, others sometimes run away with the audience's heart.

A 2020 crowd fave, Daniel the golden retriever, is among eight past finalists or winners set to return for a special presentation Monday night. So are some other 2020 finalists, Bono the Havanese, Wilma the boxer — and Siba, the standard poodle who defeated them all to claim that year's best in show award. Do show dogs hold grudges? We shall see.

What makes a dog best in show?

First, dogs are judged against others of their breed. Then each breed winner goes up against others in its ''group,'' such as terriers or herding dogs. In the final round, the seven group winners compete for best in show.

What breeds win most?

Wire fox terriers (15 wins), followed by poodles of various sizes (11).

Many breeds haven't won yet, including such favorites as Labrador and golden retrievers. But never say never: Last year's winner, Monty, was the first giant schnauzer chosen as best in show. He then retired from showing but is expected to join Monday's special tribute to Westminster ''legends.''

What do winners get?

Bragging rights, ribbons and trophies. There are no cash prizes, though the agility winner gets to direct a $5,000 Westminster donation to a training club or to the American Kennel Club Humane Fund.

Animal welfare activists routinely protest the Westminster show. They see it as an irresponsible canine beauty contest that overlooks shelter dogs' predicament and some purebreds' health problems.

For Westminster's milestone show this year, PETA plans to demonstrate outside the show and has erected billboards nearby with such messages as ''flat-faced dogs struggle to breathe,'' echoing aspects of the animal rights group's ongoing lawsuit against the American Kennel Club. The AKC has called the case frivolous and is trying to get it dismissed.