National Dog Show coming on Thanksgiving

The National Dog Show will air on Thanksgiving Day to over 25 million viewers.

Just before turning the channel over to football, it’s become a Thanksgiving tradition to watch the National Dog Show presented by Purina each year.

It will air on NBC following the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, and is produced by Carson Events, who also are responsible for the telecasts of the Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge.

The program began when NBC executive Jon Miller watched the 2000 Christopher Guest film Best in Show, and was inspired to put together an actual dog show to compete with the holiday’s NFL football games.

The actual event itself, which first aired in 2002, will take place Nov. 17-18 in Philadelphia, hosted by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia, with the NDS taking place on Saturday and the KCP show taking place on Sunday.

(Not up to speed on how dog shows work? We have an overview right here.)

The event is hosted by actor John O’Hurley of Seinfield  fame, with analysis and commentary from dog-show judge David Frei and sportscaster Mary Carillo.

“It’s my job to tell you about the dog, tell you what it was bred to do, tell you things about its conditioning needs and its temperament, size and coat,” Frei said in an email interview. “If [someone watching is] thinking about getting a dog for their family or themselves and they hear the things we are telling them about certain breeds, they may consider adding that breed to their family.”

(This is also the reasoning behind our “Breeds 101” series here at Dog O’Day.)

In one form or another, the KCP actually predated the AKC, according to KCP President Wayne Ferguson.

“Our objective every year is to make our show experience entertaining and educational for all,” Ferguson said in an email interview. “Our tradition-rich shows are a regional treasure, as well as a national phenomenon, and a win at Philadelphia is considered one of Dogdom’s greatest achievements.”

The NDS is a “benched” show, which means that competitors must be presented to the public backstage, which allows for spectator interaction with the various dogs, handlers, judges and owners.

This was once a common practice, but now the NDS, along with the Westminster Kennel Club show at Madison Square Garden (the most prestigious in dog shows) and a show held in San Francisco, are the only benched shows nowadays.

The Kennel Club of Philadelphia has been hosting dog shows since 1879, shortly after the first Kentucky Derby and the founding of baseball’s National League. It has been an annual event since 1933, according to Ferguson.

“In the end, the real Best in Show dog, for the people who are watching it, is the one that’s sitting on the couch next to them,” Frei said. “We like this to be a celebration of all the great dogs in our lives.”

The National Dog Show presented by Purina will air from noon to 2 p.m. across all time zones on Thanksgiving Day, held this year on Thursday, Nov. 22.