Here’s how to watch the 2020 AKC National Championship.
Here’s how to watch the 2020 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin, which is the crowning event of the American Kennel Club conformation (dog show) calendar, and thus the pinnacle of dog sports.
No spectators will be allowed inside the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Florida, this year, due to the pandemic – only essential personnel (dogs, owners, handlers, assistants, judges, and TV production people) will be in the building, and masks, social distancing and hand sanitizing will be in place.
There are still many support events taking place – conformation events include the Brevard Kennel Club, the Central Florida Kennel Club, the Orlando Dog Training Club, the Space Coast Kennel Club of Palm Bay, the AKC NOHS Finals (National Owner-Handled Series), and the AKC Royal Canin National Puppy and Junior Stakes.
The good news is there are plenty of options available for how to watch the 2020 AKC National Championship, starting with the AKC National Championship group judging and Best in Show judging, which will take place Saturday and Sunday evenings, December 12 and 13. These will be shown live on AKC.tv, and thanks to the AKC’s new new TV deal with ESPN, will also be available on the ESPN App, if you have access to that.
The support events will also be streaming on AKC.tv.
If you’re looking for how to watch the 2020 AKC National Championship breed judging, that will be paywalled at AKCChampionshipLive.com, with a one-day pass for $3 and a two-day pass at $5. All proceeds from the event will be split between Take the Lead (paying for exhibitor expenses), the AKC Humane Fund (going towards breed-specific rescue and pet-friendly domestic violence shelters), the AKC Canine Health Foundation (research grants for parent clubs), AKC Reunite (disaster relief) and the AKC Museum of the Dog.
The presentation of the 2020 ACE Awards winners aired as a series of specials last week for the first time, as well, to lessen the amount of people in the building.
The 2020 NADD National Championship in dock diving was canceled, with Nationals results coming from Regionals jumps, but the AKC Rally National Championship, the AKC National Obedience Championship, and the AKC Agility Invitational will all take place and streamed on AKC.tv.
The inaugural AKC Fast CAT Invitational will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, December 8-9, with a televised special called Fastest Dogs USA airing on ESPN2 on Sunday, December 13.
Finally, the easiest option for how to watch the 2020 AKC National Championship presented by Royal Canin will be to wait until it airs as a three-hour special on ABC on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 2 p.m. ET.
It should be a busy week of dog sports for dog lovers.