Learning from the Westminster Dog Show

Monday and Tuesday night, dog lovers everywhere will tune in to watch the annual broadcast of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show. With its incredible array of dogs of every shape and size, the show inspires many people to add a dog to their homes. If you are considering getting a new dog, watching the show can be a great first step to deciding just which breed and type of dog is best suited for your lifestyle.

Recently, DogTipper interviewed co-host David Frei, one of America’s top experts on dogs, about what viewers can learn from the show and his commentary. “I try to drive home the idea that [puppies] are all cute balls of fluff but you need to think of them as an adult. It’s important to see them as adults like at our show and hear what they’re like.”

For his commentary, Frei asks breed parent clubs for suggestions about each dog breed. “I ask parent clubs if I only have time to say one thing about your dog, what is it?”

Frei, now in his 22nd year as the show’s announcer, suggests that viewers who become interested in a particular breed during the broadcast then try to attend a dog show, especially a benched show like Westminster, where they’ll have the opportunity to meet the dogs and the breeders and learn more about the special characteristics and needs of breed.