More Than 16,300 Entries Over AKC/Eukanuba National Championship Week

Dogs from All 50 States and More Than 50 Countries

 To Vie for Title of National Champion

NEW YORK, NY (November 26, 2013) – Thousands of dogs will have year-end competition opportunities in a variety of world-class dog sporting events on December 10-15, 2013 in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center.  The week, culminating with the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship, tops all other dog events in the nation with more than 16,300 combined entries.

Dogs will compete in one million square feet of canine-centric event space in the:

• AKC/Eukanuba National Championship
• Eukanuba World Challenge
• AKC Junior Showmanship Finals
• AKC Agility Invitational
• AKC National Juniors Agility Competition
• AKC Obedience Classic
• AKC National Juniors Obedience Competition
• AKC National Owner-Handled Series Final
• Specialty Shows and the FSS/Miscellaneous Breeds Open Show
• Orlando cluster, consisting of the Space Coast Kennel Club of Palm Bay, the Brevard Kennel Club, the Central Florida Kennel Club and Orlando Dog Training Club

“The annual AKC/Eukanuba National Championship celebrates the best of the world of dogs and we’re offering a number of exciting new enhancements in 2013,” said Show Chairman Dennis B. Sprung. “Beyond the competitions be sure to enjoy Celebrate Dogs!, special events like the complimentary AKC Breeder-2-Breeder seminar and expanded video coverage which will offer millions the opportunity to watch one of the world’s greatest dog shows live.”

2013 Highlights:

Expanded streaming video: Last year’s inaugural live streaming of the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship garnered more than 1.3 million views, and with 2013’s enhanced format, we expect even more dog fans to tune in. Dozens of cameras will deliver more than 300 hours of video coverage from a selection of Friday Specialties, Special Attractions, and Obedience and Agility, plus every Breed, Group and Best in Show competition taking place over the weekend.  The breed judging for all 190 breeds and varieties will be available in its entirety as streaming video, while all evening group and Best in Show judging will be aired live from the show floor, all accessible from the special site http://live.eukanuba.com/, which will be embedded at www.akc.org.

AKC Owner-Handled Series Finals: The inaugural AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals will be held December 13^th to showcase the owner-handlers that compete in AKC conformation events. This special invitation-only competition is open to the top ten ranked dogs in the AKC National Owner-Handled Series in each breed/variety from the 2012 and 2013 qualifying years and drew an entry of 520 dogs.

New AKC Obedience Classic: This new competition will be the first time all levels of obedience will be offered in a national competition by AKC. The Classic offers four class levels — Novice, Open, Utility and Masters — open to dogs that met certain qualification standards. Dog and handler teams will compete in multiple rounds over the weekend until an eventual winner in each class level is declared.

AKC/EUKANUBA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP BY THE NUMBERS

• 177 AKC recognized breeds are entered to compete.
• 4,086 entries in the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship
• The largest entries include:

o   100 Golden Retrievers

o   96 Labrador Retrievers

o   87 Australian Shepherds

o   73 Chinese Cresteds

o   70 French Bulldogs

o   60 Cavalier King Charles Spaniels

o   56 Boston Terriers

o   53 Rottweilers

o   108 Miscellaneous dogs entered, representing 14 out of the 15 Miscellaneous breeds: Azawakh, BelgianLaekenois, Berger Picard, Boerboel, Cirneco dell’Etna, Coton de Tulear, Dogo Argentino, LagottoRomagnolo, Miniature American Shepherd, Peruvian Inca Orchid, Pumi, Sloughi, Spanish Water Dog and Wirehaired Vizsla.

• The newest breeds to compete include:

o      17 Portuguese Podengo Pequenos

o      17 Rat Terriers

• By group, entry totals are: Sporting – 673; Hound – 542; Working – 567; Terrier – 451; Toy – 618; Non-Sporting – 478, Herding – 461 and Miscellaneous – 108
• Forty dogs from countries including Mexico, Australia, Ireland, Italy, Japan, New Zealand and the United Kingdom will compete in the Eukanuba World Challenge. The Eukanuba World Challenge is a one-of-a-kind event where each country sends its top dog to compete against other top dogs from around the world for the title of “EukanubaWorld Challenge Champion” and a total of $15,000 in prize money.
• 520 dogs are entered in the inaugural AKC National Owner-Handled Series (NOHS) Final on Friday, December 13^th, representing 160 different breeds. Friday entries, including the NOHS Final, specialties and FSS/Miscellaneous Breeds Open Show, total more than 2,600.
• Judge Mrs. Barbara Dempsey Alderman of Moon Township, Pennsylvania will select the AKC/EukanubaNational Championship Best in Show (BIS) winner. The owner(s) of the BIS winner will receive more than $50,000 while the breeder(s) of the Best in Show winner will be awarded $15,000.
• Dr. Anthony DiNardo of West Hartford, Connecticut will select Best Bred-By Exhibitor in Show from among 932 dogs (24% of the total entry) entered in the Bred-by-Exhibitor (dogs being shown by their owner/breeder) competition. Over $51,000 in prize money is on offer for Bred-By Exhibitor owners.
• 148 kids and teens, ages 9-17, who have met high academic standards and qualification criteria based on year-round competition, will compete in Junior Showmanship.

AGILITY INVITATIONAL AND OBEDIENCE CLASSIC BY THE NUMBERS

• 598 entries in the AKC Agility Invitational - 162 breeds from 41 states and six countries. Eukanuba and J & J Dog Supplies are proud sponsors of the AKC Agility Invitational.
• 206 entries in the AKC Obedience Classic - 42 breeds from 37 states and Canada and Mexico. Eukanuba and J & J Dog Supplies are proud sponsors of the AKC National Obedience Invitational.
• 62 Juniors competing at the AKC National Juniors Agility Competition on Friday, Dec. 13^th (8 am to Noon), proudly sponsored by MAD Agility and J&J Dog Supplies.
• 32 Juniors competing at the AKC National Juniors Obedience Competition on Saturday, Dec. 14^th (8 am to 3 pm).

To purchase tickets and get more information about the show visit Learn more athttp://www.akc.org/nationalchampionship/2013/ or visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

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Posted by chesliepickett on Nov 26 2013. Filed under Breaking News, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.