The 2026 Westminster Dog Show began Monday as group judging took place for the first four groups at Madison Square Garden.
The Best in Show representatives for the Hound, Toy, Non-Sporting and Herding Groups were decided. Here’s a look at each group’s winner.
Zaida, an Afghan Hound, was the winner in the Hound Group this year, beating out 356 total entries and 11 other Afghan Hounds.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback was the most represented breed in the Hound Group with 34 total entries.
Cookie, a Maltese, won in the Toy Group and will move on to Best in Show. There were 360 total entries and 10 Malteses, including Cookie, in the Toy Group this year. The most represented breed in the Toy Group was the Pomeranian, which had 33 entries.
A Lhasa Apsos known as JJ won the Non-Sporting Group this year, beating just five other Lhasa Apsos and 296 other entries in the group. The Lhasa Apsos, which originated in the Himalayas, is one of the smaller breeds in this year’s show, with an average height between 10 and 11 inches and an average weight of 12-18 pounds.
The final winner of the night was Graham, an Old English Sheepdog in the Herding Group. Graham was one of 11 Old English Sheepdogs this year and won over 384 other dogs in the Herding Group.
Four dogs have now advanced to the Best in Show competition, and the other three groups — Working, Terrier and Sport — will be revealed on Tuesday.
This content was brought to you by: Bleacher Report – Front Page
