Best In Show Statistics

Best in Show was not awarded at Westminster until 1907. Prior to that year, the format for most dog shows held in the United States did not include provisions for awarding Best in Show. Best in Show was NOT awarded in 1923 at Westminster, nor at any other dog show in the United States that year, because the American Kennel Club put a moratorium on the judging of this prize until a uniform process and regulations could be adopted to insure that the Best in Show of each dog show was determined in the same fashion.

Best in Show has been awarded 99 times at Westminster with the Terrier group earning 44 of those awards followed by the Sporting Group 16, Working Group 15, Non-Sporting Group 10, Toy Group 9, Hound Group 3, Herding Group 1.

Forty-three different breeds have won Best in Show at Westminster. The top ten winning breeds have accounted for 53 of the 99 Best in Show awards so far with a Wire Fox Terrier grabbing 13 awards followed by Scottish Terrier 7, English Springer Spaniel 5, Airedale Terrier 4, Boxer 4, Cocker Spaniel 4, Doberman Pinscher 4, Sealyham Terrier 4, Smooth Fox Terrier 4, Standard Poodle 4, Pekingese 3, Pointer 3, Miniature Poodle 3.

It’s tough competition. In the last 50 years, only one dog – the English Springer Spaniel Ch. Chinoe’s Adamant James – has one the Best in Show more than once. Only five other dogs have won twice and only one dog – Ch. Warren Remedy – has won three times (1907, 1908, 1909).

The oldest dog to win BIS as a Papillon, in 1999, at the age of eight years, one month and 10 days. The youngest dog was a Rough Collie, in 1929, at the age of nine months. The largest dog to ever win BIS was Ch. Seward’s Blackbeard, a 155 pound Newfoundland that took top honors in 1984. The smallest dog to ever win BIS was Ch. Great Elms Prince Charming II, a four-and-a-half pound Pomeranian that was selected in 1988.

Out of the 99 BIS winners, 64 have been by males (most recent in 2006) and 35 by bitches (most recent in 2005).

Professional handlers Percy Roberts and Peter Green have shown their dogs to Best In Show wins four times each, with Roberts accomplishing the feat in 1926, 1927, 1934 and 1937 and Green accomplishing the feat in  1968, 1977, 1994 and 1998. Winthrop Rutherford, who showed Ch. Warren Remedy, was the only one to win three consecutive years while John G. Bates (1930-31), H.E. Mellenthin (1940-41), Peter Knoop (1952-53) and Clint Harris (1971-72) all won back-to-back titles with the same dog.