Westminster Dog Show Goes Live on Netflix in 2027

The most prestigious dog show in America is about to reach a much bigger audience. Here’s everything dog parents need to know.

If you’ve spent any time with a show dog person, you already know that Westminster isn’t just a dog show. It’s the Super Bowl, the Oscars, and the Olympics of the dog world, all packed into one event where a perfectly coiffed Standard Poodle and a rock-solid Labrador Retriever compete for the same trophy.

Starting in 2027, you can watch it live on Netflix.

Netflix confirmed this week that it will stream the 151st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show live in February 2027, marking the first time the event has ever been available on the streaming platform. For dog lovers who have never had easy access to the broadcast, it’s a genuinely big deal.

The 151st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show runs January 30 through February 2, 2027. Daytime breed judging and agility events will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Evening group judging and Best in Show move to Madison Square Garden.

Netflix will stream the Best in Breed competitions live on their Tudum platform. The Masters Agility Championship will be taped and broadcast at a later date.

The Best in Show champion will be crowned live on February 2.

Westminster is a conformation competition, meaning dogs are judged against the official breed standard. Every detail matters: movement, structure, temperament, coat, posture, gait. It’s not a tricks competition. It’s not a cute-dog contest. It’s a rigorous evaluation of how closely each dog matches the ideal for their breed.

Founded in 1877, the Westminster Kennel Club is America’s oldest organization dedicated to the sport of dogs. The Westminster Dog Show is the second-longest continuously held sporting event in the United States, after the Kentucky Derby.

Yes, it predates the Super Bowl by about 90 years. The dogs got there first.

Dogs first compete against others within their own breed. Winners then advance into one of seven group competitions:

• Hound
• Toy
• Non-Sporting
• Herding
• Sporting
• Working
• Terrier

The winner of each group advances to Best in Show. Seven dogs enter. One leaves with the title.

For the 2027 event, famed Norwegian judge and breeder Espen Engh will serve as Best in Show judge. Engh is a third-generation Greyhound fancier and one of the only active judges invited to award Best in Show at both Westminster and Crufts, the prestigious UK equivalent. That’s about as credentialed as it gets.

The seven group judges across two nights at Madison Square Garden: The event also includes the 93rd Annual Junior Showmanship Finals, where young handlers compete at the sport’s highest level.

Westminster’s agility competitions are open to dogs of all backgrounds, including mixed breeds. Dogs of all shapes and sizes tear through weave poles and tunnels at speeds that seem physically impossible, reading their handler’s every cue.

If you’ve never watched agility, it’s worth your time. It’s chaotic and joyful and the kind of thing you end up watching four more videos of at midnight.

Westminster has historically aired across a patchwork of broadcast and cable networks, which meant a lot of dog fans were watching grainy streams or reading results the next morning. Moving to Netflix changes that considerably.

“Bringing the Westminster Dog Show to Netflix not only expands the reach of this iconic event, but also introduces the sport of dogs to new audiences around the world,” said Dr. Donald Sturz, president of the Westminster Kennel Club.

Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of nonfiction series and sports, added: “As a proud dog owner myself, it’s a real pleasure and honor to partner with the Westminster Kennel Club to air its 151st show live around the world on Netflix next year.”

For the record: a Netflix executive describing a dog show as a “pleasure and honor” is the most relatable thing anyone in that role has ever said publicly.