National Dog Show Finalists 2025: Full Breed List
The seven 2025 National Dog Show finalists are: Soleil (Belgian Sheepdog, Herding, and Best in Show), George (American Foxhound, Hound), Neal (Bichon Frisé, Non-Sporting), Tyler (English Setter, Sporting), Baby Joe (Miniature Schnauzer, Terrier), Comet (Shih Tzu, Toy), and Dino (Giant Schnauzer, Working).
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What "Finalists" Means at the National Dog Show
At the National Dog Show, a "finalist" isn't just any dog that showed up. The event moves through three stages: Best of Breed, then Group judging, then Best in Show. Winners advance from their individual breed to one of seven groups — Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding — before the seven group champions return to the floor to vie for Best in Show.
So when people say "finalists," they almost always mean those seven group winners — the dogs that made it into the final Best in Show ring, out of a field that saw the National Dog Show's largest entry list since 2019, with 1994 dogs across 201 different breeds taking part in 2025. Being a finalist doesn't mean winning overall — it means being judged the best representative of your breed's standard, then the best in your group, out of nearly 2,000 competitors.
2025 National Dog Show Finalists by Group
Herding: Soleil (Belgian Sheepdog); Hound: George (American Foxhound); Non-Sporting: Neal (Bichon Frisé); Sporting: Tyler (English Setter); Terrier: Baby Joe (Miniature Schnauzer); Toy: Comet (Shih Tzu); Working: Dino (Giant Schnauzer).
| Group | Finalist | Breed |
|---|---|---|
| Herding | Soleil | Belgian Sheepdog |
| Hound | George | American Foxhound |
| Non-Sporting | Neal | Bichon Frisé |
| Sporting | Tyler | English Setter |
| Terrier | Baby Joe | Miniature Schnauzer |
| Toy | Comet | Shih Tzu |
| Working | Dino | Giant Schnauzer |
A few of these dogs came in with serious résumés. Comet the Shih Tzu is the top-winning Toy dog in history with 143 Bests in Show wins, a record set in August at the Steel Valley Cluster in Canfield, Ohio. George the American Foxhound returned to the National Dog Show after taking second in the Hound Group in 2024 — this year he went one better. If Working Group dogs interest you, our guide to the Giant Schnauzer covers the breed's temperament and history for anyone curious what earned Dino his group win.
Best in Show Winner
Soleil the Belgian Sheepdog claimed the title of Best in Show at the 2025 National Dog Show, an annual Thanksgiving Day staple. This is the first time the breed was victorious in Philadelphia, and the result was deemed a surprise on the NBC broadcast. George the American Foxhound was runner-up as the reserve Best in Show.
Judge Charlie Olvis explained the decision plainly: "Today, that dog was on," said judge Charlie Olvis of Soleil. "Didn't put its foot down wrong. Didn't miss a beat. And it is in drop-dead gorgeous condition." The competition wasn't lopsided, either — the final field for Best in Show was loaded, since Soleil and the other six dogs had all ranked No. 1 nationally at one point.
How Dogs Become Finalists
The judging process is more straightforward than it looks on TV. Dogs are assessed according to how closely they resemble the judges' "mental image of the perfect dog as described in the breed's official standard," with judges considering the "overall appearance, temperament and structure" of each dog, "looking for characteristics that allow the dog to perform the function for which his or her breed was bred."
In practice, that means three rounds:
- Best of Breed — a dog competes only against others of its own breed.
- Group judging — breed winners are sorted into one of seven groups (Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, Herding), and one dog per group advances.
- Best in Show — the seven group winners face off, and one dog takes the overall title.
Only purebred dogs registered with the American Kennel Club, which sanctions the event, can compete. The show has deep roots, too: it's founded in 1879, featuring only purebred dogs registered with the American Kennel Club competing across seven groups. On television, the 2025 National Dog Show aired on NBC for the 24th year and streamed on Peacock, hosted by Carillo, "Seinfeld" star John O'Hurley and American Kennel Club-licensed judge David Frei.
If you want to dig into breed-by-breed background on any of the finalist breeds mentioned above, our breed guides cover temperament, grooming, and history for dozens of breeds, including several that regularly show up in National Dog Show lineups.
Past Best in Show Winners
| Year | Winner | Breed |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Soleil | Belgian Sheepdog |
| 2024 | Vito | Pug |
| 2023 | Stache | Sealyham Terrier |
| 2022 | Winston | French Bulldog |
| 2021 | Claire | Scottish Deerhound |
A few notes on that streak: Vito the Pug was named "Best in Show" at the 2024 National Dog Show, becoming the first pug to win the honor in the two decades since the contest first began airing on TV. The year before that, the Sealyham Terrier won Best in Show at the 2023 National Dog Show, with Stache beating out over 1,850 dogs representing 199 breeds and varieties recognized by the American Kennel Club. And going back further, the Scottish Deerhound won Best in Show again at the 2021 National Dog Show, making it the first repeat champion in the competition's history. If French Bulldogs are more your speed, our French Bulldog guide has more on the breed that took the 2022 title.
Common questions
Who won the National Dog Show this year?
Soleil, a Belgian Sheepdog handled by Daniel Martin, won Best in Show at the 2025 National Dog Show — the breed's first win at the event.
What's the difference between a finalist and Best in Show?
A "finalist" is one of the seven group winners who advance to the final round. "Best in Show" is the single dog chosen from those seven finalists as the overall winner. Every Best in Show winner is a finalist, but not every finalist wins Best in Show — six of the seven go home with a group title and nothing more.
When does the National Dog Show air?
It airs on NBC (and streams on Peacock) on Thanksgiving Day, right after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, even though the show itself is held at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center a few weeks earlier.
How many groups are there?
Seven: Sporting, Hound, Working, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Herding. Each produces one group winner, and those seven face off for Best in Show.
For the official record — entry numbers, judge assignments, and breed standards — the National Dog Show's own site is the primary source worth bookmarking.
Want Dogs on Your Screen Right Now?
If Thanksgiving feels a long way off, you don't have to wait for it to watch dogs. Dogshow.lol runs a live stream of real, owner-submitted dogs around the clock — one dog on stage at a time, viewers chatting in real time, no judges' clipboard required. It's not a kennel-club event and it doesn't crown anything resembling an AKC finalist; it's just dogs, live, whenever you feel like watching.