← Back to articles

← Back

The Reading Room • Show Guide

Once a year, the entire Bulldog world goes to one place. The Bulldog Club of America National 2026 runs October 25–31 in East Peoria, Illinois — the club’s 132nd national specialty week, and the single biggest gathering of Bulldogs anywhere in the country.

Whether you showed up entered and ready, or you just love the breed and want to see the best Bulldogs in America in one place, here is everything to know about the week.

Planning your show season? Create your free ThePetAdvisor account — track your dogs and never miss a closing date.

What is the BCA National Specialty?

Every AKC breed has a parent club — the official organization for that breed in America. For the Bulldog, it’s the Bulldog Club of America. Each year the parent club holds its national specialty: a breed-only show where the finest Bulldogs in the country compete for the top titles of the year.

Think of it as the breed’s championship week. Unlike an all-breed show where Bulldogs share the spotlight with 200 other breeds, everything here is Bulldogs — the dogs, the judges, the conversations in the hallways, the shopping. Serious breeders plan their whole year around it, because winning here puts a dog in the breed’s history books.

The 2026 edition is the 132nd national specialty week, which makes the Bulldog Club of America one of the oldest and longest-running parent clubs in the country. That depth of tradition is a big part of the draw: this is a week where three generations of a kennel can walk into the ring together.

The week, day by day

National specialty weeks are built so you can stay all week. Each day is its own separate show — you enter each one individually — and the format gives dogs and people a warm-up, the main event, and then a victory lap.

A few things worth knowing as a newcomer:

• Sweepstakes are a special puppy competition — young Bulldogs judged against their own age group. It’s one of the most fun parts of the week and a preview of the breed’s next generation.
• Junior Showmanship is for kids and teens, and entry is free all week. It runs at every single show of the week, each with its own judge.
• Pee Wee is a special attraction for children ages 5–9, held Sunday with the prequel show. Also free.
• Obedience and rally trials mean this isn’t only about conformation — Bulldogs proving their training get their moment too.
• The AKC Temperament Test evaluates a dog’s behavior and stability. Dogs must be entered to take part.

Who’s judging the national

The parent-club national judging panel is the headline assignment. For 2026:

• Sweepstakes: Kelley Ensminger (dogs) · Alecia Wagner (bitches and Best in Sweepstakes)
• Regular dog: Rick Franz · Regular bitch: Kelly Franz
• Junior Showmanship: Corri Long
• Intersex, veteran & non-regular: Liz Karshner
• Obedience and rally: Anna Lorenz
• AKC Temperament Test: April Paulman and Kelly Rosson

The Sunday prequel show is judged by Judy Wade (regular dog, Juniors, and Pee Wee), Ray Spivey (regular bitch), Chuck Spears (intersex, veteran, non-regular), and Anna Lorenz (obedience/rally). The three host-club specialties have their own panels: Ken Calloway, Corri Long, and Brandon Edge for Chicago; Pat Ropp, Eva Dickey, and Alin Retezatu for Western Michigan; Lalaine Policar, Dennis Balanag, Cathy Eke, and Michelle Cazett for Milwaukee.

Entries are closed — here’s what it cost

Entries closed Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at 11:00 PM Eastern, through event secretary Pam Moore, and late entries can’t be accepted. If you’re thinking about next year’s national, the 2026 entry fees are a good benchmark:

• First entry (conformation, obedience, or rally): $35 per dog, per show
• Additional entry of the same dog: $30
• Puppy classes (6–9 and 9–12 months) and Bred-By-Exhibitor: $30
• Veterans (7 years and older), stud dog, brood bitch, brace, and sweepstakes: $25
• Junior Showmanship: free — no corresponding-class entry required

One detail worth noting: an extra $10 from each dog entered in the BCA National Specialty goes to the Bulldog Club of America, and $1 from each entry is split between the BCA Charitable Fund and the Bulldog Club of America Rescue Network.

Why go — even if you didn’t enter

You don’t need a dog in the ring to get something out of this week. A national specialty is the single best place to:

• See the breed’s best. The top Bulldogs in the country, in one room, across seven days. No video does this justice.
• Meet breeders. If you’re looking for your next Bulldog, there is no better place to watch temperaments, ask questions, and see whole families of dogs from the same kennel.
• Learn the breed. Watching sweepstakes, juniors, and the breed judging back to back is a crash course in what makes a great Bulldog.
• Watch the kids. Junior Showmanship at a national is special — these are the future handlers of the breed, and the free Pee Wee attraction on Sunday is pure joy.

Everything is indoors, unbenched, with show hours from 7:00 AM to 9:00 PM Central daily — so you can come and go on your own schedule.

Planning your visit

The show’s home base is the host hotel itself — the Embassy Suites by Hilton East Peoria Riverfront Hotel & Conference Center, 100 Conference Center Drive, East Peoria, IL 61611. The BCA group rate was $129–$149 per night (plus taxes and fees), with a $50 per-room pet fee for up to four dogs and a room-block cutoff of October 3, 2026 — so if you still need a room, book directly at current rates.

East Peoria sits on the Illinois River across from Peoria, in the heart of Illinois dog-show country for the last week of October. The official judging program with ring times is published on the show page, alongside the approved premium list.

Frequently asked questions