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What is the Great Dane National Specialty?

Once a year, the Great Dane Club of America holds its national specialty — the breed’s biggest gathering, where the best Great Danes in the country compete under one roof. The 2026 edition runs Monday, October 19 through Saturday, October 24 at the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center in Kingsport, Tennessee, hosted by the GDCA South Division.

This is a full week, not a weekend show. Performance events open the week — Great Dane-only agility trials, obedience, and rally — before three days of conformation judging decide the breed’s top dogs, plus the futurity (a showcase of the next generation) and Junior Showmanship for the kids and teens who handle dogs.

The week, day by day

The schedule runs performance events first and builds toward the weekend conformation finals:

• Mon, Oct 19 — two Great Dane-only agility trials
• Tue, Oct 20 — Obedience Trial 1, Rally Trial 1, and the futurity
• Wed, Oct 21 — Rally Trial 2 and Obedience Trial 2
• Thu, Oct 22 — conformation begins: the dog classes
• Fri, Oct 23 — conformation: the bitch classes
• Sat, Oct 24 — Junior Showmanship, then the intersex competition — dogs and bitches together — where the breed’s top winner is crowned

And if six days aren’t enough, the Great Dane Club of Middle Tennessee hosts an independent specialty at the same venue on Sunday, October 25 — a seventh day of Danes under a separate premium list.

Who’s judging

The verified judging panel for the 2026 national:

• Thursday, Oct 22 (dog classes): Thomas J Davis
• Friday, Oct 23 (bitch classes): Mrs. Jennifer Bell
• Saturday, Oct 24 (intersex, Brace & Team, Best Puppy, Best Bred-By-Exhibitor): James S Remaklus
• Saturday, Oct 24 (Junior Showmanship): Thomas J Davis
• Obedience & rally: Aimee P. Kincaid and Louann Currey
• Tuesday futurity: Doug Toomey and BJ Barnhart

Can you still enter?

Entries are closed. They closed Wednesday, September 30, 2026, at noon Central through superintendent Foy Trent Dog Shows, so the entered dogs are set.

If you were planning to enter, mark your calendar for the Sunday, October 25 Great Dane Club of Middle Tennessee independent specialty — it runs on a separate premium list — and start watching for next year’s national closing date. A free ThePetAdvisor account keeps the dates on your radar so you never miss a closing again.

Planning your visit

The host hotel is the show venue itself: the MeadowView Conference Resort & Convention Center, at $149 per night plus tax (King or Queen room). Rooms allow up to 3 dogs each with a $50 one-time pet fee — book early, because a national specialty week fills a host hotel.

Flying in? Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) is 14 miles away; Knoxville Airport (TYS) is about 110 miles. RV parking is available — contact the show’s RV coordinators for availability and the waiting list. Show hours run 8:00 AM until a half hour after judging finishes each day.

See the full show page for the day-by-day schedule, the verified judge list, and the official premium list and judging program.

Why go

The national specialty is the one week of the year when the Great Dane world gathers in one place. The top dogs in the country are there. The futurity is a window into the breed’s future — young dogs from nominated litters, judged as a group. The parades of champions, titleholders, and veterans honor the dogs that built the breed. And Saturday’s intersex competition — the best dogs and the best bitches going head to head — is the most electric moment of the week.

The national also offers the AKC National Owner-Handled Series (competition for dogs handled by their owners rather than professional handlers) and points for Reserve. If you love Great Danes, there is no better week on the calendar.

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