The structured guide to AKC dog shows
Every AKC show weekend as one clear guide: when entries close, who's judging, where you're going, and how to get there — checked against the official sources.
Closing deadlines for the featured weekends. Entries go through the superintendent — never through ThePetAdvisor.
Why go: The biggest weekend in the terrier world. Three All-Breed shows Thursday through Saturday build to Sunday’s Montgomery County Kennel Club classic — Terriers only, outdoors, with 23 Specialty clubs and 4 Supported Entry clubs on Sunday.
Why go: AKC’s National Championship week — six events under one roof at the Orange County Convention Center: the 26th AKC National Championship, Puppy & Junior Stakes, and NOHS Finals, plus three lead-in All-Breed shows.
The National Championship closes 3:00 PM CST, Wednesday, November 4, 2026.
Central Florida Kennel Club (Dec 10) closes Wednesday, November 11, 2026 via MB-F — Pending exact closing time unconfirmed. Space Coast & Brevard premiums expected October 2026.
Premium listJudging programpendingPlan your visitWeekend guide
2026 edition
October 1–4, 2026 · Eastern Pennsylvania. Panels extracted from official AKC event-detail PDFs and validated breed-by-breed.
2026 edition
December 8–13, 2026 · Orlando, Florida. Championship events verified; Space Coast & Brevard premiums expected October 2026.
Future edition
First weekend of October — date pending confirmation.
The national flagships — upcoming shows in date order, visible here whatever state or division you're browsing.
Why go: The biggest weekend in the terrier world. Three All-Breed shows Thursday through Saturday build to Sunday’s Montgomery County Kennel Club classic — Terriers only, outdoors, with 23 Specialty clubs and 4 Supported Entry clubs on Sunday.
Why go: The National Dog Show presented by Purina, taped for NBC's Thanksgiving broadcast, inside a four-day all-breed cluster at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.
Why go: AKC’s National Championship week — six events under one roof at the Orange County Convention Center: the 26th AKC National Championship, Puppy & Junior Stakes, and NOHS Finals, plus three lead-in All-Breed shows.
Why go: Breed judging at the Javits Center by day, Groups and Best in Show at Madison Square Garden by night — and the broadcast moves to Netflix, live February 1–2.
Where the featured weekends happen — and what to know before you roll in.
Montgomery Weekend
Macungie Memorial Park
Route 100, Macungie, PA
Hosts the Hatboro and Montgomery shows (outdoors)
Devon — Saturday only
Ludwigs Corner Horse Show Grounds
1325 Pottstown Pike, Glenmoore, PA
Orlando Championship Week
Orange County Convention Center
North/South Building
9899 International Drive, Orlando, FL 32819
Hotels, parking, RV rules, grooming, and restaurants for Orlando are on the Orlando guide. Montgomery travel details publish with the full premium booklets.
Featured weekend guides — every show in the cluster, dated, judged, and linked.
Oct 20261–4
Eastern Pennsylvania
Four-show Terrier weekend: Hatboro, Devon, and the Montgomery Terrier classic.
Thu Oct 1 Hatboro · Fri Oct 2 Hatboro · Sat Oct 3 Devon · Sun Oct 4 Montgomery (Terriers only, outdoors).
Why go: Four days, four shows in Eastern Pennsylvania — three All-Breed shows building to Montgomery on Sunday, the world’s largest all-Terrier show.
Dec 20268–13
Orlando, Florida
Three lead-in All-Breed shows, the 26th AKC National Championship, NOHS Finals, and Puppy Stakes — all at the Orange County Convention Center.
6 events at the Orange County Convention Center, North/South Building.
Why go: AKC’s National Championship week — six events under one roof, from the National Championship to the NOHS Finals and Puppy Stakes.
Every fact is labeled verified (seen in an official 2026 source: AKC premium list, AKC event-detail PDF, superintendent database, or parent-club site) or pending (not yet confirmed). Unverified items are never published as fact.
Data current as of September 24, 2026. Verify closing dates with the superintendent before entering.
Every guide carries structured data, permanent URLs, and a machine-readable source list — so the agents and tools that help exhibitors plan can cite ThePetAdvisor as a source. See llms.txt for the machine-readable site brief.
Questions, corrections, or source tips: [email protected]. Learn more about ThePetAdvisor.
