Breed profile · German Shepherd Dog specialty history

German Shepherd Dog specialty history

The full record of the German Shepherd Dog’s national and regional specialties, year by year — dates, venues, judges, entries, and winners, with sources. The current year is shown in full on the breed profile; this page is the archive.

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2026

National specialty

The most recent national specialty was the 113th National Specialty, Thursday, October 1 through Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the Illinois State Fairgrounds, 801 E. Sangamon Ave., Springfield, Illinois, with a pre-show specialty on Wednesday, September 30, judged by Gloria Birch. The national week ran September 24 through October 3, with herding September 24–26 at Purina Farms in Gray Summit, Missouri, and the national tracking test on Sunday, September 27. Conformation judges were James Moses (intersex), Robert Drescher (dogs), and Michel Chaloux (bitches). (Sources: DogZibit, 2026 GSDCA National; AKC event results.)

Entries, from the official AKC results: 158 dogs (68 dogs, 90 bitches) and 216 entries. Best of Breed was GCHB CH Wonderland’s Mvp Jokic V Knight’s Gambit (“Nik”), making him the 2026 Grand Victor; Best of Opposite Sex was GCH CH Seamar Peters’ Here’s Your One Chance V Raintree RN TC, the 2026 Grand Victrix. Select Dog was CH Marquis’ Don’T Worry, Blame It On Me; Select Bitch was CH Rosewood’s She’s A Rainbow V Simcar. Winners Dog was Wolf Creek Cochise V Wonderland; Winners Bitch and Best of Winners was Amber Jo-El Legacy Beyond Belief V Carlyn She-Rock. Best Junior Handler was Sophia Brown. (Source: AKC official results, event #2026009326. The GSDCA’s own Grand Victor/Victrix lists had not yet been updated past 2025 when this page was drafted; the 2026 titles above follow from the AKC Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex results under the club’s definitions.)

Regional specialties

Grand Canyon German Shepherd Dog Club — Saturday–Sunday, December 5–6, 2026, Queen Creek, Arizona. Two regional specialties and one specialty show: Saturday morning (Ms. Kathy Field Casteel), Saturday afternoon (Mr. Robert L. Robinson), Sunday morning (Dr. Sophia Kaluzniacki). Entries close November 25, 2026.
German Shepherd Dog Club of Reno — Friday, September 25, 2026. Two specialty shows with Beginner Puppy; morning judge Ms. Diane Collings.
German Shepherd Dog Club of Minneapolis & St. Paul — Saturday–Sunday, May 30–31, 2026. Two specialty conformation shows, with a GSDCA Temperament Test on Saturday, May 30 (evaluator Lori Payne).
German Shepherd Dog Club of Sacramento Valley — Saturday, March 28, 2026. Specialty show with a GSDCA Temperament Test after the PM show (evaluator Ileanna Noqueras).

2025

National specialty

For comparison, the 112th National Specialty ran October 17–25, 2025, at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, with herding at Purina Farms. Grand Victor 2025 was GCH Kenlyn Marquis’ Sultan Of Swing Seven Hills ROM; Grand Victrix 2025 was GCH Jimeni Eklectic Juju Of Clayfield Norberge. (Sources: GSDCA Grand Victors; GSDCA Grand Victrixes; GSDCA 2025 National Specialty.)

Regional specialties

No regional specialties recorded for 2025.