National Specialty · Virginia Beach, Virginia
Old English Sheepdog Club of America National Specialty 2026
October 6–9, 2026 — three regional specialties plus the national: sweepstakes, Junior Showmanship, 4–6 Month Puppy, obedience, rally, agility, and herding at the Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach, Virginia
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Documents 📄 Premium List 📋 Judging Program — pending
Weekend at a glance
The Old English Sheepdog Club of America hosts its 2026 National Specialty week October 6–9, 2026, at the Founders Inn and Spa in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Three regional specialties run before the national on Thursday and Friday — plus sweepstakes, Junior Showmanship, 4–6 Month Puppy, obedience and rally at the Merrimac Dog Training Club, agility, a herding trial, a health seminar, breeder education, and the annual banquet.
- Dates
- October 6–9, 2026
- Venue
- Founders Inn and Spa
- Host club
- Old English Sheepdog Club of America, Inc.
- Format
- National specialty week
- Entries
- Registration closed
More about this show
Listing reviewed Premium published Registration closed · Dates, venue, judges, fees & closing verified via MB-F, Inc. · PO Box 22107, Greensboro, NC 27420
- Dates
- Tuesday through Friday
- Venue
- 5641 Indian River Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23464
- Host club
- AKC parent club for the Old English Sheepdog
- Format
- Three regional specialties + national specialty; sweepstakes, Juniors, 4–6 Month Puppy, obedience, rally, agility, herding
- Entries
- Closed Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 12:00 noon EDT · Tuesday regionals limited to 100 dogs per show
Superintendent: MB-F, Inc. · Shannon Jones, Event Secretary
Registration closed
Entry fees are per dog, per show.
- Superintendent
- MB-F, Inc. — Shannon Jones, Event Secretary; entries via InfoDog
- Closing
- Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 12:00 noon EDT
- Conformation first entry
- $45.00
- Conformation additional entry
- $32.00
- Junior Showmanship only
- $20.00
- Junior Showmanship as additional class
- No fee
- Stud Dog & Brood Bitch (Friday only)
- $32.00
- Brace per unit (Friday only)
- $32.00
- Herding Titled Class
- $32.00
- Sweepstakes
- $32.00 (must be entered in a regular class)
- Veteran sweepstakes
- $32.00 (need not be entered in a regular class)
- 4 & Under 6 Months Puppy (Tues., Wed. & Thurs.)
- $25.00
The days
Day-by-day schedule for the national specialty week. Listing reviewed
| Day | What’s on |
|---|---|
| Sun, Oct 4 | Agility at Merrimac Dog Training Club, Hampton, VA |
| Mon, Oct 5 | Obedience and rally at Merrimac Dog Training Club, Hampton, VA; move into the Founders Inn (3:30 PM); Kick Off Party (6:00 PM) |
| Tue, Oct 6 | HRC Health Seminar with Dr. Kara Kolster (9:00 AM); Regional Specialty Show #1 (1:00 PM) and Regional Specialty Show #2 “The Grammys” (6:30 PM) — each with 4–6 Month Puppy, Junior Showmanship, dog and bitch classes, and Best of Breed; entries limited to 100 per show |
| Wed, Oct 7 | Regional Specialty (10:00 AM) — 4–6 Month Puppy, Junior Showmanship, sweepstakes, dog and bitch classes, Best of Breed; breeder education after the specialty |
| Thu, Oct 8 | OESCA National Specialty — 4–6 Month Puppy, Junior Showmanship, puppy & veteran sweepstakes, dog classes, shaved coat dogs, herding titled dogs; judges education seminar; Annual Banquet (6:30 PM, cocktails at 6:00 PM) |
| Fri, Oct 9 | OESCA National Specialty — bitch classes, shaved coat bitches, herding titled bitches; Best of Breed & Best Owner-Handled; stud dog, brood bitch, brace, best puppy, best bred-by, best veteran; move out of the Founders Inn |
Herding is offered Saturday only — see oescanational.com for details. Obedience, rally, agility, and herding judges and fees aren't in the premium. Pending
Build your day plan
Add your dogs, pick this show, and get your ring times in order — class dogs, bitches, and champions factored automatically.
Your show-day schedule, saved by date.
Judging program not yet published
No ring times or ring assignments have been verified yet. Ring cards will be built from the official program as soon as it’s out.
Breed Judge Finder
The verified judging slate for the 2026 national specialty week. Listing reviewed
National (Thu/Fri) — breed classesBest in Show & group judges
- Mrs. Jane Collen (provisional)
Tuesday Regional #1 — breed classesBest in Show & group judges
- Ms. Christiana (Chris) Gaburri
Tuesday Regional #2 — breed classesBest in Show & group judges
- Mr. Charles L. Olvis
Wednesday Regional — breed classesBest in Show & group judges
- Mr. Nikolas Kanales
National (Thu/Fri) sweepstakes & veteran sweepstakesBest in Show & group judges
- Ms. Marilyn Marshall
Wednesday sweepstakes & veteran sweepstakesBest in Show & group judges
- Ms. Lisa Schinker
National (Thu/Fri) Junior Showmanship & 4–6 PuppyBest in Show & group judges
- Ms. Sally J. Carr
Tuesday #1 Junior Showmanship & 4–6 PuppyBest in Show & group judges
- Ms. Christiana (Chris) Gaburri
Tuesday #2 Junior Showmanship & 4–6 PuppyBest in Show & group judges
- Mr. Charles L. Olvis
Wednesday Junior Showmanship & 4–6 PuppyBest in Show & group judges
- Mr. Dale A. Meyer
Best Owner-Handled is judged by each show's breed judge: Tue #1 Ms. Gaburri (provisional), Tue #2 Mr. Olvis, Wed Mr. Kanales, Fri Mrs. Collen (provisional). Obedience, rally, agility, and herding judges aren't in the premium. Pending
Juniors
Junior Showmanship is offered at every specialty — Tuesday through Friday — with its own judge each day. Listing reviewed
- Tuesday Regional #1
- Ms. Christiana (Chris) Gaburri
- Tuesday Regional #2
- Mr. Charles L. Olvis
- Wednesday Regional
- Mr. Dale A. Meyer
- National (Thursday/Friday)
- Ms. Sally J. Carr
Junior Showmanship is free as an additional class ($20.00 entered only). 4 & Under 6 Months Puppy runs the same days, judged by the same judges.
Specialties & supported entries
The specialty spotlight for this event.
- Event
- Old English Sheepdog Club of America National Specialty 2026
- Breed
- Old English Sheepdog (Herding Group)
- Type
- Three regional specialties + national specialty
- Host club
- Old English Sheepdog Club of America, Inc.
- Dates
- October 6–9, 2026 — Virginia Beach, Virginia
Two regional specialties run Tuesday and one Wednesday; the national specialty runs Thursday and Friday. Each show offers sweepstakes, Junior Showmanship, and 4 & Under 6 Months Puppy, with AKC National Owner-Handled Series competition at each show. Listing reviewed
Plan your visit
Host hotel
The show's home base is the Founders Inn and Spa, 5641 Indian River Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23464 — (757) 424-5511. All specialty judging is indoors. The York and James buildings are the pet friendly sleeping-room buildings, next to two large fenced dog exercise areas.
- Discounted-rate cutoff
- Friday, September 9, 2026 — reserve by then to get the discounted rate
- RV camping
- RV camping reservations through Cheryl Tavares — [email protected]; reservation forms at oescanational.com
- Grooming area
- Available after 3:30 PM Monday, October 5; vacated within one hour of Friday's final awards
The premium doesn't state the discounted nightly rate. Pending
Getting there
From I-64 E, take exit 286B to Indian River Rd. and continue about 0.4 miles — the Founders Inn and Spa is on the right. Obedience and rally are at the Merrimac Dog Training Club in Hampton, VA.
Sources
- Official2026 premium list (PDF) — dates, venue, judges, fees
- OfficialMB-F, Inc. show inventory — club, dates, city/state
- OfficialAKC National Specialties inventory (apps.akc.org) — dates and city cross-check
- OfficialOESCA National Specialty info — oescanational.com