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
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
Tuesday through Friday
Venue
Founders Inn and Spa
5641 Indian River Rd., Virginia Beach, VA 23464
Host club
Old English Sheepdog Club of America, Inc.
AKC parent club for the Old English Sheepdog
Superintendent
MB-F, Inc.
Shannon Jones, Event Secretary · PO Box 22107, Greensboro, NC 27420
Entries
Registration closed
Closed Wednesday, September 16, 2026, at 12:00 noon EDT · Tuesday regionals limited to 100 dogs per show
Format
National specialty week
Three regional specialties + national specialty; sweepstakes, Juniors, 4–6 Month Puppy, obedience, rally, agility, herding
Premium list
2026 premium list (PDF) Verified 2026
Enter the national
- 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. Verified 2026
| Day | What’s on |
|---|---|
| Sunday, October 4 | Agility at Merrimac Dog Training Club, Hampton, VA |
| Monday, October 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) |
| Tuesday, October 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 |
| Wednesday, October 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 |
| Thursday, October 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) |
| Friday, October 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
Today’s Ring Card
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. Verified 2026
- National (Thu/Fri) — breed classes
- Mrs. Jane Collen (provisional)
- Tuesday Regional #1 — breed classes
- Ms. Christiana (Chris) Gaburri
- Tuesday Regional #2 — breed classes
- Mr. Charles L. Olvis
- Wednesday Regional — breed classes
- Mr. Nikolas Kanales
- National (Thu/Fri) sweepstakes & veteran sweepstakes
- Ms. Marilyn Marshall
- Wednesday sweepstakes & veteran sweepstakes
- Ms. Lisa Schinker
- National (Thu/Fri) Junior Showmanship & 4–6 Puppy
- Ms. Sally J. Carr
- Tuesday #1 Junior Showmanship & 4–6 Puppy
- Ms. Christiana (Chris) Gaburri
- Tuesday #2 Junior Showmanship & 4–6 Puppy
- Mr. Charles L. Olvis
- Wednesday Junior Showmanship & 4–6 Puppy
- 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. Verified 2026
- 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. Verified 2026
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.
Documents
Official documents for the national specialty week. Verified 2026
- 2026 premium list (PDF) Verified 2026
- OESCA National Specialty info — oescanational.com Verified 2026
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