Meet the Three New Breeds at This Year's National Dog Show

Just like there's a sport or two added to the Olympic games every four years, dog shows add a few new breeds to their show rosters. This year, the National Dog Show (airing on NBC Thanksgiving Day) is debuting three new adorable breeds: the Pyrenean Shepherd, the Irish Red and White Setter, and the Norwegian Buhund.

"There have been times when we've gone three of four years without adding a new breed, and then maybe just one breed and then no more for a while, so three is a lot," says longtime National Dog Show announcer Wayne Ferguson.

If a breed is new to the National Dog Show, that means it's also newly recognized by the Kennel Club of Philadelphia (which runs the show) and the American Kennel Club, the granddaddy of all dog registries. But it doesn't mean the breed hasn't been around long. The Irish Red and White Setter, for example, is one of many breeds that was first introduced to America after World War II.

"The AKC is constantly being approached about miscellaneous breeds," says Ferguson. "They only accept 168 of them, but there are a couple hundred more out there that are recognized in many countries." Other American kennel clubs, like the United Kennel Club, recognizes many breeds that the AKC doesn't.

The process of gaining recognition for a particular breed can be lengthy and takes a lot of lobbying on the part of breeders and dog-show enthusiasts. "Various people will plead their case over and over, and the AKC will compile a file and then say, 'You know, we're getting a lot of Buhund people talking to us; we got 80 emails last month asking when we're going to bring them in.' Then they'll see what good examples there are out there of the breed." When the AKC feels that an exemplary standard of the breed has been achieved, chances are it's show time.

So what do you need to know about this year's debuting breeds? Read on.

Pyrenean Shepherd
Sometimes called a "Pyr Shep" for short, the Pyrenean Shepherd is a member of the herding group. As its name suggests, they generally came from the Pyrenees Mountains along the border of Spain and France. "It's a very old breed," Ferguson says. "It took a long time for them to make it here to the United States. We don't know why, because they're very intelligent and very active and very effective. For their [medium-small] size, very few dogs can match their herding and guard-dog capabilities." The smallest of the French herding dogs, they're known for their shaggy coats, expressive faces and personalities that are both cautious and boisterous.

Irish Red and White Setter
Their name can be misleading, as Irish Red and White Setters are "not really like an Irish Setter at all," Ferguson says. "It's not just that one's a different color. They have an entirely different conformation and a slighter build than the Irish Setter." The Irish Red and White Setter is a member of the sporting group, originally bred as a gun dog and pointing bird dog. They bear distinctive, auburn patches on their long, silky, white coats.

Norwegian Buhund
The Buhund is another member of the herding group and another very old breed. "They were cherished by the Vikings," says Ferguson, "for how they herded livestock and guarded property." Like the Pyr Shep, Buhunds are extremely effective at their jobs herding cattle and sheep, given their relatively small size; in Norwegian, the word "Buhund" literally translates to "livestock dog." The Norwegian Buhund has a wolf-like appearance, with pointed ears and a curled tail.

Tags: national dog show, NationalDogShow, norwegian buhund, pyr shep, pyrenean shepherd