National Dog Show 2018: Start time, where to watch annual event

It’s Thanksgiving Day, and what that effectively means is that it’s time for an annual tradition: The National Dog Show! Every year we love getting the chance to see dogs from all walks of life compete for the Best in Show title, while of course John O’Hurley and David Frei guide us along the way. These two have been hosting this show ever since its inception more than fifteen years ago, and the show absolutely would not be the same without them.

For the record, this year will have Mary Carillo behind the scenes inside the show ring; meanwhile, Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir are also going to be offering up some fun segments of their own — mostly because they’re fun and you’re going to want to watch them. The event is taped in advance — everyone wants to be home on Thanksgiving! — but it has become a rather delightful trend on the day. Who knew that everyone would love to sit around and watch dogs for two hours? A big part of the appeal may just come from the fact that so many families have dogs (Our Morkie named Coco Chanel Vanderwoof keeps us all in line here at CarterMatt) and they’re a part of the family — there are very few occasions in which they are celebrated quite like this. For those wondering, there are two new breeds for 2018 –the Nederlandse Kooikerhondje (sporting group, good luck pronouncing that) and the Grand Basset Griffon Vendéen (hound group). Coco Chanel Vanderwoof complains every year that there aren’t any Morkies in the toy group and hounds us every year (see what we did there?) to write in letters to get them added. We tell her she’s a winner in our book but she wants the blue ribbon!

In a statement about this year’s show, O’Hurley had the following to say:

“For 17 years, the ‘National Dog Show Presented by Purina®’ has been at the forefront of the purebred dog world … I’m proud to be a part of a legacy that not only celebrates such a rich history of dog breeds, but also being part of a tradition that entertains everyone from 4 to 94.”

When does it air?

12:00 p.m. Eastern time on NBC. If you have access to NBC’s live stream (that is typically done by validating your cable subscription online), you can also see it there. The show tends to run for around two hours. Just know that there is no authorized live stream for the actual show itself beyond the one listed. There often tends to be some assorted highlights that are put online after the fact, so we would suggest taking a quick browse online after the show in case you miss anything.

Basically, the National Dog Show is your perfect television environment if you’re just looking for a way to have fun and to embrace Thanksgiving with your family. Also, it may be a rather nice shift away from NFL football if you’re not altogether interested in watching the Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears. The other football games of the day start long after the dog show, so there is nothing to worry about in terms of you missing out there.

What do you want to see from the 2018 National Dog Show? Be sure to share right now in the attached comments! (Photo: NBC.)