A few weeks ago, on February 4th, the 2026 Westminster group winners of the 150th annual Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show were announced. But before moving on to Group Judging, dogs had to first compete for Best in Breed at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to determine each breed’s winner. This year, Group Judging took place at Madison Square Garden on Monday, February 2nd and Tuesday, February 3rd. Now, meet the 2026 Westminster Group Winners from the Herding, Hound, Terrier, Toy, Non-Sporting, and Sporting Groups.
Herding Group –
The winner of the Herding Group was Old English Sheepdog “Graham,” handled by Colton Johnson. Graham is 4 years old and proudly owned by C. Heather, Michaelanne, Douglas Johnson, and Ron & Christine Perry. “Graham has the classic Old English Sheepdog breed type, movement, and temperament that we strive for at Bugaboo,” Johnson states.
Hound Group –
The winner of the Hound Group, fiercely competing against 35 other dogs, was an Afghan Hound named “Zaida.” Zaida, who is 6 years old, was handled by Wilmer Santiago during the show and is owned by Ramon Podesta, D. Scott Pfeil, James Donahue, and Armando Sobrado. “Zaida is the dog that makes me feel everything is possible,” Santiago says.
Terrier Group –
The winner of the Terrier Group, who had to compete against 28 other dogs, was 2-year-old Smooth Fox Terrier “Wager.” Wager was handled by one of his three owners, Amy Rutherford. His other owners are Barbara Miller and Peter Holson. “This dog is my heart dog; he’s 8 generations of my breeding,” Rutherford said after winning. “He goes back to the first Smooth Fox Terrier I had when I was 8, so he means the world to me.”
Toy Group –
The winner of the Toy Group was a 4-year-old Maltese named “Cookie,” who was handled by Tim Lehman and owned by Tammy Siman and Dr. Diana Egnor. Cookie was pronounced the winner after competing against the other 25 dogs in the group. “Cookie has beautiful balance, coat texture, pigment, and head and expression,” says Lehmen, who has handled the breed for approximately 30 years.
Non-Sporting Group –
The winner of the Non-Sporting Group was Lhasa Apso “Jingle Juice,” also known as “JJ.” JJ, who is 5 years old, was handled by Susan Giles, who is one of his owners. JJ is also owned by Cindy Sehnert and Muriel Wolverton. “It’s probably my 40th or 50th Westminster I’ve attended,” Giles states. “I love this show, the prestige of it for 150 years, and to win it? It’s incredible.”
Sporting Group –
The winner of the Sporting Group, who also won Reserve Best in Show, was 5-year-old Chesapeake Bay Retriever “Cota.” During the event, Cota was handled by Devon Kipp Levy and is owned by Melissa Schumann, Dana Bleifer DVM, Dr. Katherine Scribnet, Adam Levy, and Dr. Trevor Gerardi-Miller. “This is something I’ve always dreamt about,” Kipp Levy says. After asking if Cota can feel the energy of the crowd, she says, “He feeds off of this; he loves all of this.”
Cites –
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/news/westminster-group-winners-2026/
https://www.purinaproclub.com/community-wins/conformation/westminster-dog-show-best-in-show-winner-2026
