Contributor

Doug Johnson

30 published articles

Breeding under the world-famous Clussexx prefix, Doug Johnson has produced more than 250 AKC Champions. Dogs from his kennel have won more than 175 Best in Show awards and 18 National Specialty wins across four breeds: Clumber, Sussex, Welsh Springer, and English Toy Spaniels. Additionally, he has owned Irish Setters, Irish Red and White Setters, Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, Pekingese, and Nederlandse Kooikerhondje. Dogs exported from his kennel have had international success, impacting breeding programs in Scandinavia, Australia, Denmark, England, Croatia, Italy, Japan, and China. Mr. Johnson holds the distinct honor of producing two Westminster Best in Show winners, and he is the only breeder of Westminster Best in Show winners in two different breeds. One was the Sussex Spaniel, “Stump,” who as a veteran of 10 years, is the oldest dog to ever win Best in Show at Westminster. Mr. Johnson began his judging career in 2000. He was awarded the American Kennel Club's Sporting Breeder of the Year award in 2005, Judge of the Year Nominee for 2017, and a Winkie Award Winner for Breeder of the Year in 2019. He has presented BETTER BREEDING seminars for the AKC for over a decade. He is approved to judge five Groups in the AKC system: Sporting, Hound, Working, Toy, and Non-Sporting. He is approved for breeds in the remaining Groups as well. He has had the privilege of judging at some of the most prestigious shows in the AKC system: Westminster, seven times; AKC Invitational five times, to name just a few. A popular judge, Mr. Johnson judges over 25 weeks a year. He is a Life Member of the Clumber Spaniel Club of America, Member of American Spaniel Club, Williana Clumber Spaniel Club, Founding Member and Life Member of the Sporting Dog Club of Indiana, Santa Barbara Kennel Club, Hoosier Kennel Club, Bloomington Indiana Kennel Club, as well as the Kooiker Club. A Founder in the Canine Conservation movement, Mr. Johnson strives to be a voice for all breeders who work tirelessly to produce and promote their breed of choice. Advocating for dogs is a passion, but also a responsibility to ensure the successful longevity of unique breeds. Together we must continue to foster the best breeding practices to keep breeds from extinction.