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Jussi Liimatainen reflects on his first US judging experience at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show and highlights top breed winners.
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Jussi Liimatainen: I´ve judged in 50 different countries on all continents, and this was my first assignment in the US. Words cannot describe my feelings. Obviously, I feel humble and honored for this invitation. Judging dogs is a passion for me, and to be able to judge them in such an immaculate showground and atmosphere is a dream come true.
Jussi Liimatainen: I got a wonderful selection of breeds to judge. I was extremely proud of all my winners, but some winners need to be specially mentioned. My winners in the Finnish and Nordic breeds (Finnish Spitz, Finnish Lapphund, Norwegian Buhund, and Icelandic Sheepdog) could win their breeds also in all Nordic countries. It was great to see these lesser-known breeds in such good shape in North America.
Terriers are universal in type and a good dog can be a winner on all continents. I judged four Terriers breeds and, needless to say, all winners could be international stars. The Wire Fox BOB gave me goosebumps and the Smooth Fox entry had a great depth of quality. My hardest choices were in Smooths. It´s a positive problem for judges to have an overload of high-quality dogs. Same thing with Norwich Terriers and I was pleased to hear a smashing BOB Norwich was also owner-handled. The BOB Norfolk was real eye candy as well.
Bichon Frise and Löwchen are the breeds I have bred myself, and obviously, I´m always excited to judge them. So many quality dogs in both breeds and I loved both winners. I was proud to see the Bichon winning the Group.
Also, the breeds with smaller entries had great winners. I was happy to see my winners so well received by the Group judges. Four of my winners were placed in their Groups, and some more were selected.
Jussi Liimatainen: Personally, 2025 has had a busy start for me. I judged a big circuit in Asia, several shows in Europe, and, of course, Westminster. I´ve seen so many high-quality dogs on all continents that my feelings are positive. The world has become smaller, and I believe we could work more together internationally to get the best out of it. Threats against pedigree dogs and the dog sport are common, so the solution could be common as well.
Meet the Judges
Sharon Ann Redmer reflects on judging Herding breeds at Westminster 2026, highlighting breed function, type, and standout winners.
