Insights From Michael Canalizo: 2026 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Hound Group Judge

Insights From Michael Canalizo: 2026 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show Hound Group Judge

Can you describe your reaction to receiving an invitation to judge the Hound Group at this year’s historic 150th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show?

Michael Canalizo: I imagine everyone who receives “that letter” has the same reaction. To be selected for a huge responsibility at the highest level of our sport is an honor.

What does it mean to judge a Group at Westminster’s sesquicentennial event?

Michael Canalizo: It means I feel really “old,” because I have attended over half of them!

When you got your start in dogs, did you ever imagine you’d judge a Group at this landmark show?

Michael Canalizo: At my start: No, not at all. After 60 years in the sport, having been ingrained so deeply in the sport, and after two Westminster invitations: I did think it could be somewhere in my future.

What were you thinking or feeling moments before you stepped into the center of the Group ring?

Michael Canalizo: I was prepared to be “Wowed,” and as they paraded into the ring, I WAS WOWED!”

Was there a heightened energy coming from the dog and handler teams? Did you feel any excitement from the spectators?

Michael Canalizo: “Were you there?” EVERYONE in the place felt the level of excitement. Not just for my Group… for every minute in the “The World’s Most Famous Arena.”

How challenging was this assignment? Can you share your selection process?

Michael Canalizo: The “challenge” was to (understandably) make a “short list” of only eight dogs. I typically weigh each breed against a level of “does this Redbone represent the Standard better than… this Elkhound does theirs? But in this Group, every Breed represented their respective Standards nearly to perfection. It was like doing the “Best of the Best” of 31 National Specialty winners.

Do you have a word or two about your Group winner? About the dogs that placed.

Michael Canalizo: As an active AKC Judge of the Hound Group for over 25 years, I have embraced being able to look at a dog (whether I have awarded it 10 times or defeated it 10 times) like I have never seen it before. A very difficult concept, but also a very liberating one—once mastered. Any Breeder-Judge will tell you they are “harder” on their own breed… if not intentionally but just on the basis of having such depth of every nuance of their breed. My winner was an Afghan Hound, “my main breed.” She represented nearly everything as I interpret in/of our Standard’s intentions. The same can be said about those placed or short-listed; if I could, I would have also pulled the Black and Tan Coonhound and the PBGV… and a few more if thought I could get away with it!

Are there specific ways in which this show furthers the cause of purebred dogs?

Michael Canalizo: Westminster enjoys the largest public coverage since it was first aired on television. The commentators do an incredible job of highlighting the breeds’ details, along with solid historical facts, in an entertaining way.

There is no other show quite like Westminster. Is there anything you’d like to say to the members of The Westminster Kennel Club and the show’s sponsors?

Michael Canalizo: My voice can only echo what virtually every seasoned breeder/owner/handler/exhibitor and spectator has shared: the club is appreciated for maintaining an event with a rich history that offers the “world” a glimpse of canine greatness, year after year.

Now that your assignment is complete, what does Westminster mean to you personally?

Michael Canalizo: It means the way I have perceived the event since I was nine years old continues to hold a special place in my heart. I have shared my years with those (humans and canines) closest to me at The Westminster Kennel Club… and I hope to spend many more!