Karl Donvil recaps the World Dog Show 2026 in Bologna, highlighting major entries, standout breeds, top winners, and the event experience.
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It was already known for a long time that the World Dog Show 2026 would be a huge one. Italy was hosting this event, but unlike in 2000 and 2015, the show was not in Milan but in Bologna. It was the right choice. The halls were huge, spacious, and airy. Eleven halls were rented to hold 97 rings. Outside, the bright sun warmed up quickly every morning; inside, the temperature was very good. The air-conditioning was doing a perfect job, not causing uncomfortable feelings like being too cold, dry, or chilly. There was plenty of parking close to the showground, not cheap but with shade. No complaints that I heard, but there could have been a little more info about where to go. The area is very vast, and there were other events taking place in other halls, and that was a tiny bit confusing. It is clear that without a smartphone, it is now almost impossible to visit a dog show.
In general, the halls were clean, but some complained that the carpets in the ring and main hall were getting really dirty by the end of the show. But inside as well as outside, it was not perfect but okay. At least exhibitors were happy about the space, and it was easy walking in the halls. Of course, the vaster the area, the further the distances, and that counts for handlers and photographers, but at least running was no problem. There were relatively few commercial stands (I heard it was pretty expensive), but outside were enough food stands to feed the crowd, and the smell was often very inviting. Many people sat around in the sun or the shade, eating or having a drink, while the dogs laid around. Someone gave a demonstration with a robot dog, and it was funny to see how the real dogs reacted. Some barked offensively, and some wanted to play, but it was obvious that they knew very well that it was only a very weird thing, an alien or something.
During the five days, the ENCI (Ente Nazionale della Cynofilia Italiana) recorded 31,057 entries overall, with 16,053 dogs for the World Dog Show, 7,610 for the Italian Winner, and another 7,394 dogs entered in the Breed Club Specialties. That makes this show one of the biggest ever, coming close to the WDS of Paris in 2011. The Italian Winner was spread over four days, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, while the World Dog Show started on Thursday and lasted until Sunday. Not one day lasted too long, compared to some previous editions. Even on Saturday, when the BIS of the Winner took place after the regular judging of the WDS, it was still a very acceptable time to finish. No fewer than 191 judges were invited, many of them Italians, and another big part included representatives of national kennel clubs who were there anyway for the FCI general meeting.
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