AKC names judges for 2026 National Championship in Orlando

Dr. Thomas M. Davies of Brimfield, Massachusetts, will judge Best in Show at the 26th AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, and Mr. David J. Kirkland of Sanford, North Carolina, will judge Best Bred-by-Exhibitor in Show. For exhibitors heading to Orlando, that judge list is more than housekeeping. It tells handlers where the spotlight will land when the American Kennel Club brings its largest dog show to the Orange County Convention Center on December 12-13, 2026.

The panel announcement gives the first real map of how the weekend will run. Saturday judging will cover Sporting, Hound, Toy and Non-Sporting breeds, plus Junior Showmanship. Sunday will move through Working, Terrier and Herding breeds, Miscellaneous breeds and then Best in Show. AKC also named seven variety-group judges, along with judges for the Bred-by-Exhibitor groups, the Best Junior Handler ring and the Junior Prelims, which means serious competitors can start reading the board now instead of waiting for the gate to open in December.

The companion events matter just as much for the hyperenergetic-dog crowd. The championship will again sit alongside the AKC Agility Invitational, the AKC Obedience Classic, the AKC RACH Invitational, junior competitions in conformation, agility, obedience and rally, and the North America Diving Dogs Santa Splash. The AKC Junior Agility Competition is set for December 11, 2026, and the AKC Agility Invitational will run December 12-13 in Orlando. The AKC/Royal Canin National All-Breed Puppy and Junior Stakes is also on the calendar for Friday, December 11, 2026, and is open to purebred dogs ages 6-18 months.

That spread of events shows where exhibitors are likely to focus their prep. Breed handlers will study the panel assignments for clues about presentation, movement and condition, while agility and diving-dog people will see a championship weekend built around speed, precision and recovery, not just coat and outline. AKC recognizes titles earned through North America Diving Dogs, which is another signal that this show is built for dogs doing real work, not just standing still and looking finished.

The scale is no guess. AKC said the 2025 championship drew 5,557 conformation entries from 50 states, Washington, DC, and international competitors, plus 1,602 puppies and juniors in the Puppy and Junior Stakes and 1,040 dogs in Best Bred-by-Exhibitor. Total weekend entries across companion events topped 9,441, and GCHP CH Ta Sen Westgate Jingle Juice, the Lhasa Apso known as JJ, took Best in Show and a $50,000 prize. With Davies and Kirkland now assigned, the 2026 race in Orlando already has the kind of judging panel that tells exhibitors exactly how hard the ring will be run.