Giant schnauzer wins at Atlanta working dog show, Portuguese water dog second

A giant schnauzer claimed the top spot in Atlanta as the North Georgia Working Group Association packed 108 entries into a single Sunday ring on June 28, with Thomas Schonberger judging the working group. The Portuguese water dog followed in second, then the Doberman pinscher and the Samoyed, a four-breed finish that put distinct kinds of power, carriage, and drive under the same spotlight.

The North Georgia Working Group Association has been part of the scene for years, filed as a Georgia domestic nonprofit corporation on April 18, 2013. That longer club history matters in a segment of the sport where breed type is the whole argument: the American Kennel Club defines the Working Group as dogs bred to assist people in jobs such as guarding property, pulling sleds, and performing water rescues. In a ring like this, judges are not just looking at pretty outlines. They are weighing the kind of presence that says the dog could still do the job its breed was built to do.

That makes the giant schnauzer win especially on-brand. The breed was developed in Germany’s Bavarian Alps and used historically as a farm worker and guard dog, and the AKC says giant schnauzers can excel in police work, military work, search and rescue, and dog sports. The Portuguese water dog in second brings a different kind of working history, one tied to fishermen, webbed feet, and a waterproof coat. The Doberman pinscher, recognized by the AKC in 1908, traces to Karl Friedrich Louis Dobermann in late-19th-century Germany, where intelligence, strength, and an unflappable temperament were the point. The Samoyed, described by the AKC as a primitive working dog native to a harsh climate, rounds out the top four with the sled work, watchdog duties, and thick double coat that make northern breeds instantly recognizable.

The same club had already posted a related result for Saturday, June 27, with 114 total entries and judge Chris Ann Moore, turning the weekend into a two-day specialty with a different look and a slightly bigger field. Even in a compact Atlanta setting, the show delivered the kind of concentrated comparison working-breed people watch for: one ring, four very different dogs, and a clean read on which outlines and attitudes are getting rewarded right now.

That is what made the Sunday result feel bigger than a simple placement list. In 108 entries, the ring gave giant schnauzers, Portuguese water dogs, Dobermans, and Samoyeds exactly the kind of hard-edged, breed-specific scrutiny that keeps working-dog type visible and honest.