‘National Dog Show’ Host John O’Hurley Shares 23 Years of Behind-the-Scenes Stories
From funny moments to behind-the-scenes secrets, John O’Hurley dishes on dog show—plus how to watch it
If you’re anything like us, you might look forward each year to hanging back after the festivities of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade to watch the National Dog Show. For over two decades, viewers have tuned in to watch canines take center stage, and host John O’Hurley’s voice has become synonymous with the show since it premiered on NBC in 2002. In a recent appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show, he dished on what it’s really like to film the competition, sharing behind-the-scenes tidbits with his own two furry best friends right by his side. Keep reading to see the adorable video!
John O’Hurley talks 23 years of the National Dog Show
Host Kelly Clarkson—who shared that she loves watching the dog show with her family, but that it always tempts her to go out and bring home another dog—gave love to O’Hurley’s dogs while she asked him about how the show has evolved over the years.
The biggest marker of growth, O’Hurely said, is the show having 205 breeds represented this year after first debuting with 165. When the show began, 1,400 individual dogs competed, and in 2024 there will be over 2,000.
Clarkson’s most important question, though, was about the cleanliness of the show facility with so many dogs in one place.
“That’s a lot of dog poop,” she said.
But O’Hurley assured her that there are plenty of pens throughout the building where the dogs go to relieve themselves. He added that the structure of the show prevents it from becoming too chaotic.
“You know, that’s the beautiful part of this show is it’s the last remaining benched show, which means that all of the dogs, all of the handlers, they all have to stay there on the property for the entire show,” said O’Hurley.
“So we’ll have an audience of maybe 15-20,000 people live there in the arena down by Philly. And they’ll get to walk up and down the aisles, they meet the owners, they meet the handlers, they meet the dogs themselves and they’re able to ask questions. It’s a wonderfully informative, educational day in addition to being just wonderful entertainment.”
O’Hurley reacted to a contestant’s hilarious potty accident last year
This wasn’t O’Hurley’s first time visiting the Kelly Clarkson show with his pups. In 2023, he made an appearance during which Clarkson asked him to share one of his favorite moments from his time on the show. It happened, he said, a few years prior during the Best In Show round, where one of the dogs was about to be crowned and take home the top award.
“It’s the Great Dane that happens to be sauntering by the NBC booth, stops in its tracks, looks me straight in the eye, squats down and leaves what I would refer to as an editorial comment right on the floor,” he recalled. “And it stopped the entire show while the hazmat team comes out with the elephant shovels and has to clean things up. But that’s the only time that’s ever happened.”
Everything to know about the 23rd annual National Dog Show
While we all cozy up to watch the show televised on Turkey Day, it’s actually pre-taped. The event itself takes place November 16 and 17 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.
All 209 American Kennel Club (AKC) registered breeds are designated to one of seven groups—Terrier, Toy, Working, Sporting, Hound, Non-Sporting and Herding. For each group, there are guidelines regarding the characteristics and functions the breeds were historically bred for. For the show, winning dogs from each group (First In Group) go on to compete against each other for Best In Show.
Experts place the dogs based on how they compare to the judge’s perfect version of a particular breed. This is according to the official breed standard, and main considerations include overall appearance, temperament and structure.
How to watch the 2024 National Dog Show
The National Dog Show will be broadcast from 12p.m. to 2p.m. in all time zones. You can watch on NBC and on Peacock with a subscription directly following the 98th annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.
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