Dog Shows in North Carolina

American Kennel Club (AKC) member dog clubs sponsor 46 all-breed and specialty conformation dog shows in the state of North Carolina each year. The only month without a show is July. For each show, dogs compete in a variety of classes, producing one winner in each class. Those winners go on to compete for Best in Show or Best in Specialty Show.

  1. All-Breed Dog Shows

    • Only purebred registered dogs can enter dog shows.

      All-breed shows take place in Charlotte, Concord, Fletcher, Greensboro, Pinehurst, Raleigh, Waynesville, Wilmington, and Winston-Salem. The dog clubs responsible for all-breed shows in North Carolina are the Greater Hickory Kennel Club, Forsythe Kennel Club, Fayetteville Kennel Club, Greater Monroe Kennel Club, Furniture City Kennel Club, Hanover Kennel Club, Moore County Kennel Club, Raleigh Kennel Club, Salisbury North Carolina Kennel Club, Durham Kennel Club, Alamance Kennel Club, Cary Kennel Club, Carolina Kennel Club, and the Western Carolina Dog Fanciers Association.

    Regional Specialty Dog Shows

    • Regional specialty dog shows are held for individual breeds.

      Regional specialties are for one breed only. These shows are held in the same towns often in conjunction with all-breed events. The Piedmont Collie Club, Labrador Retriever Club of the Piedmont, Tar Heel Boxer Club of Greater Raleigh, German Shepherd Dog Club of Greater Raleigh, Tarheel Weimaraner Club, German Shepherd Dog Club of Greater Charlotte, Central Carolina Pug Dog Club, Central Carolina Chihuahua Club, Greater Charlotte Shetland Sheepdog Club, Japanese Chin Club of the Carolinas, Central Carolina Pomeranian Club, Mid-Atlantic Hound Association of North Carolina, Blue Ridge Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Club, Carolina Terrier Association, Carolina Afghan Hound Club, Palmetto Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club, and the Doberman Pinscher Club of Charlotte all hold regional specialties in North Carolina.

    National Specialty Dog Shows

    • National specialties are individual breed shows held by parent clubs. Each breed has a national parent club and several regional clubs that are members. All clubs are AKC member clubs. A national specialty show is normally a two- to five-day event that includes all other AKC activities applicable to the subject breed.

      Many parent clubs move their annual national specialty location to provide coverage for each region of the country. National specialties held this year in North Carolina may move to another state in following years. In 2010, the Border Terrier Club of America will hold a show in Tyron, the German Pinscher Club of America show will be in Concord, and the American Belgian Malinois Club show will be in Greensboro.