The American Kennel Club® (AKC®) is delighted to announce the judging panel for the 2016 AKC National Owner-Handled Series Finals (NOHS). The Finals will be held in December in Orlando, Florida as part of the AKC National Championship, hosted in partnership with Royal Canin. Breed and group judging will be held Friday, December 16th, with Best in Show to be selected in the main ring on Saturday evening, December 17th.
Mrs. Paula Nykiel of Washington, Missouri heads the panel as Best in Show judge for the 2016 AKC NOHS Finals.
Judges for each of the seven variety groups are:
SPORTING: Dr. Gareth Morgan-Jones – Auburn, Alabama
HOUND: Col. Joe Purkhiser – San Antonio, Texas
WORKING: Ms. Pamela Bruce – Etobicoke, Ontario
TERRIER: Mrs. Rosalind Kramer – Leesburg, Virginia
TOY: Mrs. Jacqueline Rayner – Hamilton, New Jersey
NON-SPORTING: Mr. Robert Hutton – Louisville, Kentucky
HERDING: Mr. Paul Willhauck – Mansfield, Massachusetts
Sporting Group:
Dr. Gareth Morgan-Jones – Brittanys, Pointers, Retrievers (Chesapeake Bay), Retrievers (Curly-Coat), Retrievers (Flat-Coated), Retrievers (Golden), Retrievers (Labrador), Retrievers (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling), Spaniels (American Water), Spaniels (Boykin), Spaniels (Clumber), Spaniels (Cocker – Black), Spaniels (Cocker – ASCOB), Spaniels (Cocker – Parti), Spaniels (English Cocker), Spaniels (English Springer), Spaniels (Field), Spaniels (Irish Water), Spaniels (Sussex), Spaniels (Welsh Springer), Weimaraners, Wirehaired Pointing Griffons
Mrs. Wendy Willhauck – Lagotto Romagnolos, Pointers (German Shorthaired), Pointers (German Wirehaired), Setters (English), Setters (Gordon), Setters (Irish), Setters (Irish Red & White), Spinone Italianos, Vizslas, Wirehaired Vizslas
Hound Group:
Col. Joe Purkhiser – All Breeds in Group
Working Group:
Ms. Pamela Bruce – All Breeds in Group
Terrier Group:
Mrs. Rosalind Kramer – All Breeds in Group
Toy Group:
Mrs. Jacqueline Rayner – All Breeds in Group
Non-Sporting Group:
Mr. Robert Hutton – All Breeds in Group
Herding Group:
Mr. Paul Willhauck – Australian Cattle Dogs, Australian Shepherds, Bearded Collies, Beaurcerons, Bergamascos, Berger Picards, Border Collies, Bouvier des Flandres, Briards, Canaan Dogs, Entlebucher Mountain Dogs, Finnish Lapphunds, German Shepherd Dogs, Icelandic Sheepdogs, Miniature American Shepherds, Norwegian Buhunds, Old English Sheepdogs, Polish Lowland Sheepdogs, Pulis, Pumis, Pyrenean Shepherds, Spanish Water Dogs
Mrs. Wendy Willhauck – Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdogs, Belgian Tervurens, Cardigan Welsh Corgis, Collies (Rough), Collies (Smooth), Pembroke Welsh Corgis, Shetland Sheepdogs, Swedish Vallhunds
Best of Breed and Best of Opposite Sex will be awarded in each breed.
Dogs ranked in the top ten (plus ties) of their breed at the end of the 2016 qualifying period (October 8, 2015 – October 12, 2016) will be invited to compete in the AKC NOHS Finals. The Finals premium list will be available in September when the overall AKC National Championship information is published and Finals qualifiers will be sent full details about the event and notified about how to enter in early November.
The AKC National Owner-Handled Series will also be offered at the Space Coast Kennel Club, Brevard Kennel Club and Central Florida Kennel Club shows December 13th-15th as well as several specialty shows on Friday, December 16th.
The Finals will be held in December in Orlando, Florida as part of the AKC National Championship, hosted in partnership with Royal Canin.