100 Years of Best in Show

I thought it would be interesting to find out which breeds have won the most during the 100 years of Best in Show judging that started in 1924, when AKC introduced official rules for the judging of BIS. These rules have been followed for a whole century now and made what used to be a very informal competition into what's frequently the highlight of the day.

As mentioned in previous articles, the award of BIS is almost as old as the dog show itself, but it was by no means obvious to exhibitors then that just one dog of each breed should be eligible to compete, or that BIS should go to the show's only completely unbeaten dog. So in 1923 a committee of AKC directors decided that from 1924 only Best of Breed winners should be allowed to compete in the group, and only the winner of each group could contend for Best in Show. The division of breeds into groups (five then, seven now) was also a new concept. To have a BIS competition was not mandatory, however, and some clubs simply decided to end all competition after breed judging. (One club did not elect any BIS winner until 1987!)

The reporting of BIS was at first very casual. Of the 154 AKC all-breed shows held in 1924, the BIS winner is known at only 72, indicating that more than half the shows either did not have any BIS competition or failed to report the winner. The first show where the new rules were enforced was Westminster Kennel Club on February 12-14, 1924, and the BIS winner there, the Sealyham Terrier Ch. Barberryhill Bootlegger, was the first “official” BIS winner. (Fun fact: Bayard Warren, who owned Bootlegger, also raced Whippets and bred the famous Afghan Hound Ch. Barberryhill Dolly. It is not known if he had any additional breeds.) 

Ch. Chik T'Sun of Caversham, 1957.

It is, however, almost impossible to compile records for such a long time. There are several reasons for this. During the 100 years that have passed, there have been a daunting number of BIS winners and by some estimates nearly 100,000 AKC all-breed shows — at first fairly few, but in recent times there have sometimes been more than 1,600 shows per year. Some winners from long ago are simply unknown, and will probably remain so. Additionally, the top-ranked dogs have been elected by slightly different methods during different periods: First it was the number of BIS won in a year that counted, but currently the winner is whoever defeats the highest number of competitors during the year. And sometimes the “year” was not a full calendar year, but adjusted to suit magazine deadlines … The late, lamented Kennel Review, for instance, for many years chose to end the show season in time for the #1 all breeds winner to be announced in the magazine's Christmas Annual, which of course sometimes misrepresented a dog's record for the calendar year.

The following consists of just a few random references of the big wins of a number of dogs — not all the winners known, as that would take up way too much space, but a few of the most outstanding winners of the most successful breeds in BIS competition. I have gathered photos (often different dogs, and when the dogs have been pictured before with my articles I have tried to use different photos) and information from many different sources: primarily from old dog magazines, published ads, AKC, Popular Dogs, American Dog World, Kennel Review, Dogs in Review and Irene Castle Khatoonian's invaluable book from the 1960s, ”Great Show Dogs in America.” For some years I have only details of the wins of the 10 most successful show dogs regardless of breed; for others I also have the Top 10 in each group.

Like I said, there is no possible way to make this a complete, accurate account of all the top-winning dogs from the past 100 years.

Ch. Altana's Mystique, 1993.

A Scale for the Number of Shows/Best in Show

Comparing old win records with modern is very difficult, almost impossible, because of the widely different number of shows organized every year. Obviously it is much more difficult to win a large number of BIS when there are few shows to compete at than when there are many, and the numbers have fluctuated wildly over the past 100 years. Exactly how many AKC all-breed shows have been held every year up to 2009 is published in “DOGS – The First 125 Years of the American Kennel Club” (Kennel Club Books, 2009). After that, through 2019, the figures were printed in AKC's annual reports on the internet. For the last few years they have apparently not been printed anywhere. During 2020-2021 there were obviously fewer shows because of COVID, but in 2022 and 2023 it seems like the same number of shows as usual were held again.

Ch. Chinoe's Adamant James, 1971-72.

The scale below can been used to equalize the number of annual shows to the number of BIS won — that is, the number of BIS an individual dog must have won to be considered a uniquely GREAT winner, at least in the breeds that are most successful in this kind of competition. Please be aware that some dogs may have a higher total of BIS wins than reported here, because information is often not available of wins that have occurred before or after the years indicated. I have relied very much on a dog taking a large number of BIS at least during one year; when that doesn't happen (i.e. the dog wins a fairly low number of BIS during several years), it's possible that it flies under the radar and in fact has a larger BIS total than known. And I have had to make it a minimum requirement for the dog to place among the Top 10 at least one year …

From 1924 to 1945, there were always more than 100 shows per year but usually fewer than 200, so any dog that's known to have won at least 10 BIS would be quite outstanding.

During 1946-1954, there were always more than 250 but fewer than 400 shows/year, and at least 20 known BIS would be required for a dog to be equally outstanding.

In 1955 up to and including 1964, there were always more than 400 but fewer than 500 shows each year, and a dog would have to be known to have won at least 30 known BIS total (or at least 20 BIS in just one year) to be considered outstanding.

During 1965-1977, there were always more than 500 but fewer than 800 annual shows. Any dog that is known to have won at least 40 BIS (or at least 30 BIS in a single year) has to be considered outstanding.

Between 1978-1989, every year there were more than 700 but fewer than 1,100 shows. At least 50 known BIS (or at least 40 BIS in a year) would be required for a dog to be considered outstanding.

In 1990-2023, there were more than 1,100 but fewer than 1,700 shows most years (at least as far as can be known). More than 60 BIS (or at least 50 BIS in a year) would be required for a dog to be considered outstanding, or the dog must win 100 BIS and therefore gain membership in the 100 Club.

(It hardly needs to be said, but I'll do so anyway: ANY win in competition with all other dogs would be considered a miracle in some breeds, and a handful of BIS wins is enough to make most dogs super-famous. We're talking about a VERY elevated group of winners here, but for an overview of so many years as this, the requirements above and below are necessary.)

Ch. Lou-Gin's Kiss Me Kate, 1979.

Maybe this is a good place to point out that people in the past specialed their dogs almost as much as we do now. You wouldn't think so, but it appears to be an indisputable fact. There is an ad from 1938 that outlines how often one of that year's top winners was shown: 144 times over 17 months! Not as much as many of the stars of later years, maybe, but quite a lot anyway. The Boxer and the English Setter that were going neck to neck in the early/mid-'50s were shown almost every week for several years, and the illustrious Pekingese who was just a few years after them didn't exactly rest on his laurels either.

There is, of course, considerable cost involved in showing so often and for so many years as most of the dogs in this article have been. It is popular in certain quarters to deride a great winner as a rich man's toy and propose that all that glitters isn't gold, that certain of the top winners aren't actually all that good. It helps perhaps to consider that no one in their right mind would knowingly and for a long time show an inferior dog, and among the people close to a great winner there is always expertise available. The dog doesn't only have to be better than most of the competition, it must also have a rock-solid temperament to be able to show enthusiastically several hundred times per year (usually) and put up with all the unexpected hiccups involved in constant travelling. Honestly, would YOUR dog do that?

Ch. Galsul Excellence, 1986-87.

What about some breeds winning more than others at the really important shows? That had to be taken into account also, of course. It was not an easy decision to focus only on BIS at Westminster Kennel Club for this article, but this is the only really prestigious dog show that has been held during the whole 100 years, and winning there has always been significant. Another important show, the original Morris & Essex, was only held from 1927 to 1957 and was not always open to all breeds. The modern M&E was held for the first time in 2000 and has only been held five times since then (with overwhelming support from the fancy, incidentally). The AKC National Championship was not held until the 2000s either, but has developed into the biggest dog show in America. In fact, both these shows have sometimes been much bigger than Westminster, and their BIS winners have therefore on occasion been mentioned.

Wire Fox Terriers and German Shepherds on Top

If you accept that the following may therefore not be in all respects reliable, it is possible to discern certain trends. There can, for instance, hardly be any question that Wire Fox Terriers and German Shepherd Dogs have won the most in all-breed competition, followed closely by Poodles (especially Standards), Boxers, Pekingese, Setters (English Setters in particular, but Irish also; Gordon Setters are typically much less numerous), English Springer Spaniels, Doberman Pinschers and Scottish Terriers. Others have won big also, of course, but these seem to have been the most consistently successful breeds in variety-group and BIS competition.

Ch. Maro of Maridor, 1940.

Some of the above took most of their wins early in the past 100 years. Setters and Pointers were the type of dog most of the sport's founders had, and they used to be among the most successful of all breeds in BIS competition, but that's a very long time ago now. English Setters, for instance, had many great winners in the past, such as Ch. Country Gentleman, #1 all breeds in 1933, Ch. Maro of Maridor, who was #1 all breeds for four consecutive years in the '40s, and Ch. Rock Falls Colonel, winner of 100 BIS and #1 all breeds in 1952 and 1953 — but no English Setter has to the best of my knowledge won nearly as much since then. (The term “#1 all breeds” has been used retroactively to indicate the year's most successful show dog even during the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s, when it was not yet in common use.) The Irish Setters Ch. Higgin's Red Pat and Ch. Milson O'Boy and the Pointer Ch. Nancolleth Beryl of Giralda won the most BIS of any dog in 1931, 1935 and 1932, respectively, but none have won #1 all breeds since then. (Well, the Pointer Ch. Cookieland Seasyde Hollyberry won 96 of her at least 100 BIS in 2008 and was just a hair's breath away from also winning #1 all breeds, but it did not happen …) 

Ch. Rock Falls Colonel, 1952.

Three Irish Setters, the two above and Ch. Tyronne Farm Clancy, and two English Setters, Ch. Sturdy Max and Ch. Rock Falls Colonel, won BIS at the original Morris & Essex show, but the last BIS occurred in 1951 … A Setter has never won BIS at Westminster, but Pointers have won three times, admittedly also rather long ago. In 1925 Ch. Governor Moscow and in 1932 Ch. Nancolleth Markable was BIS (he had previously won Reserve BIS at Crufts in his native England and was, like Beryl, owned by Mrs. Dodge's Giralda kennels). After more than 50 years Ch. Marjetta's National Acclaim won BIS in 1986 — that was the last time a Pointer won.

Ch. Signal Circuit of Halleston, 1926.

Wire Fox Terriers have been amazingly consistent, in spite of the fact that breed entries have dropped: There were hundreds of them at the shows on the 1920s and '30s. They have won BIS at Westminster 11 times in 100 years, on average at more than one in every 10 of the most prestigious show in America! The first to win a “real” Best in Show there was Ch. Signal Circuit of Halleston in 1926. The second was Ch. Talavera Margaret, who won Westminster in 1928 and was BIS at least 16 times over a three-year period. Ch. Pendley Calling of Blarney was BIS at Westminster twice, in 1929 and 1930, and Ch. Weltona Frizzette of Wildoaks managed to win at least 13 BIS in 1930 (and three more in 1931), including one of the early Morris & Essex shows. (Several Wire Fox Terriers won BIS at M&E, actually, all by 1952.)

Ch. Weltona Frizzette of Wildoaks, 1930.

Wire Fox Terriers later dropped in popularity, but you wouldn't think so from the Westminster BIS records: Ch. Flornell Spicy Bit of Halleston won in 1934 and Ch. Flornell Spicy Piece of Halleston in 1937. (They have similar names but did not have the same parents and were renamed on arrival in the U.S.; both were imported from England by the same handler — Percy Roberts — and have the same owner — Stanley Halle of the Halleston kennel, who incidentally also owned the 1926 winner. Is he the only person to have won Westminster with three different dogs?) Ch. Heatherington Model Rhythm got BIS in 1946; then there was a 20-year hiatus, much shorter than for most other breeds, until Ch. Zeloy Mooremaide's Magic won in 1966. Ch. Miss Skylight was #1 all breeds in 1961 and Ch. Harwire Hetman of Whinlatter in 1977.

Ch. Galsul Excellence, 1986-87.

The “modern” Wires that have either won Westminster or more than 100 BIS (sometimes both) are Ch. Galsul Excellence (over 100 BIS in the '80s), his daughter Ch. Registry's Lonesome Dove (more than 200 BIS and Westminster BIS in 1992), GCh. Afterall Painting The Sky (more than 100 BIS, including at Westminster in 2014) and GCh. King Arthur van Foliny Home (BIS Westminster 2019).

Ch. Cito v. d. Marktfeste, 1927.

German Shepherds did not win any major competitions for several decades from the 1930s to the '70s, but there were several outstanding winners in the late 1920s: Both Giralda's German imports were #1 all breeds for two years, Ch. Teuthilde v. Hagenschiess in 1925 and '26, Ch. Cito v. d. Marktfeste in 1927 and '28. The breed eventually came back very strongly; Ch. Covy-Tucker Hill's Manhattan and Ch. Altana's Mystique both won more than 200 BIS each during the 1980s/'90s. Since then, there have been three GSD members of the “100 Club,” Dog News' exclusive gathering of dogs that have won at least 100 BIS: Ch. Kismet's Sight For Sore Eyes (#1 all breeds in 2002), followed during the next few years by his daughter Ch. Kaleef's Genuine Risk, and later by GCh. Lockenhaus' Rumor Has It V Kenlyn, double descendant on the dam's side of Sight For Sore Eyes and #1 all breeds in 2015, Westminster BIS in 2017. Of the last five, four were shown by Jimmy Moses, now an AKC judge for many different breeds.

Ch. Covy-Tucker Hill's Manhattan, 1984.

Poodles and Boxers: The Ultimate Show Breeds

Poodles are considered by many the ultimate show breed. Standards have six “modern” members of the 100 Club, more than any other breed or variety, but they won BIS long before you could even think of winning so many shows. The first famous names date from the 1930s: The white Ch. Nunsoe Duc de la Terrace of Blakeen was BIS at Westminster in 1935, and the black Ch. Pillicoc Aplomb won #1 all breeds in 1939, winning at least 27 BIS over four years. That's impressive for its time, and Duc's daughter Ch. Blakeen Jung Frau won 15 BIS in 1938, plus one of the largest Morris & Essex shows ever in 1940 (more than 4,000 entries!), and her litter brother Ch. Blakeen Eiger was almost as successful as his sister over several years. Ch. Puttencove Promise took BIS at Westminster in 1957, and Ch. Acadia Command Performance in 1973. Ch. Lou-Gin's Kiss Me Kate took more than 100 BIS in the '70s-'80s, and so did Ch. Whisperwind's On A Carousel in the late '80s/early '90s and won BIS at Westminster in 1991. Ch. Lake Cove That's My Boy took 169 BIS and was #1 all breeds for two years running (1998-99); GCh. Randenn Tristar Affirmation entered the 100 Club about 10 years later than My Boy, GCh. Brighton Lakeridge Encore, and GCh. Jaset's Satisfaction a couple of years after that. GCh. Stone Run Afternoon Tea was BIS at Westminster in 2020.

Ch. Lake Cove That's My Boy, 1998.

Miniatures have not done nearly as well as Standards in the “more than 100 BIS” category and surprisingly have no member of the 100 Club. The explanation is probably that when Minis were winning big in the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s there were just too few shows to win that much. Ch. Blakeen Christabel won 21 BIS in 1946-47 (#1 all breeds in 1947), Ch. Adastra Magic Fame 43 in 1956-57 and Ch. Tedwin's Top Billing 53 in 1961-63 (#1 all breeds in 1962). Several won BIS at Westminster: Ch. Pitter Patter of Piperscroft in 1943, Ch. Fontclair Festoon in 1959, her distant descendant Ch. Surrey Spice Girl in 2002 and, famously, Spice Girl's descendant GCh. Surrey Sage in 2024.

Ch. Tedwin's Top Billing.

Toy Poodles are represented by Ch. Blakeen Ding Ding (#1 all breeds 1956), by her sire Ch. Wilber White Swan (BIS at Westminster 1956), by the brown Ch. Loramar's I'm A Dandee (who racked up more than 70 BIS by staying on top for several years in the '50s), by Ch. Cappoquin Little Sister (BIS Westminster 1961), by Ch. MVP of Ahs (59 BIS 1995-96, reportedly more than 80 total), by Ch. North Well Chako JP Platina King (#1 all breeds 2004), and the breed's sole member of the 100 Club, GCh. Smash JP Win A Victory, who was #1 all breeds in 2007, just three years later.

Ch. Mazelaine Zazarac Brandy, 1949.

It would take us too far to analyze all breeds, but those listed as particularly successful should be mentioned a little more closely. Boxers would not seem to have much in common with Poodles but were once almost in their league. Ch. Dorian von Marienhof won at least 22 BIS in the late '30s and Ch. El Wendie of Rockland at least 23 in 1942-43, but the breed actually won the most it has ever done in the late 1940s and '50s, when three different Boxers won BIS at Westminster in a five-year period. Ch. Warlord of Mazelaine won in 1946, Ch. Mazelaine Zazarac Brandy in 1949 (advertised as the winner of 62 BIS) and his younger rival Ch. Bang Away of Sirrah Crest in 1951. Zazarac Brandy had been #1 all breeds in 1950 and would undoubtedly be better remembered by breed fanciers today if his record had not so soon been eclipsed by another Boxer. Bang Away was one of the greatest show dogs of all time and the first to win 100 BIS, just a few weeks before “The Colonel,” the Setter mentioned above. Bang Away won #1 all breeds three times: in 1951, 1954 and 1955; Ch. Treceder's Painted Lady was #1 all breeds in 1963, and Ch. Arriba's Prima Donna BIS at Westminster in 1970, as well as maybe #1 all breeds in 1969 as well: There is still disagreement on that — it was a very close race, and according to some sources the Standard Poodle Ch. De Russy Lollipop won …

Ch. Bang Away of Sirrah Crest, 1951.

The Boxer then dropped out of favor with the BIS judges for many years, but was rescued from falling off the list of top-winning breeds by several outstanding “modern” winners, most successfully by GCh. Cinnibon's Bedrock Bombshell, who won so many BIS that she entered the 100 Club around 2020.

Pekes and Springers, Dobes and Scotties …

Pekingese started winning big long ago, and have continued that way in spite of low entries. Ch. Che Le of Matsons Catawba was first out with 24 known BIS in the late 1930s/early '40s. The famous Ch. Chik T'Sun of Caversham was #1 all breeds in 1957, '58 and '59, and BIS at Westminster in 1960. He was the third of the big winners in the '50s; I don't think he ever competed against the Boxer or the English Setter since he was a couple of years after them, but he won even more than they did: 126 BIS! The Pekes that won the most later were Ch. Coughton Sungable of Perryacre (41 BIS 1965-66), Ch. St. Aubrey Dragonora of Elsdon (BIS Westminster 1982), Ch. Wendessa Crown Prince (BIS Westminster 1990), Ch. Yakee Leaving Me Breathless of Franshaw (112 BIS 2002-03), Ch. Yakee If Only (122 BIS 2004-05, #1 all breeds 2005), GCh. Palacegarden Malachy (113 BIS 2009-10, including Morris & Essex 2010 and Westminster 2012), GCh. Pequest General Tso (BIS Morris & Essex 2015) and GCh. Pequest Wasabi (#1 all breeds 2020, BIS Westminster 2021). All the last four were shown by one man: David Fitzpatrick!

Ch. Yakee If Only, 2005.

Ch. Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless, 2000.

English Springer Spaniels (that's a geographical misnomer for you … There's almost nothing “English” about American Springers!) came to the fore in 1948, when Ch. Frejax Royal Salute was #1 all breeds and ended up with at least 27 BIS, and in 1962 when Ch. Wakefield's Black Knight won BIS at Westminster. The most famous names came a few years later: Ch. Salilyn's Aristocrat won 45 BIS in 1967, a new record for any breed within a year (of course he was also #1 all breeds that year, and he won several more BIS the following year), but that didn't last long — in 1971 his son Ch. Chinoe's Adamant James was BIS at Westminster and won 47 BIS! The following year James became the last dog — so far — to win BIS at Westminster for two years running. Ch. Salilyn's Condor won 89 BIS 1992-93 and BIS at Westminster in 1993, his daughter Ch. Salilyn 'N Erin's Shameless also won BIS at Westminster (in 2000). Ch. Felicity's Diamond Jim won BIS at Westminster in 2007, and GCh. Wynmoor Champagne Supernova won 63 BIS in 2012. The Springer Spaniel, English or American, remains one of the top contenders for BIS at most shows.

The top Doberman Pinschers have been many and at first usually imported from Germany. Ch. Jockel v. Burgund won 30 BIS in the 1930s and was #1 all breeds in 1936, Ch. Troll v. Engelsburg won 12 BIS in 1938, and Ch. Ferry v. Rauhfelsen was BIS at Westminster 1939 and won 22 more BIS in the next few years. Ch. Rancho Dobe's Storm was BIS at Westminster twice, in 1952 and '53. Ch. Ru-Mar's Tsushima was #1 all breeds in 1965 and was reported to have won this with only six BIS. This is easily the lowest number of BIS of any dog winning #1 all breeds and obviously happened when the Working Group was almost as big as all the others combined — #2 all breeds that year, a Toy Dog, won 25 BIS but still amassed fewer points overall!

A few years later, as if to give the lie to Tsushima's record, Ch. Sultana von Marieburg won at least 33 BIS — and she was “only” #2 all breeds (after the Springer mentioned above). Ch. Galaxy Corry Missile Bell, however, took #1 all breeds in 1973, Ch. Marienburg's Mary Hartman was #1 all breeds in 1978, while Ch. Royal Tudor's Wild As The Wind was #1 all breeds in 1988 —and became the last Dobe so far to win BIS at Westminster in 1989. In 1990-91 Ch. Brunswig's Cryptonite amassed 85 BIS (total 123 BIS), while Ch. Toledobe's Serenghetti won 94 BIS in 1996-98. (Did she win 100 total? We have no information!) In this century there has been a new great winner almost every year. The one that won the most is GCh. Allure Blazing Star Alisaton, who took 51 BIS in 2009.

Ch. Toledobe's Serenghetti, 1998.

Scottish Terriers were popular even in the old days: Kennel Review printed several pages of Scottie news and photos in almost every issue during the 1930s. The breed soon started hitting the high spots and won BIS at Westminster more regularly than most breeds: There was always less than 20 years between the wins. Ch. Shieling's Signature won BIS there in 1945; Ch. Walsing Winning Trick of Edgerstoune in 1950, with 19 BIS and #1 all breeds in 1949. Ch. Carmichael's Fanfare won Westminster in 1965 after taking 21 BIS the previous year. Ch. Bardene Bingo was BIS at Westminster in 1967; Ch. Braeburn's Close Encounter in 1985 (#1 all breeds 1984) and won 199 BIS 1981-85 — more than 200 total. Ch. Gaelforce Post Script won Westminster in 1995 and GCh. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot in 2010; the latter won 99 BIS during 2008-09, got more than 100 total and was also #1 all breeds 2009.

GCh. Roundtown Mercedes of Maryscot, 2009.

Breeds That Don't Win ...

So much for the breeds that have won the most. Those on the opposite end would be the at times hugely popular breeds that somehow mostly miss out on BIS wins in competition with other breeds.

The poster child for breeds that aren't winning in all-breed competition is generally the Labrador Retriever, America's (and the world's?) most popular breed for more than 30 years — although it was famously dethroned by the French Bulldog when AKC announced the registration figures for 2022 and 2023. The only Labs that have placed in the all-breed Top 10 in the last 100 years are Ch. Stowaway at Deer Creek (five BIS 1948), Ch. Dark Star of Franklin (seven BIS 1955) and Ch. Shamrock Acres Light Brigade (12 BIS 1968) — that's it! Not a whole lot for a breed that's been approved by AKC since 1917 and been registered in the hundreds of thousands, is it?

Golden Retrievers have entry figures to rival the Labs at most shows and have done a little better, but not much. The following are the only Goldens to have placed in the all-breed Top 10: Ch. Golden Knolls Shur Shot won eight BIS in 1950, Ch. Golden Knoll's King Alphonzo nine BIS in 1954, Ch. Cumming's Gold Rush Charlie 17 BIS in 1974 and 17 more the following year, and Ch. Toasty's Treasure Island won 42 or 43 BIS in 2009.

However, I would like to suggest another breed that has been largely overlooked by the BIS judges: the Collie! They have the advantage of being a conventionally glamorous breed and were enormously popular at shows in the past, with super-wealthy fanciers competing for the top awards, yet the breed has done quite badly in the all-breed competition. One Collie did win BIS at Westminster in 1929, the English import Laund Loyalty of Bellhaven, but he was a puppy, was never shown again (the reasons why were much discussed then), and so did not become a champion. The only Collie to place in the all-breed Top 10 was Ch. Fancy Hi Honeybrook However, who did so with only two BIS as long ago as 1958.

AKC's registration statistics for 2023 reveal that the 10 most popular breeds in 2023 were the French Bulldog, Labrador Retriever, Golden Retriever, German Shepherd Dog, Poodle, Dachshund, Bulldog, Beagle, Rottweiler and German Shorthaired Pointer, in that order. The Doberman Pinscher is in 15th place, the Boxer is in 18th, Scottish Terriers in 59th, Pekingese in 91st and Wire Fox Terriers in 104th place. Amanda West's two French Bulldog males Ch. Bouquet Novelle Ami (at least 30 BIS 1954-55) and Ch. Ralanda Ami Francine (55 BIS 1963-64) won a great deal in the '50s and '60s, and after many years the breed made a comeback fairly recently: GCh. Le Petit Prince de la Bete placed in the Top 10 of all breeds in 2018, and GCh. Fox Canyon's I Won The War at Goldshield, CGCA, CGCU, TKN, won 79 BIS when he was #1 all breeds in 2022 and also placed among the Top 10 in 2021.

Labradors, Goldens, German Shepherds and Poodles have already been discussed, but Rottweilers apparently bid fair to become another of the “not successful in BIS competition” breeds. They weren't regularly approved by AKC in 1931, less than 100 years ago, and were long relatively rare, but still: I can't find that a single one has ever placed among the Top 10 all breeds! I hope I'm wrong, but don't think so. And what about Dachshunds? The Smooth Ch. Herman Rinkton placed among the Top 10 all breeds in 1938 and won way more than 10 BIS; the Miniature Wire Ch. Spartan's Sloe Gin Fizz won 51 BIS 1977-78, and a Standard Smooth placed among the Top 10 of all breeds in 1981 … the last time any Dachshund placed that high.

Bulldogs were BIS at Westminster in 1955 through Ch. Kippax Fearnought, won at least 35 BIS through Ch. Vardona Frosty Snowman 1958-60, and 32 through Ch. Blackshots Captain Cook in 1968, were #1 all breeds in 1989 through Ch. Heatherbull Bounty's Frigate, and Ch. Cherokee Legend Encore placed among the Top 10 of all breeds only last year.

Beagles (15 inches) have twice won BIS at Westminster in relatively recent years: In 2008 it was Ch. K-Run's Park Me In First that won and in 2015 GCh. Tashtins Lookin For Trouble. However, earlier in all those years, it was only Ch. Draftsman of Walnut Hall (variety not mentioned) who qualifies for mention through winning 10 BIS in 1941.

German Shorthaired Pointers are represented three times, all during the past 50 years (just!) by Westminster BIS winners: by Ch. Gretchenhof Columbia River, who won in 1973, by Ch. Kan-Point VJK Autumn Roses in 2005, and GCh. VJK-Myst Garbonita's California Journey in 2016. In addition, Ch. NMK's Britannia V Sibelstein won 44 BIS during 1986-87.

More Breeds Approved These Days

There is also the fact to consider that the AKC gradually has approved far more breeds than it used to, 201 to be exact: more than twice as many as it did 100 years ago. In the first half of the time since 1924 that the breeds listed above as “Successful in BIS Competition” won #1 all breeds, they did so 38 of the 50 times possible, which leaves only 12 times for all the other breeds. In the last 50 years the wins have been considerably more evenly distributed: 23 for the “Successful” breeds and 27 for the rest …

You can make what you like of these figures, of course; perhaps say that these days the majority of the wins go to “other” breeds, including some that AKC has fully approved only in recent years. But most of these wins — in fact, considerably more than half — have gone to breeds that were already approved by AKC in the 1920s, just not to those that were already the most successful, indicating that perhaps AKC judges feel most comfortable putting up breeds that have been approved by AKC a long time.

So there you have it: The dogs of the breeds that have been the most and the least successful in competition for BIS at AKC shows, and some additional information about how the most popular breeds in AKC's recent registration statistics have fared over the last century.