The 2015 'National Dog Show' Will Introduce These Seven New Breeds

Everyone has his or her holiday traditions and, from here, Thanksgiving would not be the same without "The National Dog Show Presented By Purina." It airs Thursday at noon on NBC, right after the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

John O'Hurley returns to host the 14th annual Best in Show-case, with David Frei offering analysis, and Olympians Tara Lipinski and Johnny Weir as reporters. Seven new American Kennel Club breeds will be introduced on the show this year — the Bergamasco, Spanish Water Dog, Miniature American Shepherd, Lagotto Romagnolo, Berger Picard, Cirneco dell'Etna, and Boerboel.


Here are descriptions for each new breed, from a National Dog Show media release:

Bergamasco - Sheepdog whose most unique characteristic is its coat, which contains "dog hair," "goat hair" and "wool" combining to form felt-like mats. The mats grow over the course of the dog's life, reaching the ground at approximately 6 years of age.

Spanish Water Dog - A rustic, multi-purpose breed, it was developed in Spain many centuries ago for a variety of purposes including herding, hunting, water work and companionship.

Miniature American Shepherd - Small herding dog developed in the U.S. It is a highly versatile, energetic dog with superior intelligence and a willingness to please.

Lagotto Romagnolo - An ancient breed of retrieving water dogs from Italy. It is excellent at for searching for truffles, a job it performs with passion and efficiency. Powerfully built, it has a dense, curly coat of woolly texture.

Berger Picard - A medium-sized, active and athletic herding dog, it is bred to be a working companion. It has a shaggy, wiry topcoat with a short, dense undercoat.

Cirneco dell'Etna - Present in Sicily for over 2,500 years, it shares a common origin with the Pharaoh Hound. As a hunter of small mammals and fowl, it is a hardy, compact dog that was successful in hunting under adverse conditions.

Boerboel - A large dog that is strong, confident and muscular with a distinctive, blocky head. It is the most agile of the mastiff-type breeds. It serves as a capable working dog as well as a loyal companion.

The Bergamasco -- shown above in an AKC photo -- looks like one of those lovable "mop" dogs, kind of like the Puli or the Komondor. (The photo at the top is from the 2008 show, not of a new breed; that's adorable Noodles the Basset Hound, when he won the Hound Group.)

Will you be tuning in to welcome the new dogs, or cheer on some old favorites?

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