Professional trainers and dog owners are converging on Cantigny Park in Wheaton this weekend, where roughly 200 different dog breeds will compete for the title of Best in Show at the Great American Dog Show. The outdoor event blends serious purebred judging with family-friendly attractions, giving local spectators a rare chance to watch elite competition up close on the grounds of a former Chicago Tribune publisher's estate.
As reported by ABC7 Chicago, the show has become a fixture on the Wheaton calendar, drawing professional handlers and everyday dog owners alike to compete across the growing roster of American Kennel Club-recognized breeds. The AKC's purebred category expanded to 205 official breeds on January 1, 2026, with the addition of the Basset Fauve de Bretagne, Russian Tsvetnaya Bolonka, and Teddy Roosevelt Terrier, according to the American Kennel Club. Reaching that milestone typically requires years of building a sufficient U.S. population and a national owner network for a breed before it earns full recognition.
A 120-Year Legacy Rebuilt for the Suburbs
The show is put on by the International Kennel Club of Chicago, an organization with roots stretching back to 1900 as the Chicago Kennel Club. Operations halted following the 2018 death of longtime owner Louis Auslander, and the club was resurrected in 2021 by a new ownership group led by Scott Pfeil and Erika Wyatt after a multi-year hiatus, per the Canine Chronicle.
The Great American Dog Show brand itself only dates to August 2023, when it debuted at the McCormick Place Convention Center in downtown Chicago before expanding into a bi-annual event series held at suburban venues, Showsight Magazine reported. That marked IKC's return to hosting major multi-day dog shows in the Chicagoland area after years away from the format. At its peak in the late 20th century under Auslander, the club's annual show at McCormick Place was considered the largest dog show in the United States, drawing more than 3,000 competing dogs and 60,000 spectators, according to the Canine Chronicle. IKC shows ran at McCormick Place from 1983 through 2015 before the operation went dormant.
Bring Your Own Dog to Cantigny Park
Cantigny Park, the 500-acre former estate of Chicago Tribune publisher Col. Robert R. McCormick, was established as a public park upon his death in 1955 and opened to visitors in 1958. The Wheaton park now draws between 300,000 and 400,000 visitors annually and is also home to the First Division Museum, according to Cantigny Park.
Unlike traditional indoor dog shows, the outdoor fall event features a Bring Your Own Dog policy, allowing spectators to bring well-mannered, vaccinated pets on a leash and enter them in a public dog fun run, per the International Kennel Club of Chicago. Spectator dogs are welcome in outdoor areas but restricted from show tents while judging is underway. Attendees pay a discounted $16 parking fee per vehicle at the gate, collected separately from the mandatory advance show ticket purchase, according to Cantigny Park.
Family Activities and Charity Events Round Out the Weekend
Beyond the conformation rings, the schedule includes plenty of family-oriented events and public spectator activities. There are Dachshund races, agility and scent-work performance demos, and a charity dog walk benefiting the Anti-Cruelty Society, according to the Daily Herald. Younger attendees can take part in a Competitive Pee Wee Show for children ages 5 to 9 designed to help them practice dog handling skills, alongside a Kids Zone featuring a stuffed-animal obstacle course, Choose Chicago reported.
The breeds on display arrive amid a notable shift in national canine popularity. According to official AKC registration statistics released this month, the French Bulldog retained its position as the most popular dog breed in the United States for the fourth consecutive year, having dethroned the Labrador Retriever in 2022 after a 31-year run at number one. Whether any French Bulldogs will be among the roughly 200 breeds vying for Best in Show at Cantigny Park this weekend, the competition offers Wheaton-area families a chance to see professional handlers and their dogs compete just steps from where they can bring their own pets to join in the fun.
