New Jersey dogs reigned supreme at the Westminster Masters Obedience Championship … until they didn’t.
For seven years, Jersey pups demonstrated the ultimate command of obedience at the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.
Then, in 2023, the streak was broken.
A golden retriever from Minnesota walked away with the win. The next year, a border collie from Illinois emerged victorious.
But this year, we’re back. And just in time for the 10th anniversary of the obedience competition.
Not only is Jersey’s Willie the Australian shepherd the 2025 obedience champion — he’s also done it twice.
Willie, owned and handled by Kathleen Keller of Flemington, took the top prize at the New York dog show Saturday. He last won the Masters Obedience Championship in 2022.
Then and now, the dog demonstrated a smooth mastery of the requisite skills of obedience. Everything hinges on connection — an airtight bond between dog and owner. That’s the key to obedience competition, which was added to the long-running dog show in 2016.
READ MORE: Westminster dog show 2022 – Obedience winner is Willie in 7th consecutive N.J. victory
Dogs have to perform various tasks, which include retrieving objects, jumping over hurdles and mainly staying rapt as their owners give different commands.
“He just was in the best mood today, he was happy to be here,” Keller told NJ Advance Media after the win.
She named the dog for Willie Nelson.
This Willie had a victory hot dog waiting for him after the show.
Willie and four other dogs from New Jersey were among the 25 competing in obedience at the Javits Center in Manhattan Feb. 8.
The obedience contenders impressively maintained their cool as music blared and the dog show’s agility competition drew cheers from a roaring crowd nearby.
Obedience is a smaller, much more quiet, subdued and slow-moving sport than agility, in which dogs rush through various obstacles to complete the course in a timed run with their owners running alongside them.
Kathleen Keller and Willie after their first Westminster obedience win in 2022. S. Dukes | Westminster Kennel Club
Despite the broken streak, New Jersey still claims the most obedience champions at Westminster.
Before Willie first won the obedience championship in 2022, Mary Ann Flanagan of Glen Gardner and her Labrador retriever Grant won in 2021.
The all-time winningest dog-owner team remains Heart, the Labrador retriever and his trainer/owner Linda Brennan from Columbia, Warren County. Starting with the very first obedience competition, the duo soared to victory so many times — five — that they retired the trophy and could no longer compete at Westminster after 2020.
Westminster continues with the Masters Agility Championship, which is airing live on Fox Saturday night (4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Feb. 8).
READ MORE: How the unbreakable bond between an N.J. dog and owner made them obedience champions
Both agility and obedience competitions have the distinction of allowing mixed-breed dogs — Westminster calls them “all American” dogs — to participate. In 2024, a quick-footed dog named Nimble became the first mixed-breed dog to win the agility championship.
The traditional breed show starts Monday, Feb. 10 at the Javits Center and continues both Monday and Tuesday with group competition at Madison Square Garden.
The 2025 Westminster Kennel Club dog show, also known as the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show, marks a return to Manhattan for the New York tradition after the show spent several years at Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens.
READ MORE: N.J. dog wins obedience for 5th time, retires trophy. Just call us the alpha state.
The event, which draws dog fanciers, owners and handlers to the city from all across the country and globe, had changed its location and season because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the dog show moved to an outdoor setting and tents on the grounds of Lyndhurst Manor in Tarrytown, becoming a spring event instead of a winter one.
In 2025, the dog show coincides with Super Bowl weekend, with the first breeds taking the ring at the Javits Center the morning after the big game. Best in show returns to Madison Square Garden Tuesday night.
Last year, the title went to Sage, a miniature poodle from Houston.
The 2025 Westminster Kennel Club dog show airs on Monday, Feb. 10 (non-sporting, toy, herding and hound groups) and Tuesday, Feb. 11 on FS1 from 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. (sporting, working and terrier groups), ending with the naming of best in show.
See our Westminster viewing guide for more information on free streaming for dog show events and the full TV schedule.
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Amy Kuperinsky may be reached at akuperinsky@njadvancemedia.com and followed at @AmyKup on Twitter/X, @amykup.bsky.social on Bluesky and @kupamy on Instagram and Threads.
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