A cute little miniature poodle with furs in&nbsp;magnificent metallic black colour won the 2024 Westminster Dog Show. Sage the poodle competed with more than 2,500 dogs in one of the biggest canine contests in the US, the 148th Westminster Dog Show, held in New York on Wednesday (May 14).

“I am so happy,” said Sage’s handler Kaz Hosaka after his furry friend’s victory in the competition.

Tuesday’s victory of Sage was the 11th triumph for its poodles brethren of various sizes. Only wise fox terriers have won more titles than poodles.&nbsp;

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Tuesday’s show was also the second-best win for handler Kaz Hosaka.

In 2022, he led another miniature poodle, Spice, to win the Westminster’s trophy.&nbsp;

"No words," he said in the ring to describe his reaction to Sage's win.
<img alt="Sage with his handler Hosaka" data-align="center" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="d56ae6c6-cc33-43c8-afae-b4ee92bdc27b" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/GNl0DFCWkAAuhGx.jpg" />
<h2>How Sage, the miniature poodle, won the 2024 Westminster Dog Show</h2>

Sage bested six other fellow finalists to take the top spot.

It put to second Mercedes the German shepherd, guided by handler Kent Boyles, who has also won the big prize before.

Other finalists that Sage beat out in the contest were:&nbsp;

-Comet, a shih tzu from the toy group

-Louis, an Afghan hound from the hound group

-Frankie, a coloured bull terrier from the terrier group

-Monday, a giant schnauzer from the working group

-Micah, a cocker spaniel from the sporting group

 
It's not easy winning the dog show. 
 
All the dogs who take part in the competition first compete against others of their breed. Then the winner of each breed goes up against others in its “group”. The seven group winners then meet in the final round for the ultimate showdown.

The competition is seen as an event where all participants are champions in the sport’s point system, and winning is more dependent on nuances and standout turns in the ring.

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The best performance by a dog in the show gets a trophy and a place in dog-world history, but no cash prize.

The Westminster show, dating back to 1877, is centred on the traditional purebred judging that leads to the best in-show prize.

However, over the last decade, the club has added agility and obedience events open to mixed-breed dogs.

This year, the agility competition counted its first non-purebred winner, a border collie-papillon mix named Nimble.

(With inputs from agencies)

A cute little miniature poodle with furs in magnificent metallic black colour won the 2024 Westminster Dog Show. Sage the poodle competed with more than 2,500 dogs in one of the biggest canine contests in the US, the 148th Westminster Dog Show, held in New York on Wednesday (May 14).

A cute little miniature poodle with furs in magnificent metallic black colour won the 2024 Westminster Dog Show. Sage the poodle competed with more than 2,500 dogs in one of the biggest canine contests in the US, the 148th Westminster Dog Show, held in New York on Wednesday (May 14). “I am so happy,” said Sage’s handler Kaz Hosaka after his furry friend’s victory in the competition. Tuesday’s victory of Sage was the 11th triumph for its poodles brethren of various sizes. Only wise fox terriers have won more titles than poodles. Also Read | American man who sent 'so I raped you' message arrested in France Tuesday’s show was also the second-best win for handler Kaz Hosaka. In 2022, he led another miniature poodle, Spice, to win the Westminster’s trophy. "No words," he said in the ring to describe his reaction to Sage's win. How Sage, the miniature poodle, won the 2024 Westminster Dog Show Sage bested six other fellow finalists to take the top spot. It put to second Mercedes the German shepherd, guided by handler Kent Boyles, who has also won the big prize before. Other finalists that Sage beat out in the contest were: -Comet, a shih tzu from the toy group -Louis, an Afghan hound from the hound group -Frankie, a coloured bull terrier from the terrier group -Monday, a giant schnauzer from the working group -Micah, a cocker spaniel from the sporting group It's not easy winning the dog show. All the dogs who take part in the competition first compete against others of their breed. Then the winner of each breed goes up against others in its “group”. The seven group winners then meet in the final round for the ultimate showdown. The competition is seen as an event where all participants are champions in the sport’s point system, and winning is more dependent on nuances and standout turns in the ring. Also Read | 66-year-old Indian-origin grandmother stabbed to death in broad daylight in London The best performance by a dog in the show gets a trophy and a place in dog-world history, but no cash prize. The Westminster show, dating back to 1877, is centred on the traditional purebred judging that leads to the best in-show prize. However, over the last decade, the club has added agility and obedience events open to mixed-breed dogs. This year, the agility competition counted its first non-purebred winner, a border collie-papillon mix named Nimble. (With inputs from agencies)

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Pet dogs are far more likely to play with one another when their owner is present and being attentive, according to a new study, raising the intriguing possibility that they are putting on a show for our benefit.

That our canine companions are keenly attuned to the level of interest humans are showing them is well established, Lindsay Mehrkam, an animal behaviorist and lead author of the paper that appeared in Animal Cognition, told AFP Tuesday.

"But we weren't aware of any research that has really shown the effect of a human audience impacting species typical behavior, in this case dog-dog play."

Mehrkam oversaw an experiment involving 10 pairs of pet dogs that had lived together for at least six months. &nbsp;

The duos ordinarily engaged in play at least once a day, according to their owners.

The researchers videotaped the dog pairs under three conditions: where the owner was absent, where the owner was present but ignoring them, and where the owner was present and showering them with attention in the form of verbal praise and petting.&nbsp;

To ensure the experiment was robust, they ran each of the conditions three times over the course of several days.

"We found overall that the availability of owner attention did in fact facilitate play," said Mehrkam, with human attention increasing both the frequency and intensity of behaviors like bowing, hip nudges, wrestling, chasing, gentle bites and so on.

"It's really quite striking that dogs who have the chance to play with each other whenever they want to, nonetheless are much more likely to get up off their butts and start playing when a person is just paying attention to them," said co-author Clive Wynne of Arizona State University.

- Seeking attention like children? - 
The researchers offered several ideas for what might be driving the effect.

One possibility is that an owner's attention might be a reward the dogs are seeking, like young children pleading with their parents to watch them as they show off what they can do.

The dogs might have also learned that playing among themselves leads to bigger prizes, such as the owner joining in the fun, or taking them outside.

Or, their owner might provide the dogs a sense of safety, because although animals use play to strengthen bonds, it can sometimes turn tense and lead to aggression. Having a person around is insurance against a fight.

Their human's presence could also be a trigger that enriches the general environment, perhaps causing a rush of the love hormone oxytocin, which leads to a more positive emotional state that in turn manifests as play.

"It's one of those types of studies that leads to a lot more questions than answers," said Mehrkam, adding she was working on untangling the various threads in ongoing experiments.

Pet dogs are far more likely to play with one another when their owner is present and being attentive, according to a new study, raising the intriguing possibility that they are putting on a show for our benefit.

Pet dogs are far more likely to play with one another when their owner is present and being attentive, according to a new study, raising the intriguing possibility that they are putting on a show for our benefit. That our canine companions are keenly attuned to the level of interest humans are showing them is well established, Lindsay Mehrkam, an animal behaviorist and lead author of the paper that appeared in Animal Cognition, told AFP Tuesday. "But we weren't aware of any research that has really shown the effect of a human audience impacting species typical behavior, in this case dog-dog play." Mehrkam oversaw an experiment involving 10 pairs of pet dogs that had lived together for at least six months. The duos ordinarily engaged in play at least once a day, according to their owners. The researchers videotaped the dog pairs under three conditions: where the owner was absent, where the owner was present but ignoring them, and where the owner was present and showering them with attention in the form of verbal praise and petting. To ensure the experiment was robust, they ran each of the conditions three times over the course of several days. "We found overall that the availability of owner attention did in fact facilitate play," said Mehrkam, with human attention increasing both the frequency and intensity of behaviors like bowing, hip nudges, wrestling, chasing, gentle bites and so on. "It's really quite striking that dogs who have the chance to play with each other whenever they want to, nonetheless are much more likely to get up off their butts and start playing when a person is just paying attention to them," said co-author Clive Wynne of Arizona State University. - Seeking attention like children? - The researchers offered several ideas for what might be driving the effect. One possibility is that an owner's attention might be a reward the dogs are seeking, like young children pleading with their parents to watch them as they show off what they can do. The dogs might have also learned that playing among themselves leads to bigger prizes, such as the owner joining in the fun, or taking them outside. Or, their owner might provide the dogs a sense of safety, because although animals use play to strengthen bonds, it can sometimes turn tense and lead to aggression. Having a person around is insurance against a fight. Their human's presence could also be a trigger that enriches the general environment, perhaps causing a rush of the love hormone oxytocin, which leads to a more positive emotional state that in turn manifests as play. "It's one of those types of studies that leads to a lot more questions than answers," said Mehrkam, adding she was working on untangling the various threads in ongoing experiments.

Dog show: Pet pooches play more when humans are watching

A dog grooming service in Bangkok re-opened after lockdown on Monday (May 4) to welcome furry dogs in need of hair cuts but business is not the same from before the coronavirus outbreak which forced business around the world, including in Thailand, to close for months.

Scruffy dogs head to the groomer as Thai lockdown eases

With judging at New York's Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show beginning in earnest on Monday (February 10), the second day of competition in the annual showcase for pedigree canines, owners and handlers could be seen grooming their pups, some of which even began licking their chops with the competition well underway.

Wipe those paws - dogs groomed at NY's Westminster Show

There is a new breed in town. The Westminster Kennel Club unveiled the newest dog breed to compete in the upcoming dog show.

Sporty, sleek and ready to compete - the Westminster Kennel Club introduces the Azawakh

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