Some of the Lehigh Valley contestants include Wynonna and Waylon, Belgian sheepdogs owned by Sherry Hanley, a deputy Lehigh County sheriff, and her husband, Jeff; Seamus, a Great Dane owned by Catasauqua Police Chief Douglas Kish and his wife, Kristen; Rita and Cliff, Chesapeake Bay retrievers owned by Cindy Meyer of Allentown; and Trader, an Akita owned by Tom and Ann Bavaria of Weisenberg Township.

The canine showdown was held last Saturday and Sunday (only Saturday’s events will be televised) at the Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Montgomery County. More than 150 breeds and varieties competed for Best of Breed, First in Group and the coveted title of Best in Show.

For those unfamiliar with competitive dog shows, a dog must first win its respective breed and group contests to be considered for Best in Show. The seven groups (representing characteristics and functions the dogs were originally bred for) include: terrier, toy, working, sporting, hound, non-sporting and herding.

The televised show will focus primarily on dogs competing for First in Group and Best in Show. Out of the above-mentioned dogs, only Seamus and Trader competed for First in Group, says National Dog Show spokesman Steve Griffith.

“We try to show every breed, but we can’t show the judging of every breed,” he says of the telecast.

Griffith says the therapy work of Wynonna and Waylon likely would be a discussion topic among the hosts — former “Seinfeld” actor John O’Hurley and “the dean of dog show commentators” David Frei.

Here’s a roundup of these local pooches’ performances at the show, which has been held annually since 1933.

TRADER

Trader shined at the National Dog Show, winning Best of Breed on Saturday and Best in Working Group on Sunday.

The 5-year-old Akita also performed exceptionally well at two shows preceding the National Dog Show. These shows, also held at the Oaks expo center, included the Nov. 14 Penn Treaty Dog Show, where Trader earned his 13th Best in Show title, and the Nov. 15 Greater Philadelphia Dog Fanciers Dog Show, where Trader earned another Best in Working Group distinction.

“He showed beautifully,” Ann Bavaria says. “He was consistent every day.”

Trader, currently ranked the No. 1 Akita in the nation, has earned more than 800 points to become a platinum grand champion, the highest of grand champion honors. He is also ranked the No. 5 working dog in the country, which is a result of points he earned in more than 100 competitions this year (points are calculated based on the number of dogs showing and the number of dogs defeated in breed and group).

“You can win Westminster and not be the country’s No. 1 dog for the year,” Bavaria explains. “Points are calculated from January through December.”