By Rebecca Wallwork

Once the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is over on Thursday, the TV options are simple: football or dogs.

While the New England Patriots take on the Detroit Lions on CBS, dogdom’s best athletes will be battling it out in the show ring on NBC — competing in the National Dog Show Presented by Purina.

In the world of dog shows, this is akin to the playoffs (with the Westminster Kennel Club show in February being the Super Bowl). The dogs have competed in regional shows all year, and now come head-to-head, breed-to-breed
in the race to Best in Show.

While the show’s on-air analyst David Frei likes the look of certain breeds in this year’s lineup — the smooth fox terrier, Irish setter, boxer and Pekingese, in particular — he says, “The beauty of our sport is that dogs are judged on the day.

Peyton Manning doesn’t throw five touchdown passes every time out, and the dogs may not always have their best day, either.”

As you watch this year’s National Dog Show, keep your eyes peeled for these six new breeds.

Frei, who used to work for the Denver Broncos and San Francisco 49ers, compares the dogs to the other stars of Thanksgiving TV — football players.

New Breeds: Boykin Spaniel-Sporting Group; Leonberger-Working Group; Can Corso-Working Group; Icelandic Sheepdog- Herding Group; Bluetick Coonhound.

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