But those who happen to catch the Westminster show on television "go more on appeal than the standard, " said Matthew Stander, co-founder of Dog News, a weekly trade publication.

WSJ: Warning: Don't Pick the Wrong Dog

The co-founders still own and breed dogs Stander came up in Bloodhounds, Zaphiris with Skye and Airedale Terriers and judge shows outside the U.S. "With any niche kind of publication, you have to be active and understand it and be devoted to it, " Stander said.

WSJ: A Magazine Gives Dogs Their Days