Mario Lopez Chats About the AKC National Championship Dog Show Presented by Royal Canin

Just in time to ring in the new year, the AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin, returns to Animal Planet as a four-hour special! Our very own Mario Lopez brought along his French Bulldog, Julio, to talk about this year's show.

The AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin is one of the world's largest and most prestigious dog shows. The show will feature thousands of dogs from around the world competing for various titles across multiple events. Audiences will see highlights from each competition category, including agility and dock diving, and the show will culminate with the highly anticipated Best in Show. With more than $150,000 in prize money, it is the largest in the world of dog shows.

New this year, a roster of dog-loving celebrities has been assembled to captain their respective #TeamDog groups. They are rallying dog owners to share which team they're on and who they think will take top honors at this year's AKC National Championship. The celebrity #TeamDog line-up includes Mario Lopez and his French Bulldog "Julio Cesar Chavez Lopez" representing the Non-Sporting Group and #TeamFrenchie, multi-platinum selling artist Brett Young and his Chihuahua "Oscar" representing the Toy Group and #TeamChihuahua, actor Kellan Lutz and his Australian Shepherd "Koda" representing the Herding Group and #TeamAussie, and more!

The AKC National Championship Presented by Royal Canin airs on Animal Planet New Year's Day, Monday, January 1, 2019 at 6 p.m. ET/PT.