Donald G. Sturz Bio

Dr. Donald G. Sturz began participating in the sport of dogs as a child. As a highly successful Junior Handler, he was selected as a Junior Showmanship Finalist three years at Westminster, beginning with his first time entering at the age of ten. During his Junior Showmanship career, he was ranked as the number one Junior Handler in the U.S. for three consecutive years.

While growing up in the sport, Dr. Sturz trained and exhibited dogs in various American Kennel Club events, including conformation, obedience, and field trials, earning numerous awards and titles. A long-time preservation breeder and handler, he has bred, owned, and handled All-Breed and Specialty Best in Show winners and nationally ranked dogs in Golden Retrievers, Miniature Poodles, and Pembroke Welsh Corgis. He currently owns a French Bulldog and Bull Terrier.

Since 1990 Dr. Sturz has adjudicated at major dog shows worldwide, including Best in Show at Westminster in 2022. In 2020 he was voted Judge of the Year at the Purina Pro Plan® Show Dogs of the Year award ceremony.

He currently serves as the Vice-President of the Poodle Club of America, is a member of the Westchester Kennel Club and the Bull Terrier Club of America, and recently assisted in the revival of the Knickerbocker Bull Terrier Club. Additionally, Dr. Sturz has been an analyst for the Fox Sports telecast of the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show for three years and a co-host for the Westminster Kennel Club Highlights Show presented by Purina Pro Plan ® for two years.

A graduate of Hofstra University with a Ph. D. in clinical psychology, he has thirty years of experience in upper-level management in both public and private education and mental health settings. His passion for dogs in general and the Westminster Kennel Club specifically, paired with his extensive experience in leadership roles professionally, serve him well in his new capacity as President of the Westminster Kennel Club.