Warning: Spoiler Alert! If you prefer to watch the National Dog Show on television and be surprised, bookmark this until after it airs. But if you want to watch the National Dog Show and amaze you friends at your predictive powers, print this or bookmark it and keep it in a secret spot for reference!

We gave you our predictions — as well as 10 breeds you should know for the event — now here are the results for the 2013 National Dog Show, second only to Westminster as the most recognized dog show in America. The finals will be broadcast Thanksgiving Day following the Macy’s parade.

The Sporting Group

We told you this would be a tough one to predict—and we were right!

Fourth place went to the russet red Viszla; third to the ASCOB Cocker Spaniel (and what does ASCOB stand for? Any Solid Color Other than Black); second to America’s favorite, the Labrador Retriever (a black one in this case); and first to a dog that looks like a Poodle with a rat tail, the Irish Water Spaniel.

Riley (more formally known as Grand Champion Whistlestop’s Riley on Fire) is indeed on fire, with 34 Best in Show wins going into the competition. This girl with the curl is the #2 Sporting dog in the country. And the day after the National Dog show she broke the breed’s Best in Show record, one held since 1979, by winning her 35th Best in Show at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia’s Sunday show!

The Hound Group

While somewhat more predictable, the top award could have easily gone to any of the Hound group finalists. In the end, the fourth-place ribbon went to a Pharaoh Hound who looked like she could be adorning the walls of King Tut’s tomb; third to a Standard Wirehaired Dachshund with the apt name of Captain Crunch; second to one of the top Afghan Hounds in the country; and first to our pick, the American Foxhound!

This was a repeat win for the #1 Hound in the country, Grand Champion Kiarry’s Pandora’s Box (Jewel to her friends), who won the Hound Group at the National Dog Show last year. As the #6-ranked dog of all breeds in America, Jewel was the top-ranked dog in attendance.

The Working Group

This group threw our predictions out the window when favorite Matisse, the Portuguese Water Dog, opted for shows in Oklahoma (where he won Best in Show). But that still left plenty of tough contenders.

Fourth went to the dashing Doberman; third to the “I’d rather be sledding” Siberian Husky; second to the great Great Dane; and first to the salt-and-pepper Standard Schnauzer boy, Schweitzer (Grand Champion Mistic’s Longfellow Serenade).

Schweitzer’s bio says he loves kids, horses, cows, rabbits, and anyone who will talk to him. Who wouldn’t love a dog like that?

The Terrier Group

The Terrier group, too, was missing its star, the Wire Fox Terrier, Sky, who chose warmer shows in Arizona (we warned you these dogs have more frequent-flyer miles than most sales reps!), where she also won Best in Show.

The Terrier group at the National Dog Show always has huge depth of quality, so there were plenty to choose from. The white (fourth place) ribbon went to the Kerry Blue Terrier; the yellow ribbon to the Colored Bull Terrier; the red ribbon to another big-winning Wire Fox Terrier (he may be the #2 Wire Fox, but he’s still the fifth-ranked among all terriers!); and the blue ribbon to a Norfolk Terrier named Grand Champion Yarrow Venerie Ticket to Ride.

Rider, one of the smallest — and we think cutest — dogs in the Terrier group, is the #6-ranked Terrier in the nation. Remember we did say to watch for the Norfolk!

The Toy Group

Roger that on our Toy group prediction, but first the final four: Fourth place was a tiny Toy Fox Terrier, one of the American breeds we were rooting for; third was a yummy Yorkshire Terrier, second was a son of last year’s National Dog Show Toy group winner (Banana Joe the Affenpinscher); and first went to our pick, the Pekingese!

Rodger (his registered name is Grand Champion Yakee Easily Persuaded) has easily persuaded judges into making him the 4th-ranked Toy dog in the country. Rodger’s handler is no stranger to big shows, having won Best in Show at Westminster with one of his previous Pekes.

The Non-Sporting Group

We also called this group’s winner. Fourth went to the frog-faced French Bulldog; third to the hairless Xoloitzcuintli (say “show-low-its-queen-tli” or “Show-lo” for short); second to the stately Chow Chow; and first to our pick, the Bichon Frise GCH Vogelflight’s “Honor” to Pillow Talk.

Honor, who won the group at last year’s Westminster Kennel Club show, was the only dog to win the group all four days of the shows held with the National Dog Show in Philadelphia. This bouncing Q-tip of a dog is the #2 Non-Sporting dog in the country.

The Herding Group

We knew the Herding group would be wide open, and a full field showed up to claim the spoils. Fourth was the Queens breed, the Pembroke Welsh Corgi; third was the always competitive German Shepherd; second was the Rough Collie; and first went to a fawn-tastic Bearded Collie named Grand Champion Ha’Penny Mirimar The Fab Fawn. He’s a fawn, in case you haven’t guessed, a minority color in this mostly gray and white breed.

And the Final Winner Is …

So there’s the final line-up: Which would it be? The Irish Water Spaniel? American Foxhound? Standard Schnauzer? Norfolk Terrier? Pekingese? Bichon Frise? Bearded Collie?

Judge Randy Garren, one of the nations’ most experienced judges and himself a former professional handler of top winners, had a tough decision, but in the end narrowed it down to two: Rodger the Pekingese and Jewel the American Foxhound, with Jewel ultimately scoring the victory for America! And somehow it just seems right for the breed developed by George Washington to win the red, white and blue rosette!

About the author: Caroline Coile is the author of 34 dog books, including the top-selling Barron’s Encyclopedia of Dog Breeds. She has written for various publications and is currently a columnist for AKC Family Dog. She shares her home with three naughty Salukis and one Jack Russell Terrier.

Top image: German Shepherd with medals by Shutterstock