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There's even more competition in the dog show rings as three more breeds have gained full recognition by the American Kennel Club.

Welcome the Irish red and white setter, the Pyrenean shepherd and the Norwegian buhund to the exclusive club, bringing the total to 161 AKC registered breeds.

The two-colored gun dog will join his monochrome red cousin, the Irish setter, in the hunting group while the Pyrenean and the buhund are part of the herding group.

The background of IRWS is "mysterious" according to both the AKC and the breed's parent club Web site, but the breed could date as far back as when the Romans were wandering all over the Emerald Isle. Despite the popularity of the Irish red setters, the IRWS was almost extinct until Irish breeders revived it in the 1920s. Enthusiasts say the IRWS is actually more calm, and thus a better dog to hunt with, than his solid colored cousin.

The "Pyr Shep" has herded sheep in the Pyrenees Mountains of Southern France for centuries. The breed comes in two coat types – rough-faced and smooth-faced. The breed is known as a war hero in its native France, where it believed that "hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Pyr Sheps gave their lives for the cause as couriers, search and rescue dogs finding injured soldiers after battles, and accompanying guards on their rounds."

The Norwegian buhund was, according to the AKC, nurtured in the rainy western coastlands of Norway where they herded sheep, guarded farms and hunted bear and wolf. The buhund, a member of the spitz family of pointy-eared, curly-tailed pooches, is considered by many to be the most trainable of the spitz breeds due to their innate desire to please and quick aptitude to learn.

I am sure you will see all three newcomers strut their stuff next month at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, scheduled for Feb. 9 and 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.