THE NATIONAL DOG SHOW -- Season: 9 -- Pictured: (l-r) Dorian Cane Corso, Dozer Leonberger, John O'Hurley (Host), David Frei (Expert Analyst), Tess Boykin Spaniel, Thunder Redbone Coonhound, Falkie Icelandic Sheepdog, Gibbs Leonberger -- Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC

Thanksgiving Day parades are great, but give me a good dog show to kick off my holiday.

The peeps at NBC apparently understand that man’s best friend deserves special recognition this time of year because this is the ninth year in a row that The National Dog Show has followed Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on the network.

And the Dean of Dog shows and expert analyst, David Frei is pleased he’s back calling the shots with actor John O’Hurley again.

“I’m so excited to be a part of this,” he tells us. “We want to be as much a part of the Thanksgiving holiday as the turkey.”

Dogs are certainly cuddlier than a turkey, but looks aren’t the only qualification the judges are looking for in a breed.

“When you get a dog that lights you up and says, ‘I own the ground I stand over and I have all the right breed traits,” Frei begins speaking as the dog adding, ‘I look nice and I look like I can still do the job that I was bred to do and besides that I’ve got this wonderful charisma that’s going to make me a winner in the ring,’ that’s what I like to see. It doesn’t matter what breed they are as long as they’re bringing those things to the table.”

The passion for his job hasn’t lessened, but rather increased over the years. Frei is convinced even a novice dog fan can get a grasp on what makes the breed special while watching the pooch perform in the ring.

“What makes it fun is to see who is the great dog this year,” Frei points out. “It’s a different breed every year. You get four or five great show dogs at the same place at the same time. It’s fun to see dogs and maybe [the viewers] haven’t seen great show dogs before and suddenly here’s the greatest specimen of that dog [they’ve] ever seen.”

And make no mistake about it, these dogs actually enjoy strutting their stuff Frei explains.

“I think people look at the dogs in the dog show and they see how wonderfully they’re presented and groomed and conditioned they are, but they don’t think about the fact that these are real dogs,” he acknowledges. “Between dog shows, they’re sleeping on our couches and shedding on our black clothes and stealing food off of our counters just like your dog at home does. That’s the thing I want people to think about when they see them. That this dog is part of a loving family somewhere.”

Apparently that spark can’t be taught to Sparky either. Like any superstar, the pup has to actually have that star quality, that is only enhanced by the owner/trainer – an It-factor, if you will.

“There really is. When you’re in the lineup of Best in Show, there are a lot of great dogs out there and what’s going to make the difference is that showmanship,” he stresses. “Remember the great beagle Uno that was Best in Show at Westminster two years ago. He had It in the ring. I don’t know if you can teach it. I think you can help them experience it and enjoy the experience more and more each time out. Then maybe they’ll exhibit that It-factor and have that charisma that they need, but more often than not, it’s something their born with - and as a handler you just have to help them get it out.”

Still, for those of us watching The National Dog Show from our living rooms with our best friend close by, we know - and Frei smartly points out - that the real Best in Show dog is sitting on our laps at home.

The National Dog Show begins 12:00 p.m. ET on NBC.