ORLANDO, Fla. – The Orange County Convention Center offered lots of room Saturday for a hard-working pooch to plop down anywhere he wanted.

Take Jagster, an American cocker spaniel who lay far away from any noise and hubbub as his owner carried on a conversation.

Not that he turns up his nose at noise and hubbub.

“He likes the clapping and cheering,” said owner Lisa Brown of Chattanooga, Tennessee. “The more people clap, the happier he is.”

Poor Jagster. The American Kennel Club National Championship is taking on a lonelier look and quieter sound this year, with zero spectators and increased spacing in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Because of safety protocols, the AKC closed the event to the public and removed ringside seating at all competition areas. To further reduce crowding, it requires handlers to leave the building once they’ve shown their dogs.

The event also mandates masks and temperature checks, among other safety measures.

Attendance from handlers, owners, judges and staff at Saturday’s competition wasn’t expected to reach 3,000 – perhaps a fifth of a typical Saturday during a National Championship, AKC spokeswoman Brandi Hunter said.

The lack of a spectators inspired a vacant vibe Saturday at the massive North-South building of the Orange County Convention Center.

Yet the competition areas still managed to ring with plenty of claps and cheers from people who remained in the building.

“This is kind of like our Super Bowl, so spirits have been high,” the AKC’s Hunter said.

The 10th straight AKC National Championship in Orlando started Saturday with 4,800 entries but with a 20% absentee rate, Hunter said.

It will end Sunday with numerous honors and winners among 196 breeds, plus one top dog – a so-called Best in Show. That prize pays $50,000.

Competitors include a Pekingese named Wasabi, last year’s Best in Show. Wasabi won the Toy group on Saturday and will defend his title on Sunday.

Without the crowds, said dog owner and handler Jason Bailey of Amissville, Virginia, “it’s just another dog show. It’d be like going to the World Series with nobody in the stands. What do you think those athletes would want? Same deal. The dogs like it.”

They seemed in good spirts on Saturday.

Near one of the rings around midday, Liam Louie, a young Irish Wolfhound and a giant of a dog, waited with owner William Avoglia of North Fort Myers. Avoglia said Liam Louie weighs about 190 pounds.

“He’s got to fill out yet,” he said.

Right next to them sat K9 Copper, a black and tan coonhound who wore a badge. K9 Copper works as a certified tracker for the Cocoa Police Department. He quietly and seriously observed his surroundings on Saturday.

“He’s in cop mode when his badge is on,” said Cocoa resident Brenda Warner, who said she was part of a breeding group that donated the dog to Cocoa Police.

Denise Beagle, owner of the perfect last name for a dog lover, stood with an associate and three dogs, about the length of a football field from K9 Copper.

Beagle told Spectrum News 13 that she thinks dogs indeed get excited about these events. She pointed to her dog Quila, a Chinese Shar-Pei.

“The first time I took her half-sister to training class, she was like, ‘Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God, mommy’ – she loved it,” Beagle said.

But she said this year’s event isn’t the same because, without spectators, it’s foregoing a Meet the Breeds component in which breeders introduce spectators to certain breeds and answer questions about them. That increases interest and helps promote safeguarding of the breeds, dog owners and breeders say.

Participants told Spectrum News 13 that they generally appreciated the efforts and protocols of The American Kennel Club.

“The club went above and beyond,” said Lindsay Gorder of Irwin, Pennsylvania. “There is actual spacing in the rings, and they make sure everyone is wearing masks, so I feel very safe here.”