And it all started thanks to the pestering of five young children as they lived in the Strathgordon Hydro village in the 1960s.

"They all wanted pets, but it was a Hydro village so we couldn't really have any," Joan Watson, 85, said.

"When we came to Hobart, we decided to get a corgi. They're such a good small dog."

Since then, Joan and her daughter Annette Anagnostis have imported the finest examples of the corgi from Ireland, New Zealand and the United States to Tasmania to help them breed champion dogs.

A table draped with their 2019 ribbons from the Royal Launceston Show was testament to their continued success, including best breed in group, best of breed and best baby puppy in group.

They have also won the overall prize for the dog competition in Launceston four times, and they will find out if it's number five on Saturday.

Ms Anagnostis said it was all in the breeding.

"For all of these dogs, their father was an American import," she said.

"I went to the competitions in Chicago recently where there were 300 corgis, I've never seen anything like it.

"It all comes down to the breeding, the type, the movement. It's bred into them."

While most would be familiar with corgis, other dog breeds were slightly more unusual.

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Several owners of Chinese crested dogs had entered their beloved pooches in the show.

Most of the dogs are born hairless, but there is one in each litter that is covered with hair in order to keep its siblings warm.

Tiny Baker, of Kings Meadows, prefers the coated variety - known as powder puffs.

"It's just an easy dog for me," she said.

Chinese crested judge Rose Spratt said the dogs were not particularly well-known in Australia, having only arrived here in the 1970s, with very few bred in Tasmania.

She said they required more care than most dogs, but were a placid and loyal breed.

"They take a lot of work to look after. You need to moisturise their skin weekly," Ms Spratt said.

"For the coated, their hair can knot so the brushing is really important. But it's no different to how we brush our own hair.

"They make really good family dogs, and good watch dogs."

The Royal Launceston Show dog competitions included a specialist judge from Sweden.