This year is the 125th anniversary of the Crufts Dog Show. We have every detail you could want to know about the world’s largest dog show.
When And Where To Watch The Biggest Dog Show In The World
The Crufts Dog Show will be March 10-13 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham, in Halls 1, 2, 3, 3A, 4, 5, and the Arena. The day typically starts around 8:30 a.m., with all judging starting at 9 a.m, and runs until 8 or 9 p.m.
If you want to attend in person, you can buy tickets at this link. Not only will you get to watch the Best in Show competition, but you can shop at more than 400 stands for special treats perfect for you and your dog, watch agility competitions, watch a Junior Crufts competition, and meet more than 200 breeds.
If you can’t make it to the show in person, you can watch the show live right from your home. Gather up your dog, put together a bowl of treats, and make a day of it! The Crufts YouTube Channel will broadcast a LIVE video of the competition every day. Just go to the YouTube channel at this link, where the live feed will be added.
If you’re in the UK, you can traditionally watch extended coverage every night for two hours on digital channel More4, from 7 to 9 pm. The Best In Show finale will be broadcast on Channel 4 Sunday night.
Want To See What Crufts Is Like? Check Out This 2014 Time Lapse
If you’re not sure what Crufts is all about, the time lapse above will give you a great idea. You won’t believe just how many dogs are there and how intense the competition can get. And it’s no surprise – thousands attend in person and millions watch the show from home every year.
You can also see highlights from the 2015 show at this link.
Crufts Detailed Schedule
If you want to pick and choose which parts of Crufts you watch, here’s a detailed schedule. Each day features specific dog groups and breeds, culminating in Best in Show on Sunday:
- Thursday, March 10 will feature toy and utility Breeds. See the complete schedule here.
- Friday, March 11 will feature gundog breeds. See the complete schedule and times here.
- Saturday, March 12 will feature working breeds and pastoral breeds. See the complete schedule and times here.
- Sunday, March 13 will feature terrier breeds and hound breeds. The day will end with the Best in Show competition. See the complete schedule here.
Want to see what Day One of Crufts is like? This video shows some of the best highlights from Day One in 2015.
How Many Dogs Will Participate?
(Picture Credit: Getty Images)More than 22,000 dogs will be competing for Best in Show this year from 47 countries. Venezuela, Peru, and the Philippines will be competing for the very first time. All these entrants mean that more than 200 breeds will be represented! You can view a complete list of all participating breeds here.
If you’re interested in knowing which breed has the highest number of entrants in each category, here’s what we have:
- Gundog Category: Labrador Retriever with 588 entrants
- Hounds: Whippet with 397 entries
- Pastoral Dogs: Border Collie with 359 contestants
- Terriers: Staffordshire Bull Terrier with 410 entrants
- Toy Category: Cavalier King Charles Spaniel with 322 entrants
- Utility Dogs: Bulldog with 245 contestants
- Working Dogs: Boxer with 236 entries.
Bite-Sized Crufts History
Crufts has a lot of fascinating history behind it. Did you know about these bite-sized facts?
- The very first Crufts dog show was held in 1891 with 2,437 entries and 36 breeds. Can you believe how much it’s grown?
- Crufts did not have a dog show from 1918-1920 because of World War I. Similarly, Crufts was not held from 1940-1947 because of World War II.
- Best In Show started in 1928.
- In 1939, Charles Cruft’s wife took over. After that year, she sold the show to the UK Kennel Club.
- Crufts was first televised in 1950 on BBC.
- 1972 marked the Winter of Discontent, where Crufts had a shortened show under low light. One commentator said it was a chance to forget the troubles of the world.
- In 2001, Crufts was moved from March to May because of Foot and Mouth Disease.
- 2009 marked the first year that Crufts was streamed online.
- In 2012, vet checks were required before awards could be confirmed. This continues today.
Crufts Amazing Facts
Now that you know pretty much everything about Crufts, here are few crazy stories that you might find hard to believe:
One huge rule for Crufts that’s different from many American shows is that handlers aren’t allowed to pick their dog up by the tail during competition. But the 2015 Best in Show winner did just that with her Scottish Terrier Knopa. Rebecca Cross, an American dog handler, said it was just habit. But more than 100,000 people signed an online petition asking for her to be stripped of her title. Crufts gave her a warning but declined to remove her big win. You can see a video of the beautiful Best in Show 2015 winner here.
Also in 2015, the award ceremony for Crufts was disrupted by a protester running onto stage just as the Best in Show Winner was awarded. The protester carried a sign reading, “Mutts Against Crufts” and had to be carried off the stage.
The breed of dog to win Best in Show the most is the English Cocker Spaniel, with seven wins. Interestingly, six of these wins were from the same owner and breeder, Herbert Summers Lloyd.
Only four dogs have ever won Best in Show more than once. Three of those were also English Cocker Spaniels owned by Herbert Summers Lloyd.
Since 1950, only one dog owner won the Best in Show title more than once. That honor went to Jackie Lorimer, who won in 1993 with her Irish Setter and in 1999 with the Irish Setter’s son.
You can see a complete list of all breeds that have won Crufts Best in Show here. Sadly, one of the breeds that’s never won is the beloved Boxer.
The Jack Russell Terrier was never allowed to compete in Crufts. But in 2015, the UK’s Kennel Club recognized the dog as a pedigree breed for the first time, taking effect January 1, 2016. Interestingly, some Jack Russell owners are mad about the decision, saying it goes against the dogs’ nature as charming “rogues and scallywags.”
Will you be watching the show? Which breed would you like to see win Best in Show? Let us know in the comments below!
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