Dog Shows in England

There are a number of dog shows held in England every year. Many of these are sponsored and held under the rules of The Kennel Club, which like the American Kennel Club oversees the registration and evaluation of purebred dogs. There are also obedience shows and shows for working dogs, such as pulling and sheepherding shows.

  1. Crufts

    • The world's largest dog show is Crufts, which is held every March at the Birmingham National Exhibition Centre. The show lasts four days and includes thousands of dogs from all over Great Britain and Europe. More than 200 breeds of dogs can be entered into the show. Tickets are available in September for the next spring's show.

    International Agility Festival

    • The Kennel Club holds an International Agility Festival in August. For four days, dogs from all over the world compete on agility courses, which include teeter-totters, ramps, jumps, and tunnels that the dogs must navigate at their owners' command. In 2010, the festival will be held at Kelmarsh Hall in Northamptonshire. Both purebred and mixed-breed dogs can compete in the festival, which has separate events for young dog handlers and dogs new to agility trials.

    Scruffts

    • For mixed-breed dogs there is the Scruffts dog show, in which dogs compete for Most Handsome Crossbreed Dog, Prettiest Crossbreed Bitch, Child's Best Friend, and Golden Oldie Crossbreed (8 years or older). Winners from regional competitions meet nationally in London in November at the annual Discover Dogs show.

    Other events

    • The Discover Dogs show also includes flyball competitions and heelwork to music competitions. The Kennel Club schedules bloodhound trials and field and gundog trials throughout the year that are open to the public.