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Why is Crufts Called Crufts?


You will find Mantrailing UK at Crufts in Hall 2 - Stand 10a.


We will answer any questions that you might have about Mantrailing, our workshops and our instructor course. Our Mantrailing UK merchandise will be available to buy including our new range and you will be able to enter a competition for the golden ticket at the stand.


Head instructor & founder, Lisa Gorenflo, will also be introducing the new Mantrailing harnesses live for Julius K9.


Have you ever wondered what Crufts is and why it is called that in the first place?


Here´s your answer.


"Crufts is an umbrella term for an international canine event held annually in the United Kingdom. Crufts is centred on a championship conformation show for dogs but also includes a large trade show of mainly dog-related goods and services and competitions in dog agility, obedience, flyball and heelwork to music.

The event is organised and hosted by the Kennel Club. It is held over four days (Thursday to Sunday) in early March at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Birmingham, England. The highest profile dog show in British culture, it is the largest show of its kind in the world, as declared by Guinness World Records.

Crufts consists of several competitions occurring at the same time. The main competition is for the Best in Show award, which is hotly contested by dogs and their owners throughout the world.


Crufts was named after its founder, Charles Cruft, who worked as general manager for a dog biscuit manufacturer, travelling to dog shows both in the United Kingdom and internationally, which allowed him to establish contacts and understand the need for higher standards for dog shows.In 1886, Cruft's first dog show, billed as the "First Great Terrier Show", had 57 classes and 600 entries. The first show named "Crufts"—"Cruft's Greatest Dog Show"—was held at the Royal Agricultural Hall, Islington, in 1891. It was the first at which all breeds were invited to compete, with around 2,000 dogs and almost 2,500 entries.



With the close of the 19th century, entries had risen to over 3,000, including royal patronage from various European countries and Russia. Due to the First World War, the show was not held between 1918 and 1920. In 1928, the Best In Show class was introduced and awarded to a Greyhound named Primley Sceptre, shown by Herbert Whitley, the founder of what is now Paignton Zoo. The show continued annually and gained popularity each year until Charles' death in 1938. His widow ran the show for four years until she felt unable to do so due to its high demands of time and effort. To ensure the future and reputation of the show (and, of course, her husband's work), she sold it to The Kennel Club in 1942.


In 1936, "The Jubilee Show" had 10,650 entries with the number of breeds totalling 80. The show was again interrupted by the Second World War, therefore the 1948 show was the first to be held under the new owner and was held at Olympia in London, where it continued to gain popularity with each passing year, the BBC first televising the show in 1950. The 1954 competition was cancelled due to an electricians' strike. In 1959, despite an increase in entrance fees, the show set a new world record with 13,211 entrants.


The first Obedience Championships were held in 1955, the same year working sheepdogs were first allowed to enter. In 1978, agility was introduced as a demonstration, to later become a competition in 1980, with an international invitational competition added in 2001. In 1985, the Young Kennel Club was founded to promote dog handling among a younger demographic. Flyball was introduced in 1990, and in 1992, the first Heelwork to Music demonstration was carried out by Mary Ray. A shift in the emphasis of the kennel club led to the establishment of the Discover Dogs display encouraging responsible dog ownership in 1994, and Rescue Dog Agility in 2000.


By 1979, the show had to be moved to Earls Court exhibition centre as the increasing number of entries and spectators had outgrown the capacity of its previous venue. Soon, the show had to be changed again — the duration had to be increased to three days in 1982, then again in 1987 to four days as the popularity continued to increase. Since 1991, the show has been held in the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, the first time the show had moved out of London since its inception.


It was also at the Centenary celebrations in 1991 that Crufts was officially recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's largest dog show with 22,973 dogs being exhibited in conformation classes that year. Including agility and other events, it is estimated that an average 28,000 dogs take part in Crufts each year, with an estimated 160,000 human visitors attending the show."


(credit to: Wikipedia)


We are looking forward to seeing you there!


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