To rant about Crufts?

[GreenSnot]

I want to rant about Crufts.

Firstly - the judging. Every year the judging is completely biased. Yesterday in the working group when the judge was introduced as a breeder of Samoyed dogs I said to DH immediately “the winner will be a husky type dog”. Sure enough, the winner was the Siberian husky with a similar husky type dog coming second. I think it was the Scottish terrier a few years ago where the breeder was introduced as a breeder of Scottish terriers - of course the Scottish terrier won. It’s ridiculous and so fucking obvious!! I’m in a lot of Facebook dog breed groups and they were all saying which dogs would win the various groups as it goes by who the judge is, who they know and who is friends with who. They were all right! The dogs who they said would win, won. Will the bias and unfair judging ever stop??

2nd point - why the fuck do handlers drag their dogs around by pulling on their necks making the dog run in a stupid unnatural gait? Surely the whole point is to see how the dog moves naturally? Yesterday behind us a husky was choking due to the way it’s neck was being pulled and the Dobermanns were running around looking like they were being literally hung. Why don’t they let them move naturally?! Surely that’s the whole point??

3rd point - still ridiculous levels of sloping backs on the German shepherds making their gait look like the dog is lame. Will this ever stop?!

AIBU? Anyone that agrees with the way crufts works please inform me of why I’m wrong!

Kennel club and crafts should be banned for encouraging breeding based on looks and nothing based on health to the breed. Simple.

Don’t support them !

Crufts should be banned. The extreme overbreeding of pedigree dogs has resulted to numerous health and welfare problems which the kennel club just ignores or even denies.

YANBU
I’ve always thought that judges should judge outside their group to avoid bias.

As for dragging the dogs around and sloping GSDs, whenever humans are involved in anything there are issues.

why the fuck do handlers drag their dogs around by pulling on their necks making the dog run in a stupid unnatural gait? Surely the whole point is to see how the dog moves naturally? Yesterday behind us a husky was choking due to the way it’s neck was being pulled and the Dobermanns were running around looking like they were being literally hung. Why don’t they let them move naturally?! Surely that’s the whole point??

This one's just cunty handlers and dogs who don't like to show. Watch the toy dogs and (almost) none of them will be dragged.

Crufts as an exhibition with the stands and where you can meet all the different breeds etc is fantastic. But I agree show standards aren't always great.

However to the PP who said health isn't considered, it is. And they're changing some of their requirements to ensure all dogs are healthy and only healthy dogs are breeding.

Have any of you Crufts haters ever been to a dog show? Pedigree dogs who are at Crufts have been health tested, checked, and would be disqualified if found to be suffering from illness

I’ve been showing dogs for years, and although there are corrupt judges, if a dog is a stand out winner to you then it will be a stand out dog to the judge.

Crufts is an amazing experience, I would recommend going and you will change your mind. The dogs are so loved, and most dogs love showing. One of mine would be horrified if I left her behind.

The stringing up part I do agree with though. It’s become really prevalent in my breed just recently and I hate it. It makes for pitter patter movement

I’m going to start a post on “AMA” about Crufts so any more questions feel free to get me over there.

The Kennel Club is responsible for so much animal cruelty. The whole concept of breeds is dodgy. Fair enough, years ago you needed certain types of dogs for certain jobs, but with a few exceptions (guide dogs, service dogs, working sheep dogs) that no longer applies. The breeds are just human vanity inflicted on an animal. I would get rid of the Kennel Club and all its shitty breed standards. Dogs can still be bred for working, wherethe ability to do the job is paramount, there should be no stupid arbitary standard or type to conform to. It is so called dog loving gone perverse, obsessive and cruel.

@DogsNotMen

Have any of you Crufts haters ever been to a dog show? Pedigree dogs who are at Crufts have been health tested, checked, and would be disqualified if found to be suffering from illness

I’ve been showing dogs for years, and although there are corrupt judges, if a dog is a stand out winner to you then it will be a stand out dog to the judge.

Crufts is an amazing experience, I would recommend going and you will change your mind. The dogs are so loved, and most dogs love showing. One of mine would be horrified if I left her behind.

The stringing up part I do agree with though. It’s become really prevalent in my breed just recently and I hate it. It makes for pitter patter movement

I’m going to start a post on “AMA” about Crufts so any more questions feel free to get me over there.

I was there yesterday for the working breeds. To me the obvious winner of the group was the Dobermann. It had a perfect stance (without being dragged) and perfect proportions, perfectly behaved, brilliant example of the breed. The Newfoundland appeared to be a clear winner too, as did the Tibetan mastiff But no … the judge liked his huskys.

The discover dogs area was brilliant and we met a gorgeous Flandres there. Was very touched when I went to meet the Irish Wolfhound but he ignored me as he was more interested in fussing children ❤️

But yeah, the actual show judging part is silly and the bitching that goes on … Christ!

I’ll see you over on AMA

I’m torn because you’re right about the GSD breeding but thst husky was gorgeous and quite the character…

I agree with you. Plus it’s often sponsored by brands that test on animals. Often beagles.

I hate it.

I’m pretty sure I heard some subtle booing when the Russian Terrier came on too, which is sickening. I felt so sorry for the handler.

Why are German Shepherds bred with sloping backs?

I agree with point 1.
I am well into K9 sports but find the show ring very much about who you know, who bread your dog and who the judge is.
The rest is just the KC being the KC....

The posters spouting the crufts and kennel club propaganda may wish to apply to Putin's cabinet ASAP.

I love watching Crufts for Flyball and Agility, but the breeding to show standard deformity is horrible. I have a breed where I avoid anything show standard or with KC registration as it's no longer healthy or able to do the job it's originally bred to do.

“Pedigree dogs who are at Crufts have been health tested, checked, and would be disqualified if found to be suffering from illness.”

No they haven’t. I was exhibiting at Crufts yesterday and will be again at the weekend - there are no mandatory health tests for participation in breed showing.

Only the best of breed winner, i.e a single dog of that breed, in a tiny handful of category 3 breeds, undergoes a cursory (visual, hands-off) veterinary inspection before the group judging - and this no longer includes the French bulldog.

@HeadNorth

The Kennel Club is responsible for so much animal cruelty. The whole concept of breeds is dodgy. Fair enough, years ago you needed certain types of dogs for certain jobs, but with a few exceptions (guide dogs, service dogs, working sheep dogs) that no longer applies. The breeds are just human vanity inflicted on an animal. I would get rid of the Kennel Club and all its shitty breed standards. Dogs can still be bred for working, wherethe ability to do the job is paramount, there should be no stupid arbitary standard or type to conform to. It is so called dog loving gone perverse, obsessive and cruel.

Totally agree

I know I’m missing the point but is Crufts on TV? My dog would love to watch it 🙈.

I was there yesterday for the working breeds

Why are you supporting it?

I used to go to Crufts. I originally went because I wanted a specific breed and was having a lot of trouble finding a breeder who was going to have puppies available.

I got to know some breeders and was chatting to them during one of the groups one year. I commented that the dog currently showing looked a bit "cow-hocked" when you saw it walking from behind.

They agreed and one of them commented that if "that dog was any more cow-hocked, its back legs would be crossed, but it'll still win".

I asked why it would win if it was so poor. The answer came "Because the breeder's son is marrying the judge's daughter".

I was shocked, but it became clear over the years that certain breeders were chummy with other breeders and vice versa and they would always favour one another's dogs. In numerically small breeds, with fewer breeders, it's more apparent, but I know a couple of breeders of more numerous breeds and they say it's just as bad.

I agree about the health issues and think that the KC should do a lot more about addressing them. Dogs with above average hip scores (in breeds where hip dysplasia is an issue) should be ineligible for competition, for example. In some breeds, the breed clubs have done great work on reducing health issues.

But selective breeding does give a certain amount of predictability and without breeders breeding to a standard, that would be lost. And we would lose many of our rare breeds, like the wonderful otterhound, Sealyham terriers and field spaniels.

Which would be very sad imo.

@DogsNotMen

*Crufts is an amazing experience, I would recommend going and you will change your mind. The dogs are so loved, and most dogs love showing. One of mine would be horrified if I left her behind.
*
Ha ha! Are you serious? She's a dog. She is not going to be horrified if you didn't take her to Crufts. She wouldn't know!!!!!

@LadyCatStark

I know I’m missing the point but is Crufts on TV? My dog would love to watch it 🙈.

Well I was watching it yesterday evening, so yes it is.

The real difference here is about breeders who care vs breeders who don't.

My dog qualified for Crufts but hated showing, so his breeder sold him because she didn't have room for more pet dogs, however she does have a number of pets and a number of show/breeding dogs.

She'll never sell a dog from one of her litters before she knows whether they're show quality. If they're not show quality, or don't like to show, she'll sell them to pet homes.

She won't give anyone KC papers until they've proven the dogs have been neutered - because she doesn't want people breeding her dogs who don't know what they're doing.

@MrsLegend
She wouldn't know
You'd be surprised. To a dog, a certain pattern of preparation tells them what is in the offing. My dogs knows the difference between me getting ready for a walk and going for a long training session. I think the older one has also worked out the difference between training session prep and prep for going beating.

I’ve been to crufts several times and I’ve really enjoyed it there. I love the shopping and discover dogs.

I like watching the fly ball, agility and heel work to music.

I agree that some dogs look badly bred, and some really don’t enjoy being in the ring.

I’ve usually gone on toy day, and it’s the handler trying to keep up with the dog not the other way round.

Crufts seems to encourage inbreeding and unhealthy dogs. It's weird.