Crufts - Tips and Advice

[Riverlee]

I’m going to Crufts next week. It’ll be my first visit. So excited.

Can anyone give me top tips and advice as to what to see? How to avoid crowds? Do you have to queue to get seats? Etc

Apart from seeing it on tv, and that’s really only the main arena, I have no idea how it’s set up, what to do, so any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

What day are you going? The week will
be quieter and easy to get seats, the weekend, allow time!
Agility, flyball and the working dog displays were the most busy when I went last.
Give yourself a few hours to do the discover dogs bit!

Get a catalogue so you can work out what you want to see. There lots going on.

It's very noisy and crowded so be prepared for that.

Have a budget if you want to buy dog stuff at the trade stands.

Going Friday.

You mention it being crowded, is there a quieter time to do certain areas?

Husband has threatened to confiscate my credit cards!

Oh how exciting! I think it's Gundog day?

I'm going on the Thursday, haven't been since 2018 so really looking forward to it.

I take my own drinks & packed lunch as the food outlets are often pretty busy, & expensive.

The itinery for this year is to make our way to the breed judging so I can meet up with the breeder of my future pup, will probably also catch up with a couple of my friends who will also be showing that day.

Then off to the trade stands for a bit- I have a shopping list & have written down the halls & stand numbers of the shops I want to visit.

Then we'll probably go & spend an hour or 2 in the main arena eating our packups.

Lastly, a look around Discover Dogs.

Oh yes echo PP on taking own food and drink, the is EXTORTIONATE inside

We're going in Saturday! First time for us too. It's working & pastoral breeds that day. But we're there going mainly to visit Discover Dogs to learn about the breeds we're interested in

Definitely take food and drink. And wear your most comfortable shoes. Get a list of stalls and don’t let him take those cards!!

Yes, gundog day, and I can always use Apple Pay…

Fly all and agility get really just but well worth the wait.

I loved seeing all the different breeds of dogs and talking to the owners

@WoodBurningStov Do you have to queue to watch these, or is it fairly easy to get seats? If queue, any advice when you should start queuing?

Silly question, does the venue get hot? Just thinking of what to wear.

It’s never quiet! Always crowds & queues
I can’t give much advice as a visitor as, although it’s been a few years since I last attended now, it was always with my dogs as entrants in the breed classes so know nothing of watching stuff like flyball.
Just generally take food & drinks as always queues & expensive. Don’t wait till last minute to queue for toilets 😂 & , if you have dogs of your own, take lots of money as you’ll never be more tempted by the trade stands than you will at Crufts. It’s a long day, well it was for us as you had to be in & benched early morning & a late deadline as to when you could leave though that’s the same at all Championship shows, can’t arrive & leave as you please if you’re entered. So comfy shoes & it can get hot with all the crowds. The final day is always the most packed.

@Riverlee we didn’t have to queue, but the closer to the start time the less choice you have in your seats, bit of a free for all. We got to the arena about half an hour before fly ball (we took sarnies and had a bit of a picnic) and got cracking seats, but it filled up quickly with the rubbish viewing ones to be filled last

The main arena is quieter in the morning so it's quick and easy to get amazing seats. It gets busier as the day goes on. The food is horrible - take your own. Discover dogs is great. The shopping used to be great but I think they have gone more down the humanisation route now which is a shame - it used to be a great place to discover new products with trade prices! Wear comfortable clothes. It tends to err on the colder side as it's better for the dogs. Don't let yourself get desperate for the loo as there are queues.

I have never bothered about the showing but just walked past the ring. That said, until now I have always had mongrels and now a pedigree so I'd probably be more interested now - my dog's dad will be there ;)

I'm jealous. I have been three times.

I much prefer mutts as well, but I've fallen in love with my rescue purebred & as I'm taking a break from the difficult, damaged rescue project dogs I seem to end up with (I love them all, but each one has taken a lot of work), I've decided to get a well bred dog to compete in sport & dabble in showing.

I guess they’ll have to re-names Mutts. As Mutts and mongrels don’t seem to exist any more. They’re all ‘Oodles’ or ‘…a-poos!’

Mutts aren’t very common now - like you I have a lot of contact with various rescue dogs through my hobby and most are first gen crosses who quite honestly seem to have more behavioural and health issues than even mediocre bred pedigrees. Lurchers being the exception. For the first time we’ve gone well bred pedigree (not able to rescue after several years of trying) but would have loved a proper mutt if one had become available.

How exciting! I'd agree - take plenty of food and drink to avoid paying extortionate prices and having to queue for food. Look at the programme in advance (online) so you can plan which events you want to see (use the time watching events to eat the packed lunch/snacks!). It is massive, so allow plenty of time to walk to the Main arena and get seated before the events you want to see. There is never enough time to get round everything you will want to see (get there as early as possible!), so you may need to narrow it down and focus on what you really want to get out of the day (watching a particular event, discover dogs, shopping..) and allocate a rough amount of time for each.

It’s set up over 5 halls. Sometimes to get from one hall to the other, it’s easier leave, get your hand stamped and walk across the concourse and go back in. Definitely the case between halls 1 and 5.

Its mainly show rings with trade stands in each hall. Then there is the main ring and food outlets. Discover dogs takes up a big chunk of space. The earlier you go to the main ring the more likely you’ll get a seat but people do come and go all day.

It is very crowded at the weekends. Still busy on Thursday/Friday but less so.

Don’t wait until you’re desperate for the loo. The ladies is always busy.

Take comfy shoes and it does get warm in the halls. There is a cloakroom to check in coats if you need to. It’s just at the bottom
if the steps coming down from the train station.

speak to owners but always ask owners if you can talk to and touch the dogs. Don’t be miffed if they say no. They may be about to go in the ring.

I’ll be there on the Saturday with one of my rotties.
Definitely wear comfy shoes, you will walk miles! And yes to taking food and drink, so expensive there and long queues.
Most importantly, have fun! There is so much to see, and so many lovely dogs.

We're going on the Friday and will be first timers so really happy to find this thread! I'm so excited, I've wanted to go ever since I was a kid 🙂

@Fivebyfive2 Me too. I think there’s hardly a year I’ve not watched Best in Show on tv (and played the annual, Which-dog-would -I-choose? V which-dog-is-going-to-win? Game)

Hi Riverlee, found the thread!
Echo what others have said, take your own food- prices are extortionate and the food not to good.
Wear very comfortable shoes, you’ll do a lot of walking, especially around the various stalls and discover dogs, it also gets very warm inside.
Fridays are usually a little quieter but be prepared to queue, giving yourself plenty of time especially if you want to watch flyball etc.
There are 5 halls all together plus the main arena, you’ll find plenty of displays in each hall at various times, get yourself a programme and spend time organising what you want to see.
Feel free to wander around the benching areas, but ask before you pet any dogs - some breeds take a lot of preparation.
Have fun, I will happily talk to you if you find who I am and my dog absolutely adores cuddles!
Oh and the toilets get very busy!!

Best in Show is sadly all for TV now. Most exhibitors, if not all cannot be bothered with the fanfare, lighting, trumpeters etc. Showing is not like that.

This is just a personal opinion as I’ve been showing at Crufts for years, decades even.
I liked it much better when it was at Earls Court. Far smaller so much less tiring & less walking, no flyball etc. Then it moved to Olympia before going to it’s current home.
It’s a very, very long day for the dogs. The breed judging starts very early with the first classes at 8am in many breeds if your breed is first in the ring, they do more than one breed in some rings. So you need to be in far earlier to let your dogs settle after a long journey & get them ready, mine take lots of grooming, & you can’t leave early & if you get through to the group that’s quite late in the day.
Personal opinion, so don’t jump on me, I think it would be far better if all the things like flyball, agility, dancing dogs were a separate event completely on a different week. So Crufts could go back to being as it was first instigated a breed show, with some obedience, the culmination of the year of all the other Championship Shows. Now it seems set up more for visitors than exhibitors & their dogs, the breed judging seems to take a back seat almost, especially in the TV coverage as they show very little apart from the group judging & best in show.