National or International

Just curious at to what people think about
Crufts,whether,it was better as a National
show,or as an International show?,I preferred
it as a National show.

if t was a national show it would be smaller, as the number of dog owners that wished to display their dogs at 'beauty pageants' (sorry dont know the actual name) was dropping year by year.
its like church, one of those things that is seen as old fashioned and middle aged middle england (generally speaking)

DOG SHOWS

The number of dogs exhibited at Crufts has never varied that much and it was not a deciding factor in opening up Crufts to international exhibitors....that came with the introduction of pet passports making it possible for non UK exhibitors to travel over here without having to quaranteen their dogs.
Personally I think that having it open to all comers can only be a good thing...to see how dogs from abroad measure up to ours can only be of help to breeders

You obviously know nothing about the show world. ...its as strong as ever and still enjoyed by thousands! The credit crunch may be causing people to tighten their belts but it doesn't stop us exhibiting our dogs and enjoying a day out with our dogs and like minded freinds

It is not the dogs from abroad that worry me but rather the grooming and handling method that I hope will not rub off on us but fear they will.

As to the numbers I think they have gone up year on year anyway, first the introduction of a qualifying award then a move from London to Birmingham for more space and twice the hire of an extra hall at the NEC, no there has been no reduction in numbers in fact a reduction in numbers would be a good idea but that would mean different and tighter qualifying awards, perhaps not a bad thing in it's self.

They are called "Dog Shows" and not sure where you get your statistics that they are falling in numbers

From my understanding , and what I see they are far from falling.

As to Crufts being "National" or International" it makes little difference to me.. I still enjoy it. the number of exhibitors where at its highest this yr... maybe due to the overseas visitors , maybe not.

Cant say I have noticed a decline in shows around the country throughout last yr..or this so far.

me either....

me too!!!!!!!

Having dogs entered from overseas has added an extra excitement to the show. Maybe it's given a wake-up call to exhibitors in some breeds who now realise that British isn't always best, and that's no bad thing.

But it has also given us a chance to see some of the best dogs from around the world. It's so expensive to bring a dog to the UK that most exhibitors wouldn't bother unless they have a really good example of the breed. Take the Sealyham that went BIS - he is regarded by many long-term experts as the best they have ever seen. It's a real privilege to see such dogs in the flesh rather than just in photographs.

Really? thats strange, Crufts had its 3rd biggest entry ever this year, so did our breed club limit show and group open show, so not sure where you get those figures from?

Last year, mainly early part saw a reduction in entries, due to the present climate, it quickly recovered though and as I said is doing just great now.

International for me, the more the merrier!