A team of Labrador Retrievers won the Obreedience competition at the world’s biggest dog event, Crufts, on Thursday 6 March.
The Labrador team, named The Labrapaws, proved themselves more obedient than the nine other breed teams that made it to the final at Crufts, held at the NEC in Birmingham, which was judged by Jen Wyatt. The other finalists were as follows:
- MRU – Manchester Terriers
- The Golden Acorns – Golden Retrievers
- Cool Cockers – Cocker Spaniels
- The Supernovas – Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers
- The Russellers – Jack Russell Terriers
- Spring It On – English Springer Spaniels
- The Wagtails – Cavalier King Charles Spaniels
- Dashastic – Dachshunds
- Stafford Stars – Staffordshire Bull Terriers
Obreedience, an exciting team obedience competition, was introduced at Crufts 2014 as a special display event. Now in its eleventh year as an official competition, Obreedience continues to grow and entertain the crowds that come along to support their favourite breeds.
The winning team members were:
- Alexandra Turner (team captain) with Tau (Tau Bonnievale at Jakkalsrooi) from Evesham, Worcestershire
- Tracey Hinsley (team captain) with Purdey (Purdey Christmas Pudding) from Evesham, Worcestershire
- Samantha Woods with Harley (Quinn Jet) from Bicester, Oxfordshire
- Kaye Littlehales with Richie (Kaliture Appollo of Kayendor) from Wrexham, North Wales
- Jane Hudson-Evans with Nell (Bredonedge Kite) from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire
- Faith Woods with Raven (Raven Wings) from Bicester, Oxfordshire
The team’s captain Alexandra Turner said of the team win: “It’s amazing, we had amazing teamwork. All of our friends and fellow competitors were also brilliant and the camaraderie with us all was great. It’s a whole family here so it’s nice. This has been a long time coming, and I couldn’t even look at the scores, it was great.”
Helen Kerfoot, Crufts Show Manager, said: “Congratulations to all the owners and dogs of the Labrapaws team on their impressive win at Crufts! The team showcased an exceptional level of training and obedience, and the bond between each dog and their owner was evident.”
Each Obreedience team comprised four handlers and dogs, who took part in two rounds. The first was a heelwork round completed as a group, with the dogs being assessed on their ability to complete different moves whilst remaining synchronised with their teammates. The second round featured four set exercises and each member needed to successfully complete one of the four different exercises. Points were deducted for any faults and the team with the most points won. The exercises were a retrieve (handler’s own article), a send to bed, stop the dog, and scent over articles.
For further details about Obreedience, please visit here.
Crufts took place from 6 – 9 March 2025 at the NEC, Birmingham. For more information and results from the show, visit Crufts website.