Kennel Club Breeders Competition finalists head to Crufts 2019

The top 40 teams which have qualified throughout 2018 in the Kennel Club Breeders Competition will be heading to Crufts 2019 for the final to be judged by Paul Harding, well-known Bulldog and French Bulldog breeder.

The final will be held on the Friday of Crufts, 8th March, at the NEC Birmingham. Pre-judging will take place in rings 1 and 2 in hall 1 at 1.30pm and the final will be judged in the main arena at 6pm. Teams need not arrive at the venue prior to 12.30pm.

The Kennel Club announced a new and exciting format for the competition in 2018, offering prize money sponsored by Agria Pet Insurance. Heats took place at every general and group championship show throughout the year, with points being given for first to fourth place.

Tom Mather, Crufts Chairman, said: “The Breeders Competition has proved itself to be a very popular feature at Crufts since its inception at the show in 2011. The competition is always a sight to behold with all the breeders’ teams competing in the main arena, and we hope that the new competition helps to provide the opportunity for breeders to showcase their pedigree breeds and stockmanship, while at the same time promoting the importance of ensuring dogs are bred to lead long, healthy lives.”

Sarah White, Agria Pet Insurance Breeder Channel Manager, said: “It has been a pleasure for Agria to sponsor the competition again this year and we are very much looking forward to seeing the finalists in all their glory at Crufts. I am proud to be a part of British dog breeding and we have a reputation for producing some of the very best dogs of the highest standard in the world, so we are certain that the final will be a great spectacle with our top breeders showcasing their love and passion for their breed in the main arena. What a fantastic way to promote all that is great about the breeding of pedigree dogs!”

Points have been recorded and published by Our Dogs, the media partner for the competition, who will invite the top 40 teams to compete in the final once the last points have been tallied at the end of 2018. Each team competing in the final will comprise three or four dogs of one breed, all bred by the same breeder or breeding partnership.

Find out more about the Kennel Club Breeders Competition, which will have qualifying heats again in 2019.