Spotlight On... Flyball at Crufts!

Most dog sports involve one dog and one handler competing against other dog-and-human duos. Flyball is unique in the fact that it is a team sport, made up of four dogs and four humans per team. Two teams race against each other to see who can complete the flyball run the quickest: four jumps up to a tennis ball box, release the ball and jump back again. Agility jumps and tennis balls- my favourite.

I have actually tried flyball and it is a lot, lot harder than it seems. One week, we turned up to a London flyball club, expecting that, as a slightly tennis ball- obsessed dog, I'd be up for running to grab the ball. Ah, well... No. My humans had this crazed idea that I would follow their instructions- er, who do you think I am? One jump and no more, tennis ball or no tennis ball. Now, my humans watch the flyball competitions in awe of their skill.

Flyball was introduced to Crufts in 1990, after the sport grew rapidly in popularity in the USA. The sport is similar to a human relay- the dog must complete their run back and forth before the next dog can do his run. If a dog doesn't bring back the ball or misses a jump, he must re-run, potentially adding time that could result in a loss. The first team to have all four dogs complete the run successfully win and this is repeated up to three times. At Crufts, the winning team goes through to the next heat, until the final. 

If you happen to be visiting Crifts when flyball is going on, I definitely recommend giving it a watch. It's loud, quick and pretty wild, making it a very exciting event indeed. Make sure you check out The Kennel Club website for more information on how you can get involved in flyball.

COMPETITION NOTICE: the competition to win one of two pairs of tickets to the world's biggest dog show, Crufts, on 10-13th March is now closed. The winners have been selected so entrants should keep checking the post to see if they were one of the lucky winners... I truly do wish that you could have all been winners - thank you for your entries!

Less than two weeks until Crufts now...!

Talk soon, Jasper x

For more information about Crufts, visit www.crufts.org.uk.

To gettickets to the dog show, click here. 

Remember: all children under the age of 12 get in FREE!

10 Reasons Why You Won't Want to Miss Crufts 2016!

With just over one month until Crufts takes place at the NEC, Birmingham, it is time to get organised. Of course, you can just turn up to the show and decide what you want to see and do there and then but, in my house, we plan which events we want to watch as soon as the schedules are made available. For example, our whole Crufts experience evolves around the Southern Golden Retriever Display Team, who are taking centre stage on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th March in the Main Arena (don't miss them!).

Here are ten reasons why this year's Crufts is a must-go-to event in the dog calendar- see you there!

1. It's Crufts' Birthday: this year, celebrations will be going all out as we commemorate 125 years of Crufts dog show. It promises to be a very special year...
2. I've mentioned them already in this post, and this certainly won't be the last you hear of them this year, but the Southern Goldies Display Team are always the highlight of the Main Arena for me. A bunch of happy retrievers trotting along to pop music, whilst performing obedience tricks. Amazing.
3. The shopping. Oh my paws. If you're one of the many people who prefers buying things for their dogs than themselves, you will love the array of stalls at Crufts. Halls and halls of dog beds, dog jewellery, dog treats and dog toys... Oh, I love Crufts.
4. There are a number of display rings at Crufts and one of my favourites is the Young Kennel Club ring. Watching young dog handlers and their beloved pets compete against one another in the same exciting sports as the adults is truly inspiring and always great to view.
5. The Discover Dogs zone welcomes over 200 different breeds of dog for you to meet and greet. From the popular English Springer Spaniel (ah, yes, that's me) to the rare Hungarian Puli, try and have a snuggle with as many varieties of dogs as possible!
   
6. On Day 2 of Crufts (Friday 11th March), the Vulnerable Breeds competition takes place in the Main Arena to raise awareness of the breeds that are currently in decline in terms of ownership.  Often, the breeds in the competition will be of a surprise: some you may never have even heard of, and some you may never have expected to be a vulnerable will take part.
7. You have the chance to meet celebrity dogs. Remember Harvey from the Dogs Trust advert? My humans have met him at Crufts- and you could too! Many famous dogs from the Internet, the small screen and big screen all flock to the world's biggest dog show to meet their adoring fans. They might even give you their pawtograph (if you're lucky...!)
8. Free stuff: every year, my humans scavenge around every stall in the NEC for complimentary samples, magazines and even the odd free toy. Last year, when I went, I joined in, finding every dog bowl of food on the floor- so good.
9. It's international: in 2015, 2,995 dogs FLEW to Crufts to compete. Ever wanted to meet an actual Australian Kelpie, a truly Siberian Husky or a Chinese Pekingnese? Well, there's no place more likely than Crufts (apart from the original country of the breed, perhaps)!
10. Want to be able to say that you've been to the biggest dog show on the planet? I thought so. Each year, Crufts welcomes tens of thousands of visitors from across the globe into the mad world of dogs- and one of them could be you.

My humans are attending the show on Saturday 12th March and can't wait to see you there!

Talk soon, 

Jasper x

If you would like more information on Crufts 2016, visit www.crufts.org.uk

To buy tickets to the show, click here and, remember, under 12s get into Crufts for FREE!

125 YEARS OF CRUFTS!

As it is now February, we can officially say that the world's largest dog show, Crufts, is next month!

On 10-13th March 2016, tens of thousands of dogs will be taking to The NEC, Birmingham, to compete in a range of competitions, from agility to heelwork to music to Best in Show! As many of you will have now realised, my humans and I are slightly fanatical about the dog show; last year, you may remember, my humans even managed to get me a dog pass into the show to experience the life of a show dog!

Picture from www.crufts.org.uk

This year is a particularly special year for Crufts, as the show turns a whooping 125 years of age. Yup, the dog show began right back in 1891, when Charles Cruft booked out the Royal Agricultural Hall in Islington for three days from 11th to 13th February. The first year of Crufts had 2,437 entries across 36 breeds of dog- quite different to the 30,000+ dogs that visit the show each year now!

The show has also moved venue since its first staging: in 1948, Crufts moved to Olympia, London, under Kennel Club auspices after Charles Cruft passed away and, in 1979, the show moved again to Earls Court, as it grew in size. 100 years after the first show and Crufts moved yet again into the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, where it has taken place ever since.

Arguably the biggest title of the weekend is Best in Show, which is awarded to one dog out of every breed entry on the Sunday night of the event. Although Crufts now would not seem the same without this prestigious award, I was very surprised to learn that Best in Show was only first held in 1928, with a Greyhound named Primley Sceptre taking home the prize. Since then, 77 more dogs have won Best in Show, with the most recent winner being little Scottish Terrier Knopa.

With Crufts just a few weeks away, people are now placing their bets on which breed 2016's Best in Show winner will be. As usual, I am very hopeful for a fellow English Springer Spaniel to take home the trophy but we just going to have to wait and see...

Learn more about the history of Crufts since it began in this adorable video, here:

My humans cannot wait to attend this year's anniversary Crufts and hope to see you there!

Talk soon, Jasper x

For more information on Crufts, visit www.crufts.org.uk

To get tickets to the show, click here. 

It's definitely worth booking your tickets in advance as, not only will you be skipping the queues, you will be saving on the door ticket prices too. And, remember, under 12s' entry into the show is FREE!

My AMAZING Day at Crufts 2015!

So, that's it. Crufts 2015 is over. And what a weekend it was!

Saturday 7th March. The day I stepped inside the halls of The NEC as a guest to Crufts 2015.
When I woke up, I noticed that something was up. Usually, I'm the first one to wake up but yesterday all my humans were hustling and bustling about. What on earth was going on?! Well, after our two hour journey, it finally occurred to me that this trip was no normal trip.
Barks? Check.
Lots of things to sniff? Check.
Thousands of dog-mad humans? Check.
This could only mean one thing. I was at CRUFTS 2015!
The first exciting event of the day was trying to find the right entrance to go through. When your visiting as a canine, you have to enter through a special dog door- I felt like a V.I.D (Very Important Dog, that is)!

Obviously, it was then time to have photos with the Crufts logo... 

 Bench picture! Every competitor and display dog is given one of these benches so I had to pose with one like a proper show dog.

They may be far away but there are Great Danes in this picture. Yes, GREAT DANES. 

Crufts Crufts Crufts Crufts

At the sides of the show rings, my humans had to try and hide me from the competitors so that I didn't distract them. I mean, as if I would ever distract the gorgeous Wheaten Terriers...!

The first event we watched in the Main Arena was one that my humans watch every year: the International Freestyle Heelwork to Music competition! Every routine was original and there were some seriously impressive moves from these dogs. Definitely know which tricks I'm going to be working on now...! 

My human was a silly sausage and forgot her zoom lens... But here is a picture of a hilarious routine based on magic. At one point, the dog pushed the lid down over their human who was laying down inside the box and then pushed a (pretend) sword back and and forth. So clever!

The effort that had gone into some of the costumes was unbelievable. Just look at that!

And the winner is...  Slovakia! This poignant routine has the most adorable (and heartbreaking) ending. Watch the full routine here!

The Main Arena is seriously impressive. What a place to do doggie sports!

Me, posing with one of the many rings where the top dogs in each breed battle it out for their chance to win Best in Show. 

The judging of the lovely Airedale Terrier. 

My favourite photo of the day goes to... This gorgeous Standard Poodle, poking his head out of his crate! What a dude.

Fun fact: Crufts stretches across over 25 acres of the The NEC's halls. That's a lot of shopping to be done!

The tens of thousands of visitors that visit Crufts every year...

Woooo! A picture of me having a GREAT time!

 In the Dog Activities area of Crufts, you can learn about all the different things dogs can get up to, with typical breeds from each option available to meet and greet. My humans were particularly taken by this stunning Bloodhound. Just look at that sit!

A group of happy Retrievers!

One of my humans' favourite sections at Crufts is the Discover Dogs area, where visitors are able to learn about more than 200 breeds. Obviously, we had to take a trip to the Gundogs section, where I met some more of my breed- the English Springer Spaniels! Check out this stunning Spaniel.

I was probably the cheeriest dog in the world on Saturday!

So much to see and dog- come on, humans!

The irresistible Hungarian Puli. Man, I have serious hair-envy over their coats... So impressive!

Later, we visited the Young Kennel Club ring, which demonstrates the work of the next generation of dog handlers. The ring involves many of the same competitions that are held in the Main Arena, but for people that are from six years of age up to twenty-five. The work this organisation does to help young dog lovers is fantastic. 

After a look round all the stalls and rings, it was time to head back to the Main Arena to see everyone's favourite Goldies: the Southern Golden Retriever Display Team. Following their amazing display, every single Retriever in the team headed back into the arena to film something very special... Saturday Night Takeaway came to Crufts! The winner of Take Home the Ads was selected on the screen in the arena, whilst the Goldies ran, jumped and climbed around the ring. An extremely entertaining sight!

 It was then time for the Large International Agility Finals! As an Agility dog myself, this event is adored by my humans, and it did not fail to impress.

The course proved particularly difficult, with only TWO out of the fourteen competitors completing it with no faults. 

 The judge of this competition was an ex-YKC member, just proving what you can do within the organisation. The most challenging part of this course seemed to be where the tunnel and the dog walk are lined up beside each other, with quite a few of the dogs taking the tunnel instead of the climb!

All the competitors did a fantastic job- well done to all!

 Our final viewing of the day: the Flyball Team Finals! Every year, this sport excites the audience beyond belief and this year was no different. Spot the Springer in the bottom right-hand corner of this picture...

 After an excruciatingly-close final, the Dream Team South-East took home the trophy for the flyball, thanks to their incredibly rapid Pointer, who ran last. Go team!

 On the way out, my humans had time to check out the filming set for the Crufts coverage on Channel 4, which had a very special feature...

The Crufts 2015 Best in Show trophy!

On the final day of Crufts 2015, the seven finalists from each of the groups came together for the prestigious final of Best in Show. There was no clear guess as to who the winner was going to be as all the dogs were just THAT good so the judge had a very difficult to decision to make. After some deliberation, he awarded the title of Best in Show to Knopa, the first Scottish Terrier to take home the title since 1929! Owned by Rebecca Cross, Knopa was bred in the U.S and won Best of Breed two years ago at Crufts. Reserve Best in Show was awarded to the Dublin, the Flat-coated Retriever with an extremely waggy tail, from Sweden. 

Congratulations go to all the winners from across the weekend- you all did a fantastic job!

This year's Crufts was, for me, the most special as I was able to attend myself and I truly did have an incredible day. 

Talk soon,

 Jasper x

For more information on the show, visit www.crufts.org.uk

To watch highlights from the show, click here  to be taken 

to the Official Crufts YouTube Page

Me, licking my lips at the number of the treats we brought home... Yum!

IT'S CRUFTS WEEK!

Maaaaaan, I cannot believe it. How has Crufts 2015 come around so fast?! It seems like it was only yesterday that my humans bid me farewell before travelling up to The NEC for Crufts 2014. Fortunately, the pain of knowing that they were going to have a brilliant day without me will be non-existent this year as, obviously, me, myself, and I will actually be attending... Eeeeek!

Just to make you all even more excited, here's a clip giving you a glimpse into the largest dog show in the world...

It looks incredible, right?! Who knows, maybe I'll be able to sneak my way on to the video for Crufts 2016 when I go to the show...

CRUFTS TV COVERAGE

Whether you're planning on heading to the show or are just looking forward to see the pictures online, make sure you tune into More4 at 6:30pm tomorrow for the first of four days' Crufts coverage! As Crufts kicks off with Gundog Day, fans of Springers like me should definitely not be missing the show as the first place in the Best in Show final will be awarded to one of the top dogs of the day. Agility, heelwork to music... All the best bits from the show will be programmed, so don;t miss it!

CRUFTS COMPETITION UPDATE
Just to let entrants into my competition to win two Crufts tickets know, the winner has been chosen and it is... Janet from Staffordshire! I hope Janet has a fantastic time at the show. Thank you all so much for entering- I wish I could give ALL of you lovely people (and dogs!) a pair of tickets to the show!

If you're heading to the show this year, I hope you have an incredible day! I would love to see some of your pictures from the day and hear your highlights from Crufts so make sure you either tweet me @Jasperthedoggie or just send me leave a comment below. If you sadly can't make it to The NEC for 2015, do not fret: each and every day, there is a livestream at https://www.youtube.com/crufts showing every second of what's going on in the Main Arena, so you can watch from 8:30am to 8pm if you so desire!

Here's to a fantastic Crufts 2015 (and hopefully a Springer winner!)

Talk soon, 

Jasper x

For more information on Crufts 2015, visit www.crufts.org.uk 

Tickets to the show can now only be bought on the door- have a marvellous day!

Best in Show: Who's Going to Win?

With less than THREE weeks until the largest dog show in the world, Crufts, the last few preparations are taking place to ensure that the show is as successful as ever. This is especially the case with the owners of Crufts entrants. Years of work have been devoted into the dogs of the dog show world, many along with the aspiration of winning the esteemed title of 'Best in Show'.
The question on everybody's mind is who is going to take the title home this year?
I look back at the past 5 winners of this prestigious title...

2010: Yogi the Hungarian Vizsla

Five years ago, Yogi was awarded the first Best in Show of the decade. Out of the 187 different breeds competing at Crufts 2010, Yogi was awarded the honour of this renowned title and, by doing so, made him the first Hungarian Vizsla to claim the magnificent trophy. Close, but not quite, Rico the Scottish Terrier, from Russia, took home Reserve Best in Show.

http://www.thegooddogguide.com/lincolnshire/
grimsby/dog-pet-food-delivery-services/tower-pet-products/17900

2011: Jet the Flat-coated Retriever

The 120th Crufts dog show title of Best in Show was awarded to nine-year-old Jet, who had already won a Crufts title- Best in Breed, at the 2008 show. Bred by Jim Irvine, the cheerful dog beat 21,422 dogs to win the top spot at the dog show. after being crowned Best Gundog in Saturday's Best in Group competition. Reserve Best in Show was awarded to Jilly, the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen, who you may hear about again later on...!

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/234491/
Crufts-2011-Jet-retrieves-his-third-Crufts-win

2012: Elizabeth the Lhasa Apso

Back in the year of the London Olympics, Elizabeth took home the first of many wins for Britain! Owned by Margaret Anderson, from Coventry, Elizabeth was seven when she won the title and picked up the nickname 'Elizabeth the laid-back Lhasa' after proving herself to an extremely chilled dog for one who had just one the mighty title. Reserve Best in Show was Brutus, a well-travelled three-year-old Newfoundland from Slovakia.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/crufts-2012
-best-in-show-winner-758286

2013: Jilly the Petit Basset Griffon Vendeen

Recognise the name? Well, four-year-old Jilly was awarded the title of 'Best in Show' by judge Mr Geoff Corish, two years after being placed as Reserve Best in Show! Another local dog, cheery, little Jilly is owned by Sara and Gavin Robertson and is from Wallingford, Oxfordshire. The Reserve Best in Show in 2013 was Romeo, a lively Labrador Retriever.

http://crufts.fossedata.co.uk/Default.asp?ShowYear=2013

2014: Ricky the Standard Poodle

Last year, Ricky beat 21,000 other entries to win arguably the most notable dog title of them all. Handled and co-owned by Jason Lynn, from Preston, Leicestershire,  2-year-old Ricky was awarded the title after assessments on his condition and health, temperament and movement. Runner up was Samoyed who goes by the very comical name Dan The Man.

http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/463997/Bouffant-
poodle-is-Best-in-Show-at-Crufts-2014

2015: Well, we're just going to have to wait until 8th March to find out! Personally, I would love an English Springer Spaniel to take home the title of Best in Show but I'm sure whichever doggie does get awarded the trophy will be a deserving winner. In 2013, my humans were lucky enough to see Jilly win Best in Show, and they said that it was a fantastic experience being there in person to see the event. 

Remember, there is still time to enter my competition to win a pair of tickets to Crufts 2015! Click here to find out how to enter.

Talk soon, Jasper x

If attending Best in Show, or even any of the Group titles, appeals to you, tickets can be bought here. You won't regret it!

For more information on Crufts 2015, visit www.crufts.org.uk

WIN TICKETS TO CRUFTS 2015!

Ever fancied going to the largest dog show on the planet? Well, here's your chance.
Thanks to the Kennel Club, I have a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky reader.
Ohhh yes, you heard me- you could be going to Crufts 2015!

For the chance to win these tickets, all you have to do is correctly answer the following question...
(Pssst... You can find the answer in my previous blog post, here!)

Last year, a very handsome doggie took the prestigious title of Best in Show, but what breed of dog was he?

A) Golden Retriever

B) English Springer Spaniel

C) Standard Poodle

Send your answer, along with your name and address, to jasperthedoggie@hotmail.co.uk or use the contact form to the right. 
Deadline for entries: Sunday 22nd February

Good luck everyone!
Jasper x

To find out more about Crufts, visit www.crufts.org.uk
If you fancy buying tickets to Crufts 2015, click here

Crufts 2014!

Yesterday, my humans left me at home (meanies...) to go to the biggest dog show in the world, Crufts! The show seems to get better and better every year and this year it did not disappoint.

The humans started their brilliant day in the Main Arena where they caught the end of an agility competition and then a show they watch every year: the international Heelwork to Music Freestyle competition!

Agility...

And Heelwork to Music!

One of the impressive routines was performed to the Indiana Jones theme time- very entertaining, as you can imagine!

It was lovely to see a variety of breeds taking part in the doggie dancing competition. No Springers though...

Those concentration skills!

Lots of elaborate costumes, worn by both canines and humans!

Without doubt, the smallest competitor in the competition, dancing to Tom & Jerry!

This routine was done to a medley including music from Toy Story!

And the winner of the competition... Richard Curtis and his gorgeous doggie, representing England!

Following the Heelwork to Music, the humans watched a RAF Display which showed how they train and use the dogs to help them carry out their services. 

The humans watched the semi-final and final of the Flyball competition and spotted quite a few crazy spaniels taking part!

A snoozing Great Dane in the Discover Dogs section...

Some of you readers may have learnt over the years that my humans have a serious love for the Southern Golden Retriever Display Team... Yep, they saw them perform AGAIN and the performance was fantastic!

After hours and hours of shopping, the humans had a quick bite to eat before heading back to the Main Arena for the final few competitions of the day. Firstly, they watched another international competition but this time it was an agility one. As you can see from the photos, the dogs (and humans!) ran so quickly that they were a blur!

 The final competitions were arguably the most prestigious ones of the day: 'Best in Group' for the Toy and Utility breeds. Unfortunately, the humans were only able to watch one of the groups as they had a long drive home ahead of them but were thrilled to watch a STUNNING Standard Poodle claim the title of 'Best in Utility Group'. Look at that mane!

Last night, the whole family and I settled down to watch the final competition of Crufts 2014, 'Best in Show'. After a tough decision, the judge chose that very Poodle to win 'Best in Show'. A very deserving winner. 

The humans had yet another amazing time at Crufts and cannot wait until next year. We're all really hoping for an English Springer to take home the title next year... Come on you Spannas! 

Talk soon, Jasper x