How disappointing to watch Crufts on TV (More 4) with what seems to be a very amateur coverage.  The main presenter (male) is a real fool and seems to act like he knows nothing about dogs and makes silly jokes.  Nice to see the usual presenters on there, Peter Pervis and Clare ?.  I was unable to go this year so the coverage on TV was welcomed but I must say it is really quite rubbish. IMO!

There are hardly any dogs shown, its all people. Don't think I've seen a breed class on and only the final 8 in the groups. Very disappointing

I've not watched any TV but been glued to the live feed online. All dogs! :)

Fair glued to pc here too!
So.......who will win?
I liked the corgi............terriers are my choice of breeds......but they are all so gorgeous.

Karen :)

Yogi i think

Yogi does have  regal look about him, very handsome :)

Having heard a lot about Yogi, I was keen to see him on the live stream today in Group. I don't know anything about Viszlas, but goodness he does seem to have something 'extra' - quite what, I'm not sure, but he's got it!

I know more 4 is stupid. The BBC covered it a lot bettter - although why they stopped i can't remember lol

watching it now on more 4 though and i do like how they've covered puppy farming. Aside from that more coverage needed.

I will go and see it next year. I'm making a point to

Going off the point is anyone watching good dog bad dog ? Yogi defiantly a winner but still wanted the rotti or akita well done 2 everyone you all brought  your champions home

Yes, and it is overall what we should have had rather than PDE.

> Yes, and it is overall what we should have had rather than PDE.

Loved it but missed a whole chunk when the phone rang. Anyone know if/when it will be repeated?

its on tomorrow at 5pm or 530pm on more 4

sorry brainless what is PDE brain dead atm lol

I agree more 4 C.rufts coverage did seem amateurish.We had commentary from Peter Pervis but not on camera,instead we had the non doggy guy called Dougie who was not a good idea.The obvious health emphasis of the whole programme,was an attempt to win back the respect lost by the KC .I hope they really are sincere in their efforts to improve standards .I have met a lot of puppy farmed dogs who are KC registered in the past.and know how much heartache and expense they can cause.I thought breeders licences were introduced to put a stop to a lot of the farming/but it seems to have crept back up again

>I thought breeders licences were introduced to put a stop to a lot of the farming/but it seems to have crept back up again

No, breeders' licences are for commercial breeders/puppy farmers, who breed more than 4 litters each year. 'Ordinary' breeders don't need them.

what did people think of the vet guy ? I wish we could have seen more of the dogs in the various classes if you take out the chat I feel rather cheated
PDE pedigree  dogs exposed

The vet guy was a helluva lot better and more rational than Mark Evans. He could have been more articulate when speaking against puppy farming, but I think he got a bit of the message across; certainly more than has ever been mentioned before.

> what did people think of the vet guy?

I thought he was quite good actually and I was very pleased to see him talking about how good raw feeding is!

I also thought the Crufts coverage was rubbish this year, that male presenter needs to be got rid of as soon as possible. Who is he anyway? He seems to know absolutely nothing about dogs and makes the most stupid remarks. I was very annoyed to see that they no longer show each of the BOB winners, and they also don't give you the names of the dogs who won. How disappointing that must be for the owners of those dogs.

More footage of the judging needed in my opinion and less talking about things such a pedometers! I also think they made a mistake getting rid of the sound proof booth. After the gundog judging you could hardly hear what they were saying in the interview because of the noise from the main ring.

Over all not impressed with the footage. I also think they should have Frank Kane and Jessica Holm presenting it, at least they would know what they're talking about! :-D

I was trying to see who the flatcoat was but the names were coming up so fast and few and far between that it was really difficult. I missed the vet talking about raw feeding which was a shame

>After the gundog judging you could hardly hear what they were saying in the interview because of the noise from the main ring.

That was the most annoying thing! I'd have loved to see the gundogs doing a demonstration of their proper job, but all we got was tlaking heads instead. AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHH!

Yes I realise licences are only for commercial or big breeding kennels,but surely they are meant  to be inspected by someone from the council to check the premises etc.I knew one prolific breeder who was big in the show ring,but was refused a licence because she had  shabby kennels,and far too many animals.Her solution was to move to the next county and not apply for a licence there.I guess no legislation can stop some people from exploiting dogs.More controls in this country would just encourage more Irish imported puppy farm pups making the long and scarey journey to meet the demand for some of our popular breeds

We'd love to hear your thoughts on this issue and More4's coverage at Crufts at The TV Show, as always the viewers editor and programme makers review and often respond to comments - http://bit.ly/9fIHuG

In reply to the above post:
MUCH MORE on the SHOWDOGS (as per Westminster show coverage).
MUCH LESS talking by certain presenters. Most people do not want to listen to viewers questions to the vet on their dogs flatulence.
Keep the flyball/obedience/friend for life etc in a seperate program.
Yes, give the presenters jobs to Frank & Jessica! That will cut down on the drivel.

The thing is I suppose is that the "pet" based watchers may not want to watch what we do and I suppose that more of them watch it than the showing fraternity.  THe could do with someone with at least half a brain being the main person though, what age group was he trying to please?  Seemed like very young children.  I haven't a clue what other programmes he does, are they childrens ones?

I would too have said you have to cater for Joe Public but most people who aren't into dogs said why wasn't it on TV - assuming that because it wasn't on the BBC it wasn't on at all!

Its what we say every year though - if you watch Wimbledon you watch tennis, if you watch the World Cup then you watch football, so how comes when you watch Crufts you see hardly any dog showing ?!? 

To the More4 prod team:
We recorded the shows so that we could watch the bits about the dog show...you know..showing dogs..the reason we watch..

It amounted to about less than 10 minutes of actual dog show footage in each programme, the rest was inane drivel from very poor and unfunny presenter, he was cringe-making.

We dont have interviews with Jenson Button's tailor, doctor, chef, or his dotty old granny during the F1 coverage.

Joe Public doesn't need so much general interest stuff, they own dogs and have surely wondered how their dog compares to the winners at dog shows...why dont you spend the time showing them and us....the dogs.

So glad it wasnt just me who had this view! Lets hope our views are read and changes are made for next years Crufts. Afterall, its once a year so it should be a fantastic evening programme each night that gets it right, less waffle and more DOGS!

The BBC dropped Crufts after 'THAT' program.

I thought the More4 coverage could've been a lot better, but at least it was on TV for those who couldn't go. I agree there should have been a lot more on the dogs.  Peter Purves and Claire Balding are good, but that idiot Dougie either needs to go or get a clue - he was appalling.

The program following 'Good Dog, Bad Dog' was an interesting follow up to 'THAT' program, it seemed to give a better and more balance perspective on breeding.

> I thought the More4 coverage could've been a lot better, but at least it was on TV for those who couldn't go. I agree there should have been a lot more on the dogs.  Peter Purves and Claire Balding are good, but that idiot Dougie either needs to go or get a clue - he was appalling.

I guess the real enthusiasts were, like me, glued to the computer watching online for free! Fabulous coverage, including full group judging, plus all the best bits like agility, flyball, HTM and more. I did not bother AT ALL with the TV coverage as the little I saw was condescending and very brief, not enough to satisfy either the pet people OR the enthusiasts.

Peter Purves needs a boot up his posterior though - in the Agility he seemed to have a fixation with Kelpies, kept saying they are SO MUCH like BCs they shouldn't be in ABC! His continued digs at them over three days really got to me... every time a Kelpie appeared he brought it up again.... Yet he made no comment about the Beardie in ABC.... No idea what he was trying to say or do with his comments but I thought them unnecessary and predjudicial, and I did wonder if he'd ever actually spent any time with a Kelpie in the flesh. BCs they are not! Would he say the same about any other breed with collie heritage that started to prove itself as a serious adversary to the BC, I wonder?
(He did also say at one point that Groenendaels are a type of black GERMAN shepherd! I fell off my chair).

(He did also say at one point that Groenendaels are a type of black GERMAN shepherd! I fell off my chair).

AAAARGHHH !!! ....nearly spat out my coffee at that ! ....shouting at the TV coverage seems to be a yearly Crufts ritual - for goodness sake give us MORE or what we want to see....it is no coincidence that Discover Dogs is so popular - people want to see all the different breeds and as this is a dog show could we not at least see more of the judging ?...at the very least  all the breeds represented in their groups ? ..that Dougie bloke did'nt even seem to like dogs much and certainly gave the impression that he thought it all derisory - we do not have presenters who sneer at Wimbledon or trivialise it by waffling on about tennis related 'shopping' ...and for goodness sake can we not ditch the 'Friends for life' - how many times did we have to sit through their stories - over and over and over again.

The time could be far more usefully served by giving us some breed profiles particularly for the more unusual breeds or following some of the top kennels as they prepare for Crufts ...or interviewing some of the overseas exhibitors ....but especially in giving more coverage of the SHOWING !!!

Yvonne

> I guess the real enthusiasts were, like me, glued to the computer watching online for free

What about the people who, like me, have no broadband (or not even internet access) ?? We can only watch the television coverage - but I didn't bother after the first day :(

Daisy

Dougie was a disaster. Remember programme content is down to the producers, the presenters say what they are told to say. I'd keep Clare, just brief her differently.

Much preferred the live streaming, especially on group judging. Perhaps next year tickets to view/access other content online could be added to the Crufts ticket so one has the opportunity to view later at home- on the day I attended I got home too late and missed the group judging.

I used the More4 feedback on their web site to complain about Dougie, and how there needed to be more on the dogs.   I did get an email reply saying they were sorry I didn't like his contribution and my comments would be passed on to the producers of the program.

I agree the 'Friends for Life' was overdone, and I'm not so sure it is the right format.  Additionally all the 'finalists' were worthy, how can you truly say one was more worthy than another - they were all winners.

I feel if we want better coverage it's worth contacting the program and saying so.  I know they are trying to fit a gallon into a pint pot, but it could have been done better.  Perhaps next year they might decide to opt for a longer program where they can spend more time of each aspect.