Are we  allowed these this year does anyone know?

This 'ruling' came in a good few years ago...there are always plenty of soft cratres on benches at Crufts.

Thanks Lexy

There's no ruling against soft crates, just that they must fit the bench, be securely fastened to the bench & only have 1 dog in them

Thanks I havent taken one before but thought I read that KC banned them at some point as public were paying to 'see dogs'

There was one year when they said no cages people can't see into, but it's no longer in the rules.

As far as i am concerned the public can watch them in the ring in all their glory, and leave the benched dogs alone!!

Peanuts

I think this "paying to see dogs" should only apply to while they are actually being shown and not while they are resting!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Every athlete should have time to chill, not be harassed all day, infact I think benching should be completely off limits to the public to give us a chance to get ourselves organised and our dogs settled. I pay more than the General public to enter my 3 dogs so where are my rights?
Paula xxxx

You beat me to it Peanuts, I was too busy ranting to get my post in first LOL. :-)
Paula xxxx

I agree with both of you. We must be lucky though, we don't really get any general public around our benches. The few that do turn up tend to be previous or future puppy buyers of exhibitors, people interested in the breed -but you can almost count them on one hand. It's lovely and quiet.

I wish MarianneB, thanks to Disney we have more attention than I would like.
Paula xxx

You have been fortunate and I think the disturbance of dogs on their benches is one of the reasons I have no inclination to take a dog to that show again.

On one occasion I was benched on the end of a line and returned from the toilet to find two children kicking the metal side on my bitches bench, she was very distressed, the owner of these two children complained to me that when she went to stroke her she showed her teeth, I apologised and said the boys should not be kicking the bench even if she was not happy to see them. Oh no, they were not interested in stroking her but she had gone to stroke her because the bitch was not happy at the noise - fortunately I was speechless.

On another occasion we were benched opposite a row of obedience dogs, mostly GSDs (one of my dogs had been bitten by a GSD and was not fond), so having them opposite was not ideal particularly because they were not on bench chains and were running up and down between the benches add to this the noise from the main ring and it was enough to unnerve the most laid back dog.

I very rarely allow anyone to touch the dogs after a few years ago, as you can imagine it's takes a long time to get a newf ready ( same with most breeds i know ) weeks of prep and trimming, at the show brushing etc etc etc, child walks over 2 mins before i go in the ring and wipes chocolate all over my dogs head and neck , parents thought it was so funny got in a bit of a row and was told in no uncertian terms that the dogs were there for the kids to play with!!, the woman next to me on the benches told them to Pi** O**, anyway hence to say could not clean it off so did not go in the class, really peed off as you can imagine,
Also as wonderful as newf temprements are , after being patted on the head for the 200th time they have had enough, i get peed off with 1 !!

Peanuts

Yes, do know about Newfies, sister owns them. I had told my neighbours I was going to the loo but that takes so long that they had to go into the ring leaving my poor girl to the mercies of the GP.

Apart from staggered exit times they should hire another hall so there would be no need for a 8.30 start and there should be no members of the GP in the benching area, there should be stewards to see that was in forced. Also think some toilets in all halls should be for exhibitors only again with a steward so no ring number, no pee.

> some toilets in all halls should be for exhibitors only

That would be a good idea, in theroy but anyone could buy a cheap ringclip & nick a number off a bench so not so easy to 'police'..it is still a good idea though

That would be a good idea, in theroy but anyone could buy a cheap ringclip & nick a number off a bench

They would almost deserve to if they did that :-) I think with the amount of money made at Crufts they could afford to print exhibitors a toilet pass and have stewards to check the people entering an exhibitors only toilet. And talking of toilets perhaps it would not be too difficult to give the outside dogs exercise areas more space and to keep them cleaner, when the weather is wet no self-respecting dog go will go on the area so small and disgusting are they.

> I think with the amount of money made at Crufts they could afford to print exhibitors a toilet pass

Now that sounds an excellent idea

Problem is that if they ban the GP from the benching, people like me who might have just popped in to visit my Yankee's breeder won't be able to go and say hi to my boy's Dad, unless I just happen to be lucky enough to arrive at the ring at the precise moment his class is on. But it's a tricky one - how to separate the dog-savvy GP or exhibitors like me who just happen not to have a dog to show at present, from the idiots with children and sticky fingers etc!!!

It's a difficult one because meeting breeders and dogs around the benches it a great way for the public to learn if they are wanting to find a puppy.  I hate it and don't exhibit there are more - imagine taking Lassie dogs!! :( :(
Maybe a strict "No Touch" policy (with instant eviction! :) :) :) ) might be a compromise?  Then it would be up to the exhibitor if they want to allow someone to touch their dog.

I must confess to being one of those norty people who's dog is never on the bench...by my side at all times and if I need a pee then with a trusted friend. we do sit at the benches for a drink or some food but 90% of the time at crufts my dog is by my side at the side of the ring.
I will never leave then alone. My girls hate the benches, too small and too cramped for their likes. I will not subject them to it and if someone forces me it will be the last time I go.
I think exhibitors are treated appalingly at Crufts. We walk for miles from the car park, have stinking areas for dogs to toilet. Access to outside is very restricted and my gilrs need to go outside to pee, they are far to well trained to pee indoors! Every Tom Dick and Harry is allowed "Backstage" so to speak, We get no preferance over JP to use the toilets or the food stalls. If as someone said you wish to meet up with your breeders then make arrangements to meet away from the benching areas.
Crufts need to learn that without us exhibitors there would be no crufts..no revenue from JP and no stalls!!!
Aileen

Indeed it is a great way to learn...
I don't show so qualify as the general public. So far with both of my dogs I went to Crufts to meet the studs and to see the bitches 'in action' as it were. People were generally friendly and it was an excellent way of understanding more about the breed. I still try to go each year - I really enjoy seeing not only the dogs in the ring but those 'resting'...and doing stuff which I see in my own dogs and think they're odd, only to find out that it seems to be a breed behaviour. It's invaluable in my mind.
Admittedly I don't go around poking the dogs or trying to sneak them crisps as I saw one child doing last year.

I'd hate to see public banned across the board...some way of removing the poor behaviour of some people would be nice though.  We're not all bad...

There is Discover Dogs and you can make arrangements to visit a breeder, it is the aimless wandering the touching and feeding that I objected to.

I will never leave then alone. My girls hate the benches, too small and too cramped for their likes. I will not subject them to it and if someone forces me it will be the last time I go.

I fully agree. I'm afraid I will never understand anyone who leaves their dog unattended to go to toilet. Not at Crufts -and not always at other shows either. There will almost always (ESPECIALLY at Crufts ) be somebody close to you that you can ask to watch your dog if you are alone. I get asked all the time to watch others. I remember one SKC where a dog in a soft crate on a bench managed to tip the crate over and fell off the bench inside the crate!

My dogs don't mind the benches (although I very seldom use them at other champshows, always sit ringside unless the weather is terrible at outdoor shows), in fact as soon as we walk into a benched show hall they make for the nearest bench and jump onto it, I usually have to remove them from ten plus benches before reaching ours LOL. However we put a chair in front of each bench and sit in it, very effectively blocking access but not view.

fully agree. I'm afraid I will never understand anyone who leaves their dog unattended to go to toilet

Last year the woman benched next to me asked if i would watch her dog whilst sge went the toilet, she never returned for 4 hours he had no water nothing, in the end i gave him water myself and complained but ofc nothing was done.
Mine stay with me at all times, where i go they go!

last year there were signs up over our benches telling the public to ask pemission before they touched the dogs. most didnt read them and one lady even tried to tell me off when i very nicely asked that she took her childern away from my boys while i got them ready to go in there classes.
I did reply curtly that it had cost rather i lot of money and time to get them there and told her i wanted to make sure i got the best out of them but she still p**ed me off with her rudeness.

They should certainly make some,  if not all, toilets unisex.
Jeff.

p.s. us men will just have to put up with the mess! :-)

> us men will just have to put up with the mess!

oooh, the cheek of it

:-)

Jeff ,

i think you are just being pervy!!

Peanuts

Would that I had the energy!! :-)