Kennel Club announces three newly approved dog breeds to be permitted to compete at Crufts 2019

The world-famous Crufts dog show takes place in March of each year, and this prestigious event is the pinnacle of the annual formal dog show calendar, seeing competitors from all over the world descend upon Birmingham to take part in the event at the NEC.

When it comes to competing at Crufts, you can’t just turn up with your dog and enter a class – Crufts competitors are invited from show winners and registered pedigree dogs that pass qualifying heats at other formal showing events over the course of the preceding year.

Additionally, whilst there are many classes at Crufts for non-pedigree dogs – such as canine sporting classes, obedience and handling competitions, to name just a few – the breed classes at Crufts are limited to only registered pedigree dogs of the relevant breed in question.

There are a number of unrecognised dog breeds and types in the UK that are not eligible for Kennel Club registration and so, are also ineligible to compete at Crufts. These dog types encompass most of our well-known hybrid dog types like the Labradoodle and Cockapoo, because there is no set breed standard for them, nor an expectation of a certain degree of uniformity for dogs of the type within the UK that enables them to be judged and compared side by side.

Additionally, there are also a large number of dog breeds that aren’t common (or in some cases, which are virtually unheard of) within the UK and so, which are not present in large enough numbers to form the basis of a pedigree registration database with the Kennel Club, but which are firmly established and fully recognised by other comparable or equally reputable breed registries both in their home nation and internationally.

All of these potential breeds-in-the-making, international breeds and other foundation dog stocks are something that the Kennel Club monitors on an ongoing basis, and when such dog breeds and types fulfil the criteria for Kennel Club registration, the Kennel Club may consider formally recognising and so, registering them within the UK too.

For 2019, three well-known international dog breeds have been newly approved by the Kennel Club for registration and showing purposes, which will enable dogs of these breeds that are eligible to do so to be entered in Imported Breed Registry Classes at Crufts 2019.

These three breeds are the white Swiss shepherd dog, the Russian toy terrier, and the black and tan coonhound. In this article we will provide a short outline of each of these breeds and their core traits, to help you to spot them at Crufts and to help to educate dog owners as a whole about some of the formally recognised but more unusual international dog breeds that can be seen in the UK. Read on to learn more.

More about the white Swiss shepherd dog

The white Swiss shepherd is a large, white-coated dog that hails from Switzerland, and which was originally bred and kept for working purposes as a working herding dog.

Aside from the all-white coat, there are a number of both physical and temperament traits that white Swiss shepherds share with the German shepherd dog breed, and in fact, German shepherds were one of the breeds used in the formation of the white Swiss shepherd in the first place.

White Swiss shepherds are very intelligent dogs that also need a significant amount of exercise to keep them happy and mentally stimulated, and they also need a reasonable amount of grooming as well, as their thick coats tend to shed heavily.

However, the breed is also very amenable to training and smart enough to learn lots of skills, making them a good fit for active owners who are experienced in the training and management of large shepherd-types dogs.

More about the Russian toy terrier

The Russian toy terrier is a tiny, finely-boned little dog that has disproportionately large ears, which may also be heavily feathered in the longhaired variants of the breed. Russian toy terriers don’t need as much exercise as many other dog breeds due to their small size, and they are also notable for generally being very good with children, a trait that many other small dogs and terrier-types do not share.

They love human company and make for great lap dogs, but they don’t tolerate being left alone for long periods of time and need a lot of companionship and attention.

If you’re looking for an uncommon and very loving small dog breed, the Russian toy terrier is certainly one worth considering, and the introduction of the breed to the formal Crufts dog show attendees list is likely to increase interest in the popularity of the breed in future years too.

More about the black and tan coonhound

The black and tan coonhound was developed in the USA as a hunting dog, from the crossing of bloodhounds with a regional breed of foxhounds. Black and tan coonhounds are medium sized dogs that were originally bred for working purposes, but they are also calm and personable enough to make for excellent domestic pets too, albeit dogs of the breed require a reasonable amount of exercise to keep them happy and fulfilled.

They tend to be quite independent dogs that are keen to find something to do and play with, and they also have excellent scenting abilities thanks to the bloodhound side of their heritage.

Black and tan coonhounds are not common within the UK at present, but as is the case with the other two recently approved breeds we’ve mentioned, this may well change in coming years are the breed becomes better known as a whole in the UK.