Dog activities and events | The Kennel Club

Dog activities and competitive events

There are so many different competitive dog events and dog activities you can enjoy, giving you great opportunities to meet fellow dog lovers and enjoy lots of fun with your dog.

The Kennel Club organises and licences some great days out for you and your dog covering a range of different pursuits, some of which are outlined here, just click on the righthand links to find out more

Whether you are interested in starting a dog activity or you are a Secretary to a Club or Championship Show, or a Judge, this section will provide you with the information and guidance to ensure that you are able to enjoy all these fun activities with your dog.

Trade Stands at Kennel Club Events

If you work for a canine organisation you might like to hire a trade stand at any one of our annual big dog events which are attended by thousands of people each year – Crufts at the NEC, Birmingham in March, the International Agility Festival in August and Discover Dogs at Earls Court 2, London in November. For further information please contact the Kennel Club Events Department.

Dogs in hot cars - Car Park Risk Assessment

Events information

The Kennel Club is responsible for the licensing of nearly 5,000 canine competitions a year, all these events are held under Kennel Club Regulations and include Breed Shows, Field Trials, Working Trials, Obedience and Agility competitions. Any dog registered with the Kennel Club is eligible to compete at these Kennel Club events.

Societies and canine clubs wishing to hold canine events apply up to two years in advance for the dates they require. It is important to avoid date, breed and venue clashes between shows. The Kennel Club has an Events Diary computer system on which the dates of all the events to be held are recorded.

General and Group Championship Shows (available to view and print off)

In addition, a number of reports based on the dog show diary are available in the following formats:

List of Shows by County
List of Shows by Breed
List of Shows by Date
List of Shows by Licence type

Please email the Canine Activities Department for the reports you require.

There are all sorts of ways you can find out about competitions. The Events Section of the Kennel Gazette prints full listings each month of all forthcoming Kennel Club licensed shows and events for all types of competition including Companion Dog Club Classes (within Companion Dog Shows) and Field Trials.

Weekly newspapers, 'Dog World' and 'Our Dogs' carry advertisements of shows. There are also specialist publications which carry full details as well as all the news and views.

You will most likely find out about most competitions through your local training club, which gives you the opportunity to ask the advice of more seasoned competitors whether you and your dog are ready for competition.

Information Guides

When out and about with your dog taking part in activities, it is important that you are aware of the practicalities involved in transporting your dog, where you might stay overnight or just starting out. The Kennel Club provides a range of information to help.