To recognise and support the commitment and talent shown by UK breeders, the Kennel Club is creating a new competition – The Kennel Club Breeders’ Competition.  The competition creates a new arena where breeders can demonstrate their breeding skills and take pride in showing off their stock.

Kennel Club Chairman, Ronnie Irving, explained, “This is a very exciting innovation.  This creates for the first time a genuine Best Breeder competition for every breed at every Championship Show.  There has never before been a regular competition where a breeder can go home at the end of the day saying their stock allowed them to be judged as the breeder of the best breeder’s group at that show.  Who in dogs would not wish to aspire to that? The Kennel Club believes in the quality of dogs bred in this country and this competition is the ideal way to showcase the pride we have in our pedigree dogs.”

The new competition will start in January 2009 with a Crufts Final in 2010 and the main features are:

• Competition scheduled at all Championship shows for every breed, with or without CCs (Breed Club, Sub Group, Group and General Championship Shows included)
• Entries can be made on the day of competition
• Breeders become eligible to enter by having bred four dogs being present and exhibited at that show in that breed
• Competition judged by the breed judge immediately after awarding Best of Breed and Best Puppy in Breed
• Best Breeder in Breed goes through to a Best Breeder in Group Award
• A cumulative points system will be applied to all wins
• 20 points available per calendar year (1 point for a breed win, 4 points for winning a Group, 3 points for coming second in Group, 2 points for third place in Group, 1 point for fourth place in Group)
• After achieving 20 points in a calendar year breeders withdraw from competition for rest of that year
• 20 points required to qualify for Semi Final or Final at Crufts in following year.  (The total number of successful qualifiers may dictate that additional heats or qualifications may be necessary to secure a place in the Final.)

Mr Irving continued, “The fact that this competition will culminate in an annual Final of Best Breeder’s Group at Crufts will give all UK breeders the ultimate opportunity to demonstrate to the world of dogs that their lines are at the top for excellence.”

FAQ’s for Exhibitors and Breeders

Q.  Is it only the breeder who can enter?
A.  Yes, although owners of dogs can certainly approach their breeder at the show and suggest entering.

Q. Who exactly counts as ‘the breeder’?
A. The breeder is the breeder of record with the Kennel Club.  If three dogs have been bred by Mrs X and a fourth dog has been bred by Mrs X and Mrs Y then the fourth dog does not have the same breeder and therefore cannot take part in the competition.

Q. If the dogs have all been bred and registered by the same partnership can only one of the partners enter the competition on the day?
A. As with all entries, if the partners have written authority to enter dogs for shows on behalf of each other they can do so.  If they don’t have permission then they cannot.

Q. Can breeders who live overseas take part?
A. This competition is for UK resident breeders only.

Q. How many dogs to a team?
A. Four       

Q. Can I enter more than one team per show?
A. Yes. 

Q. How do I get my fellow exhibitors to take part?
A. You cannot force exhibitors to take part, but it is hoped that all dog exhibitors will enjoy the chance to compete in such a prestigious competition with the opportunity of getting to the Finals at Crufts. 

Q. Do they have to be the same four dogs at every show?
A. No.

Q. Can the team include dogs and bitches?
A. Yes.

Q. Do I have to pay to enter?
A. No.

Q. If I’m beaten in the Best Breeder in Breed Award does it affect my dog’s eligibility to compete for other awards at the show?
A. No.

Q. What’s in it for the breeder?
A. An opportunity to showcase their stock in front of their peers.

Q. What’s in it for the rest of the team?
A. There are no specific awards for individual dogs or owners of dogs in the team – just the pleasure in taking part and knowing that the dog they own may be of the best overall breeding in that breed.

Q. Can I compete for this award at every show?
A. This award is offered for all separately classified breeds at Championship shows and a breeder may enter as many times as they wish provided they have dogs eligible to do so.

Q. Do we have to wear matching outfits?
A. No.  The dress of handlers will not be taken into account by judges who are required to judge the dogs solely on their merit. 

Q. Do the dogs have to be the same breed?
A. Yes.  The purpose of the competition is to award the Best Breeder Group in Breed and teams of mixed breeds of dog cannot therefore form part of this competition.

Q. Does the breeder have to be present at the show?
A. Yes - though he or she need not necessarily be exhibiting at the show in question.

Q. OK I’m interested – what do I do now?
A. The first thing you must do is obtain your Breeders Competition Record Book.  These are available via the Kennel Club website, by contacting the Publications Department at the Kennel Club or by obtaining one from the Kennel Club Roadshow which attends many shows throughout the year.  Full instructions on how to enter the competition, and what information needs to be completed, are detailed in the Record Book.  It is the breeder’s responsibility to keep up the Record Book up to date and accurate.

Q. What do I do on the day of the show?
A. As soon as you know that you have a properly eligible team, complete the details in your record book and then go to see the show secretary, or other designated official of the show, and ‘book-in’ for the class.  This is much the same procedure as is adopted at many Companion Dog Shows.

Q. What if I have forgotten my Record Book on the day of the show?
A. You can get another Record Book at the show from the secretary’s office.  It is acceptable to have your entries in the competition recorded in several Record Books – the important point being that a verifiable record can be produced.

Q. Who will be judging my Team?
A. The breed judge will judge the Best Breeder in Breed Award after Best of Breed and Best Puppy In Breed.  Where sexes are split the dog and bitch judge will make a joint decision.  When a joint decision cannot be reached the Referee will be called upon to decide.  The Best Breeder in Group may be judged by the Best in Group Judge,  the Best in Show Judge, or another judge suitably qualified to judge that Group or Best in Show,  as preferred by the show society. 

Q. Are the dogs being judged on their uniformity of type, or on their overall quality?
A. Uniformity of type may be one factor the judge takes into consideration, but overall merit remains the overriding consideration.

Q. Is there a Best Breeder in Show award?
A. No. 

Q. What awards are on offer?

• Best Breeder in Breed
• Best Breeder in Group 1
• Best Breeder in Group 2
• Best Breeder in Group 3
• Best Breeder in Group 4

Q. How do I qualify for Crufts?
A. Breeders amass points throughout the calendar year based on how well their teams have performed.  Points are awarded as follows:

• 1 for Best Breeder in Breed
• 4 for Best Breeder in Group
• 3 for 2nd place in Best Breeder in Group
• 2 for 3rd place in Best Breeder in Group
• 1 for 4th place in Best Breeder in Group

Once a breeder has amassed 20 points they cannot enter any further Best Breeder competitions for that calendar year.  Once 20 points have been reached the breeder can then apply to the Kennel Club Canine Activities Department to take part in the Crufts Final, or Semi Final by providing a copy of the completed Record Book.   The points in the Record Book must be properly recorded and signed by the officiating judges to ensure eligibility.  NOTE: It is possible that the total numbers of breeders qualifying for the Crufts Final or Semi Final may dictate that additional heats or qualifications are required to secure a place.

Q. Do the four dogs which appear in the Crufts Final/Semi Final have to have competed in any of the heats?
A. No – all four dogs can be new to the competition.

Q. What happens if you have 19 points before the show, then win Best Breeder in Breed and get your twentieth? Are you still allowed to go on to the Group competition that day?
A. Yes.  Points won at one show can be considered as separate and distinct to points gained over two shows therefore a team can continue through to the Group competition.

Q. If I don’t get the necessary 20 points in one year can I carry them over to the next year?
A. No.  Everyone will start each year with zero points.

Show Organisers’ FAQs

Q. Are all Championship Shows expected to schedule this competition?
A. Yes.  

Q. What do I need to do before my show?
A. Simply list the award for every separately classified breed (both CC and non-CC) in your schedule and process any entries that are received.  Remember that the competition takes place immediately after the breed judging has taken place and should be listed in the schedule and catalogue accordingly.  Given the difficulty most breeders will have in trying to coordinate the required number of dogs of their breeding to be at a particular show it is unlikely that you will receive many entries in advance and most entries will be made on the day of the show.

Q. Do I need to order any award cards for this competition?
A. Fosse Data (or other supplier) will supply the correct number of award cards for the number of breeds you have scheduled. 

Q. What arrangements do I need to make to handle the breeders and exhibitors who wish to enter the competition on the day of the show?
A. You will have to designate someone to handle the booking in process.  The more breeds your show has scheduled the more administrative help you may need.  It is open to you to delegate this process to responsible ring stewards if you wish.

Q. What paperwork has to be completed in order to accept an entry on the day?
A. There is no need to complete an entry form for this competition as all the relevant details should be listed by the breeder in their own Record Book.  On arrival at a show the breeder should check the catalogue and establish whether there are sufficient dogs of their breeding to enter the competition.  The breeder should list the details of the dogs present at the show that will be competing for the award in the Record Book and present it to the Show Secretary, or other designated official, for verification.  If a breeder wishes to enter and does not have a Record Book with them then you cannot accept the entry.  There is, however, nothing to prevent a breeder from purchasing a new Record Book at the show in order to make an entry – the important point is that there must be a proper verifiable record of the entry made in a Record Book.   

Q. What checks must I make to verify that the entry has been properly made?
A. All the dogs must be bred by exactly the same person or partnership.  All must be present and entered in a breed class at the show and are expected to compete in that class.  

Q. What do I do to indicate that the entry has been verified?
A. Sign the appropriate place in the Record Book to indicate that approval to compete has been issued.

Q. What else do I need to do?
A. You need to be able to alert the ring steward that an entry has been made.   The easiest way to accomplish this is to advise the breeder to show the ring steward the completed and signed Record Book as proof of entry.  You will also need to make a note of the number of teams taking part in the competition for each breed as the Kennel Club requires this information to be submitted after the show on a Competition Feedback Form along with the catalogue.

Q. What qualifications does a judge need to judge the Best Breeder Group in Group?
A. A judge must have judged the particular Group concerned at Championship level, or have judged Best in Show at Championship level.  It is open to show organisers to ask their Group or Best in Show judges to judge the Best Breeder Group in Group, or to invite a separate suitably qualified judge.

Q. What does the judge need to do?
A. The judge should sign and date the Record Book and update it with the number of points won by that team, as follows:

• 1 for Best Breeder in Breed
• 4 for Best Breeder in Group
• 3 for 2nd place in Best Breeder in Group
• 2 for 3rd place in Best Breeder in Group
• 1 for 4th place in Best Breeder in Group   

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