At the Good Citizen Dog Training ring at Crufts, a number of dog owners are trying to distract their pets with colourful balls, outdoor toys and, in once case, an inflatable paddling pool.
The dogs, however, stay put. From the large dalmatian to the miniature pinscher, all have been trained to Kennel Club silver award standard, and (mostly) engage only when told to by their owners.
Their display is followed by a “Safe and Sound demonstration”, reminding people how to approach dogs in the street they don’t know – ask the owner’s permission, let the dog smell the back of your hand first and then slowly progress to gentle strokes.
After a spate of serious dog attacks in recent months, the Kennel Club is more keen than ever to promote the educational benefits of Crufts, which opened at the Birmingham NEC on Thursday.
“Crufts is really about dog ownership – the interaction between people and dogs, and dogs living in our society,” said Bill Lambert, a Kennel Club spokesperson. “We can’t talk about all the good things about dogs without recognising the responsibility that comes with them. And a lot of this is really basic stuff that anyone can do.”
A BBC investigation this week revealed the number of dog attacks recorded by police in England and Wales had risen by more than a third in the past five years, with nearly 22,000 cases of out-of-control dogs causing injury in 2022.
This year alone has brought the death of a four-year-old girl in Milton Keynes, who was attacked by a dog in her back garden, and Natasha Johnston, who was killed by the dogs she was walking in a Surrey park.
“Although some numbers may be inflated because of better reporting, we certainly seem to have seen an increase in these major incidents over recent months,” said Lambert, adding that the sharp rise in dog ownership during lockdown could be behind the increase.
“It seems likely that we have quite a lot of untrained, poorly socialised dogs out there that could possibly lead to an increase in incidents, and of course we have a lot of inexperienced new dog-owners too. So it’s almost a perfect storm.”
This year Crufts has a four-day programme for its Good Citizen training ring, covering how to train and socialise a dog to ensure they develop a steady temperament, and are calm “good citizens” in different environments.
Dog owners are also helping to spread awareness. On Friday, Courtney Goodey, 27, is competing at the event with her Australian shepherd dog, Mr Bixby. She has trained him to go into youth groups and teach children how to interact with dogs. He can, on command, demonstrate the behaviour of dogs when they don’t feel comfortable or safe and may be more likely to bite, such as backing away and lowering his tail.
“It’s just making them aware of things to look out for because, unfortunately, some parents don’t seem to actually do much with their own kids around dogs, especially if they don’t have them at home,” said Goodey, who is a trained dog behaviourist and former school sports coach. “Some parents don’t know what signs to look for in their dog, and they think sitting the child on top of the dog is cute for a photo.”
She teaches children not to go running up to dogs in the street to hug them.
“You do, unfortunately, see quite a lot of dogs outside now that aren’t maybe as well-behaved,” Goodey said. “I think people maybe aren’t doing the research behind the breeds, or just going for the bigger the better. It’s a shame there have been so many incidents, because dogs are such a nice thing to be around.”
