It is held over four days (Thursday to Sunday) in early March at the National Exhibition Centre (NEC) in Solihull, England.

The BBC dropped Crufts 2009 from their coverage after being unable to agree to terms with The Kennel Club, with Channel 4 broadcasting the event since 2010.

[7][8][9] With the close of the 19th century, entries had risen to over 3,000,[10] including royal patronage from various European countries and Russia.

[6] In 1928, the Best In Show class was introduced and awarded to a Greyhound named Primley Sceptre, shown by Herbert Whitley, the founder of what is now Paignton Zoo.

His widow then ran the show for four years, until she felt unable to do so due to its high demands of time and effort.

By 1979, the show had to move to Earls Court exhibition centre, as the increasing number of entries and spectators had outgrown the capacity of its previous venue.

[13][14] Dogs begin by competing against others of the same breed, split by gender, age and previous class wins.

[6] Best in Show winners receive a replica of the solid silver Keddall Memorial Trophy, and a small cash prize of £200.

The Young Kennel Club (YKC) also has its own ring and stand where handlers aged between six and twenty-five compete in Agility, Obedience, Showing, Handling, Heelwork to Music, Flyball, and Grooming.

The winner of this premiere competition was US representative Tracie Laliberte who had won Westminster Kennel Club in 1983.

[5] Scruffts regularly attracts hundreds of entries and dozens of finalists compete for the top prize in a final at Crufts.

[19] The programme led various sponsors such as Hill's Pet Nutrition, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and Dogs Trust to withdraw from their participation in Crufts and other Kennel Club events.

The RSPCA stated that it is "concerned about the unacceptably high levels of disability, deformity and disease affecting pedigree dogs".

It was reported that Pedigree Petfoods withdrew from sponsorship of Crufts following this programme, but this announcement was made well in advance of the broadcast and for financial reasons.

It has also requested regulatory powers from the Government, which would allow the club to take actions against breeders who do not comply with health standards.

The new standards were said to "not include anything that could in any way be interpreted as encouraging features that might prevent a dog from breathing, walking and seeing freely".

"This will help to prevent the practice of exaggeration, where features that are perceived to be desirable, such as a short muzzle or loose skin, are made more prominent by breeders, and which can have detrimental effects on a dog’s health.

"[26] In February 2009, the results of an independent scientific report commissioned by the RSPCA concluded that "exaggerated physical features and inherited diseases cause serious welfare problems in pedigree dogs".

[27] Quoting Arman (2007),[28] the report states that "Society and sections of the veterinary profession have become 'desensitised to the welfare issues to such an extent that the production of anatomically deformed dogs is neither shocking, nor considered abnormal'".

[29] The Kennel Club states that the report "fails totally to recognise the real steady progress and advance of scientific knowledge that has already been made in the area of pedigree dog health".

[30] Poppy Holman's play A Dog's Tale, based on Crufts, was commissioned as one of Mikron Theatre Company's two 2020 productions,[31] was delayed by COVID-19, and premiered in Leeds on 5 June 2021.