Almost 22,000 dogs will be heading to the NEC in Birmingham on March 6-9, to compete in some of the world’s most prestigious canine competitions at Crufts 2014.

Kennel Club entry figures show that 21,614 dogs will be taking part in breed judging, Gamekeepers’ classes and the Obedience and Agility championships, an increase of nearly 5% on 2013.

As ever, the event has a true international flavour with 2663 dogs competing from overseas, compared to 2,131 in 2013, an increase of 25%. Dogs from a total of 48 overseas countries will take part in the show, compared to 41 in 2013, including Bermuda, Japan, Taiwan and Israel.

The Any Variety Import Register classes, for breeds that are currently on the Import Register and who were not previously qualified to compete at Crufts, will compete for the second year, and have attracted 137 dogs.

Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary, said: “Crufts continues to grow in size and popularity, as the number of dogs entered into this year’s event is five percent up on last year.

“The fact that dogs come in their tens of thousands to Crufts is testament to the immense popularity of the event and we thank everybody in the UK and overseas for their continued passion for this esteemed event and its many world class competitions.

“We also look forward to welcoming thousands of other dogs and their owners who make Crufts such a wonderful event, from those who take part in the Good Citizen Dog Training Scheme and Young Kennel Club rings and the numerous displays to our Friends for Life and Scruffts finals and those dogs in the Discover Dogs area, which help visitors to understand more about the different breeds.”