Celebrating the British love affair with dogs, Crufts will be returning to the NEC Arena in Birmingham and to our television screens again on March 6-9 2014.

The four-day event will see the nation’s most heroic dogs rewarded in the prestigious Friends for Life competition; the UK’s favourite crossbreeds compete in the Scruffts grand final; the world’s most athletic canines battling it out in dog sports such as agility and flyball, and the world-famous Best in Show competition.

The individual breed judging that leads to the Best in Show final will see Working and Pastoral breeds compete on Thursday 6^th March, Terriers and Hounds on Friday 7^th March, Toy and Utility breeds on Saturday 8^th March and Gundogs on Sunday 9^th March.

National TV treasure, Clare Balding, will again be guiding viewers through the canine extravaganza on More 4 from Thursday to Saturday and then culminating on Channel 4 for the Best in Show finale on Sunday evening. Those outside the UK can watch all the key action live on the Crufts YouTube Channel - www.youtube.com/Crufts.

Crufts will be preceded by a three week Channel 4 series called The Dog Show, where dogs will compete in a series of activity challenges and the winner will make an appearance at Crufts. The Kennel Club will also be asking for people to submit videos of their own talented canines in the New Year, for its online Crufts Factor competition.

“Crufts is a British institution and a must see for all dog lovers” says Caroline Kisko, Kennel Club Secretary. “It is the world’s largest gathering of all dogs – pedigree and crossbreed, large and small, athletic and competitive, companion and heroic, and celebrates everything that we love the most about man’s best friend.

“The event hosts a vast range of exciting competitions, and is packed with information, advice and entertainment for all dog lovers. Every single dog is special and so we will be hosting an online Crufts Factor competition to showcase the vast range of talents our dogs possess and will be asking people to post photos and stories about their dogs for competitions on our Facebook page.”

Among the competition and events at Crufts will be the inaugural ‘Obreedience’ competition, where different breeds will go head-to-head to demonstrate their superior obedience skills.

Visitors to the show will be able to visit the Discover Dogs area, where they will meet more than 200 breeds and find out more about buying the right dog for them. Visitors will also be able to learn about Kennel Club Assured Breeders, who put the health and welfare of their puppies first and foremost, and about the pioneering projects that the Kennel Club and the Animal Health Trust are working on to improve dog health.

As well as enjoying watching the many different events and competitions at the show, visitors can also enjoy the ultimate doggie shopping experience with hundreds of trade stands selling everything and anything for dogs and dog lovers.

For more information, please visit www.crufts.org.uk