Bolney Dog And Uckfield Trainer Win Awards At Crufts

Winston, a Border Terrier from Bolney, won the Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition and Jo Crawford from Uckfield, won The Kennel Club Accredited Instructor of the Year award.

It all happened at the final of Crufts 2023 at the NEC in Birmingham last week.

Winston (whose Kennel Club name is Ch Awbrooksky Never Back Down JW) is two years old and has had a great start to his dog show career, winning the Junior Warrant, an award for pedigree dogs from the ages of 6 to 18 months which have won a series of first prizes at both open and championship dog shows, and has now followed this up with a major win at Crufts

Winston and his owner Lauren Goddard, were up against nine other finalists for the coveted title but were named the winner after wowing judge Lee Cox in the exciting final, which took place for the first time at Crufts since 2020. 

Lauren said:

“I’m speechless. It was very daunting being in the ring, but there’s no feeling like it. This is the first time I’ve ever taken part in the Junior Warrant.

“He’s still maturing but me and my family are very pleased with him. I can’t put it into words, I’m so happy and proud of Winston."

Vanessa McAlpine, Crufts Show Manager, said:

“Congratulations to Winston and Lauren for this fantastic achievement. The Junior Warrant is one of the highest levels of success for young dogs and a great indicator of an exciting career to come for these dogs. I am certain we will see a lot more of Winston in the future. 

“We were delighted to welcome the competition back to Crufts, and the standard this year has been so high. Competing in the Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition final is a great achievement for any young dog, so we want to say a huge well done to all the finalists who took part.”

The Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition is usually held annually and is for dogs which have gained the title of Junior Warrant during the previous year. 

Forty-four top young dogs and their handlers competed in the semi-finals at The Kennel Club’s Discover Dogs event at ExCeL London in October, where ten finalists were selected to compete at Crufts.

Runner-up in the Junior Warrant final was the Briard, Ethan (Fostebrie Just Unique JW), aged 18 months, owned by Carol Foster from Barnsley, South Yorkshire and handled in the ring by Phil Rogers.

To find out more about the Junior Warrant Winner of the Year competition, please visit thekennelclub.org.uk/juniorwarrant. 

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Jo Crawford from Uckfield, East Sussex has been awarded The Kennel Club Accredited Instructor of the Year award as part of the Accredited Instructor Awards ceremony which took place at Crufts, on Saturday 11 March. 

The awards recognise inspirational dog training instructors who have made a positive difference to the lives of owners and their dogs. Jo was nominated by family, friends and clients, in recognition of her work in understanding how to teach other people to reward dogs for the right behaviours through her in-depth understanding of dog behaviour to create a positive and optimistic learning environment for both dogs and their owners.

Jo’s methods go beyond teaching owners how to train their dog, but also how to truly understand their dog and build a stronger relationship.  

KCAI of the Year presentation. Credit: The Kennel Club - Sophie Lewis

An owner of two English Springer Spaniels, Tollo and Zephyr, and a former RSPCA Inspector, Jo is passionate about dog welfare and has always enjoyed training them.

Jo began by studying behaviour and acquired a Distinction in her Level 3 and Level 5 Diplomas in Companion Animal Training and Behaviour (DipCABT). Jo underwent an assessment and was accepted to become a Kennel Club Accredited Instructor in 2020. Jo is also a qualified instructor for Scentwork UK and enjoys taking part in Gundog activities and scent detection with her own dogs. 

In addition to the award, Jo was also presented with a £500 donation from The Kennel Club Educational Trust in order to further her involvement with dogs.  

Speaking on her role as a Kennel Club Accredited Instructor Jo said:

“The Kennel Club is recognised throughout the world as being at the forefront of dog breeding and training and has engendered trust among the dog-owning population. 

“As an educated, professional trainer of many years, I feel that in the advent of the recent boom in unqualified and uneducated ‘trainers’ it is really important for the public to be able to recognise and trust that the trainer they are working with has been properly educated, vetted and verified and is going to use positive, reward-based methods with their puppy or dog.  The KCAI standards engender confidence in dog owners.” 

The purpose of The Kennel Club Accredited Instructor scheme is to recognise and promote experienced and competent dog training instructors who are committed to using dog training methods which are based on the principles of kindness, fairness and the good welfare of dogs. The scheme offers its members the opportunity to gain a nationally recognised vocational accreditation award, based on standards set by The Kennel Club. It is the first and only scheme for dog training instructors and canine behaviourists that has achieved programme accreditation from City & Guilds, a globally-recognised benchmark of quality

This year’s judging panel included Angela White, Accredited Instructors scheme Vice Chair, Janine Beacher, representative from City and Guilds and Vanessa McAlpine, Events Executive at The Kennel Club. 

David Phillips, Managing Director at City & Guilds, said:

“We are a nation of dog lovers and it’s important that we hold high standards of animal welfare and professionalism in the canine industry whilst also recognising and accrediting people’s skills in this area. We’re proud to continue our ongoing relationship with The Kennel Club Accredited Instructors scheme and would like to congratulate all of this year’s award nominees.”

Vanessa McAlpine, Crufts Show Manager, said:

“Many congratulations to Jo for winning this prestigious title. Reading through the many positive nominations Jo received made it evident how she exemplifies the standards of The Kennel Club Accredited Instructor scheme. The Kennel Club is very thankful for the valuable work she continues to do to for both dogs and their owners.  

“Well done to all those members that received well-deserved nominations this year. All members of the scheme should be incredibly proud of their ongoing work and for sharing their specialist knowledge and practical experience.” 

For further information on The Kennel Club Accredited Instructor scheme, please visit thekennelclub.org.uk/KCAI