RSPCA in a dogfight with Crufts over leads
Charity claims Crufts handlers yank on lead to improve posture and gain better scores from judges
A dispute has broken out in the dog show world after the RSPCA said handlers at Crufts held leads too tightly, causing dogs distress. A well-known method of improving a dog’s posture is to pull firmly on the lead, encouraging the animal to raise its head. An RSPCA spokesman said: “It is not necessary to cause a dog discomfort in order to show them.” However, Caroline Kisko, the Kennel Club Secretary, replied that the RSPCA was highlighting “silly non-issues”.
IN THE refined world of pedigree dog-showing, the graceful curve of a dog’s neck may be the all-important difference between winning praise and accolades from judges, or coming home empty handed.
A well-known method of improving a dog’s posture is to pull firmly on the lead, encouraging the animal to raise its head.
But now a row has broken out over the practice after the RSPCA accused handlers of holding leads too tightly, causing the dogs distress and risking physical harm.
It comes after the Kennel Club cracked down on “double handling” on animal welfare grounds towards the end of last year.
Double handling involves a second trainer located incognito among the show’s spectators who attracts the dog’s attention using a squeaky toy, a whistle or their own voice.
Hearing the noise, the dog raises its head and pricks up its ears.
Lisa Richards, the RSPCA’s dog welfare expert and senior scientific officer, said that the issue of handlers pulling hard on their dogs’ leads appeared to be more prevalent this year.
She added that the Kennel Club’s crackdown on double handling may have been a contributing factor, as breeders looked for other ways to impress judges and gain a competitive edge.
While some claim the technique simply adds excitement to dog shows, animal-behaviour experts say it leaves the dogs stressed and anxious.
Ms Richards, who has been monitoring Crufts coverage for the past four years, said: “When we’ve seen it, it’s when dogs are shown on the judging table or on the floor.
“The leads are held tightly on their necks but right at the top of their neck behind their ears, to show off the length of the dog’s neck or an aspect of a dog’s neck.”
She said it is “really disappointing” that such superficial displays are “held above a dog’s welfare”.
“It seems to be something we have noticed a lot this year. It has the potential to be quite uncomfortable, it could cause them pain. It is not necessary to cause a dog discomfort in order to show them.”
The criticism of lead-pulling provoked a furious response from Caroline Kisko, the Kennel Club Secretary who claimed the RSPCA was being “boring”
‘Hearing the noise, the dog raises its head and pricks up its ears, thereby appearing to be more alert to judges’
and highlighting “silly, non-issues”. Ms Kisko said of the RSPCA: “They have an opportunity during Crufts to make hay, they do it every year, it is very boring.
“We have far, far bigger more important issues that we and the rest of the dog world are looking at.
“The RSPCA are niggling away and worrying about silly points that are non-issues. I would far rather they concentrated on actual animal cruelty like puppy farming”
Ms Kisko denied that there was any evidence of harsh handling on Saturday night but conceded that there were “certainly a few people that had their leads tighter than would be ideal.”
She said: “We are talking about people’s much-loved pets, they are not going to be nasty to them. But they do want to get the best out of them. If we had seen harsh handling, as has happened in the past, we deal with it immediately.
“We are a big organisation and a worldwide dog show with a massive reputation to protect. No way would we allow dogs to be harmed.”
The issue divided opinion among handlers at Crufts.
Lesley White, 60, from Great Yarmouth, Norfolk told The Daily Telegraph: “Some people hold the lead high and tight to pull up the head to show off the dog but it’s wrong to tarnish us all with that comment.”
Geraldine McEntee, 71, who won best puppy dog with her rough collie Spike, added: “It may look to the spectator the lead is being held too tightly by some handlers but we don’t do that with our breed.
“You hold the lead high with bait in hand, a piece of meat or whatever treat, but it’s not being yanked or held too tightly.”