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Medical Detection Dogs
Dr Claire Guest is the founder of and head trainer for the charity Medical Detection Dogs. These dogs do amazing things - they sniff out the fact that diabetes sufferers have low blood sugar and alert their owner to the need to adjust this with insulin, they can scent and alert to the presence of cancer cells, and one of them is the only scientifically proven Addison's detection dog in the world.
These dogs change lives; not only the life of the person they are trained for, but the whole family find a new sense of security and relief. Claire recently had her own cancer diagnosed thanks to one of the dogs she is training, and thanks to clever Daisy Claire's cancer was detected very early.
You can hear Claire talking about her experiences in this show. Lesley Nicol who plays Mrs Patmore in the wonderful television show Downton Abbey has just become an ambassador for Medical Detection Dogs and she was on the stand helping promote the work the charity does, and Julie was delighted to meet her.
Front wheeling dogs
Liz Hennel and Stella Spence recently connected with each other via Faecbook and they have something very important in common - both their dogs use front leg carts.
Liz's dog Hope has been disabled from a very early age, while Stella's Molly had her leg amputated after she was rescued from her life as a stray. The four were meeting up at Crufts for the first time and they talked about the issues they have faced and how the front wheel carts have improved the dogs' quality of life.
YUMPRO BioActiv
Crufts is a great opportunity to launch new doggy products and Lintbells were launching one that may sound humorous, but has been helping dogs - and indirectly their humans.
If your dog has flatulence or loose stools, you'll know how distressing and embarrassing this problem can be. Lintbells new product YUMPRO BioActiv. To find out how this new product has been helping Julie spoke to John Howie, as well as satisfied customer Julie Growcott and her lovely Rough Collie Ted who has a beautiful coat as a result of Yumpro.
You can find out more on the Lintbells website.
Flyball
The Hertfordshire-based High Flyers are one of the top flyball teams in the UK and they are joint hosts and organisers of the European Championships, a three day event which is likely to attract around 150 international teams and up to 2,000 dogs. It takes place in July 2012 at Littleport in Cambridgeshire.
The team competed in the main arena at Crufts, and chatted to Julie about this fast canine sport which you can find out more about at their website.
Crufts Factor
Paul Keevil may have been banned from entering look alike competitions because he looks so like his dog it spoils the fun for everyone else, but he and his Dandie Dinmont Jackson made it the finals of fun competition Crufts Factor.
While Jackson didn't win the Crufts Factor, he and Paul had a marvelous time in the main arena and Jackson was a great ambassador for his breed whose numbers are very low in the UK. There is a lot of information about "vulnerable" British breeds at the British Heritage Dog Breeds site.
The winner of the competition was a talented Shiba Inu called Elee who wowed the crowd with an impressive display of behaviours.
The Puppy Plan.
Carolyn Menteith is an experienced dog trainer who has teamed up with Dogs Trust and The Kennel Club to develop The Puppy Plan. This is a scheme to encourage and enable breeders and owners to make the most of those early weeks of a puppy's life when he is open and unafraid of new experiences.
Carolyn explains why those early weeks are so important and how to ensure your dog encounters lots of different sights and sounds. As Carolyn points out, the majority of dogs are pet dogs and a sound socialisation early on helps them become and remain well balanced and happy.
For more information visit The Puppy Plan website.
Nina Ottosson
Nina Ottosson famously designs games that help keep your dog's brain occupied by presenting him with problem solving puzzles. Nina's games make dogs work out how to move puzzle parts with a paw or their teeth to get some tasty treats.
Nina talks about how she originally started designing her canine conundrums and why she finds it so useful to mix with dog owners at Crufts. Nina's games can be bought via her website or from the Company of Animals website.
Company of Animals founder Dr. Roger Mugford talked to Julie about why it's so important to keep our dogs occupied and about his concerns for dogs living in the modern world.
Pet competition
Does your dog damage or destroy toys? Well make the best of things, take a photo of the evidence and enter the competition that Ben & Bruce Fogle are running.
Bruce and Ben Fogle are delighted to announce the launch of a quirky competition for all dog and cat lovers in a bid to gather new friends for two important charities - Dogs Trust and Hearing Dogs for Deaf People.
Pet people are being asked to send photos of creatively nibbled, torn, shredded, scratched, chewed, deconstructed or simply destuffed dog and cat toys to www.londonvetclinic.co.uk where they will be judged taking into account their originality, humour, intelligence, artistry or just plain ability to make you smile! The winner will have the pet of their choice photographed by eminent photographer Nick Stevens.