Anyone who has had the honour of showing a dog at Crufts – known internationally as the biggest and greatest dog show in the world – will understand just how important that infamous green carpet is. As soon as feet and paws descend upon it, the exhibitors  know that they really have entered the golden realms of top showing.

Last weekend a 23-year-old Pembrokeshire woman fulfilled her lifetime’s ambition after entering that prestigious green-carpeted ring to earn herself a magnificent third place in the championship handling classes.

“It really was a dream come true,” said Ffion Thomas after she was placed third in the Young Kennel Club Handling competition after showing Dylan, who is a seven-year-old Chinese Crested powderpuff.

“It’s very difficult to describe the excitement we feel when we enter the ring at Crufts because that green carpet really does mean something very special.  When you step onto it something just clicks, and you start to feel that incredible sense of adrenalin that only Crufts can produce.”

Ffion was introduced to dog handling at a very young age after her father, Emyr, presented his wife Kathryn with a beautiful little weimaraner puppy as a Christmas present.

“My father has often said that this was one of the worst mistakes of his life, because my mother then started showing the dog…and as much as my father loved the animal, he certainly didn’t enjoy the showring,” laughs Ffion.

Needless to say, seven-year-old Ffion soon found herself bitten by the dog showing bug.

“I was obviously too small to handle a weimaraner, so I started showing our King Charles Spaniel and our little chihuahua, and from both those dogs I learnt the basic handling techniques are required for the show ring.”

For the last 17 years, Ffion has perfected those techniques to the extent that  last year, following a major win at the West of England Ladies Kennel Society Show in Malvern – when she showed  the family’s three-year-old chihuahua, Elsa – Ffion qualified for a place in the senior handling class at this year’s Crufts.

“Yes, it’s a frightening prospect because Crufts is obviously the biggest dog show in the world, and the only one of its kind.  But I realised how fortunate I was to have had the opportunity to get into that show ring, and I was determined to enjoy every moment and hopefully pass that positive feeling onto the dog.”

And this is one of the key factors in getting a dog to perform well for the judges.

“It’s important to try and form a strong rapport with the dog,” continued Ffion.

“A lot of a handler’s anxiety or nervousness can get passed down the lead, so it’s important to try and send the right signals across to your dog.

“And a dog will always feel that tension, so on Friday I just kept telling myself how lucky I was to be there, get onto that carpet and make things work.”

As a result of Ffion’s flawless handling, she fought her way through 11 finalists which included both toy and utility dogs. to reach the shortlist of five.  And after some near-perfect handling, Ffion was put into third place, despite being the highest placed toy dog handler.

“We were in the ring for around 45 minutes, which  is a long time to keep a dog calm and happy.  Initially the dogs are lined up for  the judge to look at them briefly, before they then start  looking at the dogs’ movement.  And this is when we have to walk the dogs around the ring in a circular movement.”

Toy dogs, like Dylan, are then placed onto a show table where they are expected to retain a perfect posture throughout their inspection by the judge.  Sometimes the judge will deliberately move the dog’s paw or leg, requiring the handler to return it to its precise position, while the handler is also expected to display the dog’s teeth in a particular manner.  The judge may also pounce questions on the handler relating to the dog’s origins, its breed traits and its anatomical issues.  Once the individual assessment is completed, the dog is then required to move around the ring in a set pattern, normally a triangle, extending from the right corner, the left corner and then back to the judge.

“Dylan is a beautiful dog to handle, despite the Chinese Crested breed sometimes being considered difficult, as they’re not always friendly towards other dogs,” continued Ffion.

“And then of course, handling is a very personalised thing, where everyone has their own particular way of doing things.  So you never really know what the judge is going to want from the handler.  All you can do is remain confident with your own style and just hope that the judge will like it too.”

Despite last weekend’s success when  Ffion and all the other exhibitors and handlers walked away with prizes from the most prestigious dog show in the world,  their thoughts are already turning to Crufts 2026.

“My class is open to young handlers up to the age of 24, which means I’ve got one more left to handle at Crufts,” said Ffion.

“So already we’re starting to think about which shows to get to this year, with the hope of qualifying once again in 2026.  Living in London – [Ffion is currently working towards an MA in vocal performance at the Royal Academy of Music] – obviously makes things a bit more difficult, but dog handling is definitely something that’s in my blood.  And I can’t think of a life without going to shows and doing my absolute best for the dogs.”