Heading to Crufts armed with a small backpack, I thought I’d have plenty of space for all of my purchases, but had filled it within the first half an hour of being at the event. By the end of the day, I had a jam-packed rucksack, a tate bag filled to the brim, a jute bag overflowing with goodies, and a deep regret for having not invested in a trolley.
There are almost 500 retailers and traders split across five halls at the huge international dog show, selling everything from treats, toys and grooming products, to supplements, gadgets and accessories for hounds and their humans. During our visit on Thursday, we had the chance to stock up on some of our favourite brands, meet some of the retailer’s we’ve previously collaborated with, and discover new and exciting traders.
We spent around £120 at the event, with many of the retailers holding special offers and discounts exclusive to Crufts, and have shared some of our top tips for shopping at the event, as well as the must-visit stalls in this blog post.
Be sure to stock up on all the free samples, too! Lots of brands will hand out testers and mini products to try out at home if you make the time to chat and show genuine interest in the product. It’s also the perfect time to ask questions to the people who know the brands the best, in order to make more informed choices and get the right products for your pet. We’re delighted with our haul, and can’t wait to try out some of the brand new products, so here’s every product we brought home from Crufts 2023:
The Innocent Hound treats
We absolutely love The Innocent Hound and have reviewed a number of their products on the blog previously, including their birthday and Christmas cake mixes, and their natural air-dried treats.
It was so lovely to finally meet the team face to face, and of course, pick up some of Phoebe and Frank’s favourite treats – which were on a special three for £10 offer exclusive to Crufts.
We got the venison sausages with chopped apple, sliced venison sausages and sliced duck sausages, which are tasty, high value, high protein rewards that your dog will go mad for.
Read more: Making The Innocent Hound birthday cake mix
Read more: The Innocent Pet luxe sausage treat range
Tug-E-Nuff toy
Another product we’ve reviewed in the past is the Tug-E-Nuff toys, and the brand had a special offer whereby if you signed up online, you got a free ‘gift’ when you visited the stall. The freebie is a little pocket magnet style keyring, and while it’s not a toy, it’s a brilliant attention grabber on walks for your dog.
While we were there, we also picked up a pocket powerball bungee tug because both of our current Tug-e-Nuff toys have fairly long handles, so I wanted something a little more close-range.
The Powerball is designed to be ‘the world’s best ball for dogs’ and all of their toys we’ve found to be extremely durable – even with Frank!
Read more: Seven reasons we love Tug-e-Nuff toys for Staffies
Read more: Three Tug-e-Nuff dog toys we love -; and your dog will too
Pawgeous wipes
A new brand we discovered at Crufts was Pawgeous. The brand was inspired by Lola the cockapoo who loves nothing more – much to the delight of owner Emily – than getting absolutely filthy on her walks.
Pawgeous grooming wipes are the ultimate solution to muddy paws and keeping your pets looking fresh and clean between baths. Each pack contains 25 large, durable and super absorbent plastic-free wipes that are biodegradable and made with natural ingredients.
Designed in the UK and made with naturally derived coconut oil and aloe vera, they are gentle on fur with a subtle and clean scent. Each pack costs £3 at Crufts, on sale from £5.99.
Soopa jumbo sticks
We’ve long been fans of Soopa’s vegan healthy bites and sticks, so when we spotted these jumbo sticks we’ve not previously tried on their Crufts stall I grabbed one of each flavour – three for £10.
These jumbo dental sticks come in packs of two, available in banana and peanut butter, cranberry and sweet potato, and carrot and pumpkin. Specifically designed for larger breed dogs, they are a hypoallergenic and grain-free treat made using natural, human grade ingredients that help keep teeth clean and improve doggie breath.
You can expect to see a full review of these as soon as Phoebe and Frank sink their teeth into them.
Read more: Soopa: vegan dental sticks for dogs packed with superfoods
GoughNuts
Ever since a conversation with Retired Police Dog Cooper’s owner, Tim, I have had my eye on GoughNuts toys. They are said to be one of the toughest dog toys on the market, even for power chewers, with a lifetime guarantee if your dog does manage to chew into the safety indicator.
They don’t come cheap, with these two new ‘heavy duty’ rings costing around £30 each. But it saves a lot of money on ‘disposable’ chew toys in the long run.
The Goughnuts Ring Dog Toy was designed to give pups a safer, tougher chew toy, made in the USA using engineered carbon reinforcement.
The toy is described as ‘the ultimate in chewing challenges’ so I am very much looking forward to seeing just how tough these really are. Because if they can survive Frank – they’ll survive anything.
Betty Miller soft bites
Betty Miller had one of the prettiest stalls at Crufts this year, designed like a little country kitchen. Founded by brothers Alex and Leo Baker – an apt surname indeed – these soft-baked, grain free treats are made of all natural ingredients.
Based in Hampshire, there are six different types of soft bites in the range, including ‘chunky dog’ – a low fat treat – and ‘dozy dog’, a delicious bedtime biscuit. I absolutely adored the branding and they’re really affordable too, less than £2.50 per pack.
With a Crufts exclusive deal, I got one of every flavour for just £10, and we can’t wait to write a full review. We’re expecting this brand to land itself firmly in our list of favourites.
DoggyRade hydration pouch
DoggyRade were handing out free pouches of their rehydration drink if you completed a short survey on their brand. Their healthy prebiotic drink is isotonic and contains electrolytes, aiming to support good intestinal health in dogs.
It comes in a ready-to-drink resealable pouch and will last for up to five days once opened. It can also be frozen and given to dogs on a hot day to help them cool down, with all the same benefits, so we think this is going to be really handy come summer.
Buddylicious treats
Newly launched just in time for Crufts is the Buddylicious treats, from PJ Pet Products. The semi-moist natural meat treats are sourced from Serrano farms, and are all 100 per cent natural and healthy.
We were really drawn in by the branding, reminding me of upmarket bar snacks that you might find in a craft pub. The range caters for every doggy preference including Serrano Ham, Serrano Beef, Serrano Chicken and Serrano Turkey.
For the show and as an introductory price, these were two for £5, which we thought was very reasonable for a treat with a meat content of over 70 per cent – making them a fantastic high-value reward for active dogs.
Sniffe and Likkit samples
The Sniffe and Likkit stalls is one of the best smelling at Crufts, with a diffuser spritzing their iconic fragrance around the hall. Their selection of at-home grooming products have been carefully created by pet aromatherapists to offer natural earthy woodland smells that remind your dog of the great outdoors.
You;ll have spotted Sniffe and Lickit on the blog a couple of times in the past so it was great to have a chat with the team at their Crufts stall. They were kind enough to give us a free greetings card and a Wippets wipe – an individually wrapped 100 per cent biodegradable paw wipe prime for post-muddy walks.
Read more: Sunday pampers with the Sniffe and Likkit grooming range
Read more: Sniffe and Likkit Home Barking Kit pawfect for Great British Bake Off lovers
Eden kibble samples
Family-owned Staffordshire business, Eden, also handed us some free samples of their best-selling kibble to try out. Their holistic pet food brand offers high levels of fresh, quality meats with the right combination of fruit, vegetables and botanicals, to provide pets with naturally complete food for optimum nutrition.
Their branding is absolutely gorgeous and it’s evidently a really premium product, so we’re looking forward to giving it a go and seeing what Phoebe and Frank think.
