Heelwork to music

Qualifying heats for the prestigious heelwork to music finals at Crufts are held at twelve Heelwork to Music shows across the country throughout the year.

There are finals at Crufts for Heelwork to Music and Freestyle for the top ten dogs that qualify at Premier Shows annually.

Scroll down for details of qualifying heats for the semi finals.  Only advanced dogs competing in Heelwork to Music and/or Freestyle classes can qualify. Both the competition organisers and the Kennel Club reserve the right to verify a dog’s eligibility to compete.

All of the Crufts semi-final competitions will be Judged under the appropriate Kennel Club regulations L and L(A) in force at the time of the event.  Competitors entering any competition will be deemed to have agreed to abide by these regulations.

Click here to view the 2026 Crufts HTM Scorecard

Once a routine has been performed at the Crufts finals by a handler it may not be repeated again at future Crufts finals for five years. 

The following moves may not be used in either a heelwork to music or a freestyle routine at Crufts: dog being held on handlers’ shoulders whilst the handler is standing and/or dog being allowed to jump from that height; dog performing a headstand; dog balancing on handlers upturned feet; dog performing a forward or backward roll; dog balanced on a narrow object and; dog performing a handstand (balancing independently on its front legs) – all of these moves have been assessed as being detrimental to a dogs confirmation and welfare.  Therefore, should any handler perform the above named moves they will be disqualified from the class they are performing in. Click here for a pictorial definition of these moves.

All qualifying heats must take place at Kennel Club licensed shows and the class name in the schedule should replicate exactly the name of the competition as stated in these regulations.  Only Kennel Club Registered clubs may hold a Crufts Semi-Final Qualifier.

All Kennel Club competitions should be judged using standard marking.  There will be three judges for both the Crufts semi-final and at Crufts.

Any person judging at Crufts and whose dogs are qualified to work in the Advanced classes, may still compete in a Crufts Semi-Final Qualifying class but may not qualify their dogs.  They may however, still be awarded the appropriate points and prizes for their places within that class.

An entry fee will be charged for each dog for Crufts.

Competitors may enter more than one dog in a heat.  Competitors may qualify more than one dog for the Crufts semi-final.

The dog and handler partnership which obtains the Crufts semi-final qualifier shall be the one that competes at both the Crufts semi-finals. No substitution of the handler is permitted.

Competitors may enter more than one dog in a heat. 

Competitors may qualify more than one dog for the semi-final.

The first two placed previously unqualified dogs from each heat in both Heelwork to Music and Freestyle will be invited to compete in the Crufts semi-finals, i.e., in the event that the first and second placed dogs have already qualified for the Crufts semi-final at a previous heat, the third placed dogs from that heat will be invited to compete in the Crufts semi-final.

If a qualified dog does not wish to accept their place they will write to the Crufts Heelwork to Music Competition Manager within 7 days from receipt of their confirmation letter.  In this event the place will be offered to the next unqualified dog and handler team from the show results where the dog qualified.  The original qualified dog may continue to enter the Advanced Class at shows where qualifying heats are taking place but will not be offered a further semi-final qualifier should the situation arise again for the remainder of the qualifying year.  The qualifying year for this competition is March to October (inclusive).

Once a dog has qualified for the Crufts semi-final, further heats may be entered for competitions although any placings in these further heats will not affect the dog’s eligibility for the Crufts semi-finals.

Note to show societies: Details of the top ten dogs in each qualifying class must be submitted to the Crufts heelwork to music competition manager within 7 days of the show date and must include details of the handler’s name, postal address, email address and telephone number plus the dog’s Kennel Club name, breed and date of birth.