Spaniel Kima faces Crufts showdown with daughters

Ten-year-old spaniel Kima might be being groomed for her final Crufts performance - but it won't be before she goes into battle with two of her daughters.

Her owner Sophie Macbeth readily admits she "hasn't got a chance" against her offspring in the Small Agility Championship class, as they are "fast",

Ms Macbeth, from Ross-on-Wye in Herefordshire, also says dogs "get naughty" as they age and wonders whether Kima will be slower because she is now less able to hear her commands.

More than 24,000 dogs and 150,000 visitors are expected at Birmingham's NEC for the four-day event, which begins on Thursday and climaxes on Sunday when the Best in Show dog is crowned.

Kima has had two litters and a total of four of her daughters will be competing at the event.

She will be 11 next month and will be "retiring and finishing her agility career" in style on the biggest stage for pooches in the calendar, said Ms Macbeth.

Of Kima's hearing, she said: "I wonder whether she doesn't hear quite as well as she used to, so maybe when she doesn't listen to what I say, it's because she can't hear as well."

Her daughters have a much greater chance of victory "'cos they're like five years younger and they've got better skills", Ms Macbeth continued.

"As agility has developed, we have got more and more skilled at what we train."

Four of Kima's daughters will compete at Crufts

Ms Macbeth described Kima as clever and added she still "wanted to work".

"What you see on the carpet is the tip of the iceberg... You start by teaching them to turn left, teaching them to turn right, teaching them to go round a pole," she said.

"The courses are technical and they're clever, so your dog has to understand the difference between a jump and a weave on command."

And with all the hours gone into the training, it can be "very hard to retire a dog".

"She still wants to do it and the main thing for me is that she can do it," Ms Macbeth said.

But after her birthday Kima will have a "good retirement".

"I love my dog to bits... She'll go swimming and she'll go walking and she'll enjoy her life for as long as she stays with us," she added.