This is the Trial Secretary/Superintendents page for Companion Events! We are pleased to offer this page as a resource to all Trial Secretaries, Superintendents, and Trial Committees. Here you can find the most up to date information on new regulations and proper procedures. We will post announcements and other information regarding AKC regulations on this page. If you are a new Trial Secretary or a seasoned Superintendent, you should be able to find valuable information here. If you ever wish to speak with someone directly in the Companion Events division, please don’t hesitate to contact us!
Obedience and Rally Regulation Changes
The AKC Board VOTED to amend five sections of the Obedience Regulations and one section of the AKC Rally(r) Regulations to make the events more enjoyable.
These changes are effective January 1, 2014; please share this information with your Obedience/Rally Trial Chairmen and Trial Secretaries/Superintendents.
In summary the changes (underlined below) are:
- Allow premium lists to measure not less than 5½ x 8½ inches up to 8½ x 11 inches. (Obedience Regulations Chapter 1, Section 3)
- Require clubs to refund the entry fee for females in season. A processing fee may be retained by the club. (Obedience Regulations Chapter 1, Section 14)
- Allow clubs, at their option, to establish a wait list to fill openings created by entries that are withdrawn prior to the event closing date. (Obedience Regulations Chapter 1, Section 27)
- Allow dogs to be picked up by their handlers when they are called back into the ring for the awards ceremony. (Obedience Regulations Chapter 2, Sections 11 & 22)
- Allow rally ring sizes to be determined by square footage (2,000 to 3,000 square feet, with a minimum width of 30 feet). This will provide clubs flexibility in determining the location of their rally trial, perhaps allowing them to lower their cost. While the square footage area listed above is the minimum size allowed, a 40′ x 50′ or 50′ x 60′ ring size is ideal for rally. (Rally Regulations Chapter 2, Section 1)
Obedience Regulations — Chapter 1, Section 3
Section 3. Premium Lists/Entries. A premium list must be provided for sanctioned “A”, licensed or member trials. The premium shall be printed and shall measure not less than 5½ x 8½ inches or more than 8½ x 11 inches.
The remainder of this section is unchanged.
Obedience Regulations — Chapter 1, Section 14
Section 14. Dogs That May Not Compete. No dog under six months of age may compete. No dog belonging wholly or in part to a judge, or superintendent, or any member of such a person’s household may be entered in any obedience trial at which such person officiates or is scheduled to officiate. Nor may they handle or act as agent for any dog entered at that obedience trial.
Females in season are not permitted to compete. If a female is withdrawn from competition because it came into season and the event secretary is notified no later than one half hour prior to the start of the first class in the trial, the club is required to refund the entry fee. The club may retain a processing fee and must publish this information in the premium. Clubs may determine the documentation, if any that is required to confirm the female is in season. This shall be stated in the premium. Note: No fee is paid to the AKC for females in season who are withdrawn.
If allowed by the host club, the obedience trial secretary may enter dogs owned or co-owned by the secretary and may handle dogs in the obedience trial. The secretary’s priority must be the handling of official secretary duties in a timely manner. If participation in the trial interferes with these duties, other arrangements for handling dogs must be made.
The remainder of this section is unchanged.
Obedience Regulations — Chapter 1, Section 27
Section 27. Limitation of Entries. If a club anticipates an entry to exceed the capacity of its facilities for a licensed or member trial, it may limit entries, not to exceed up to eight hours of judging time per day, per judge. Non-regular classes, however, may be included, if so desired.
Prominent announcement of such limits will appear in the title or cover page of the premium list for an obedience trial or immediately under the obedience heading in the premium list for a dog show. This announcement must state that the entries in one or more specified classes will automatically close when certain limits have been reached, even if this occurs before the official closing date.
However, a club, at its discretion, may choose to establish a wait list in order to fill openings created by entries that are withdrawn prior to the event closing day. If a club is maintaining a wait list, this shall be stated in the premium. The full entry fee shall be refunded to an entrant whose entry is replaced by a wait-listed entry.
When entries are limited in the Open B and/or Utility B classes, a club must designate a UDX class in the premium list. Dogs entered in this UDX class would be entered in both Open B and Utility B, and the combined entry fee for these two classes must be paid. Once the limit has been reached in either the Open B or the Utility B class, the UDX class will be considered closed, and any subsequent entries for this class will be unacceptable in their entirety.
Obedience Regulations — Chapter 2, Sections 11 & 22
Section 11. Announcement of Scores. The judge will not disclose any scoring to anyone until the entire class has been judged. Nor should anyone else be allowed to do so. Immediately after the group exercises for Novice, Graduate Novice and Open, the judge will inform the handlers of a qualifying performance. In Beginner Novice, Pre-Novice, Pre-Open, Graduate Open, Pre-Utility, Versatility and Utility, the judge will inform the handler immediately following the last exercise.
After all the scores are recorded for the class or division of the class, the judge will call the qualifying dogs back into the ring. For the award ceremony, dogs may be picked up and carried into the ring if the handler desires. Before awarding the placements, the judge will inform the spectators of the maximum number of points required for a perfect score. After scores of each placement have been announced, the judge will tell the handlers their dogs’ scores.
Section 22. Praise. Praise and petting are allowed between and after exercises, but points will be deducted from the total score for a dog that is not under reasonable control while being praised. There will be a substantial penalty for any dog that is picked up or carried at any time in the obedience ring while under judgment. Note:A dog is under judgment until it leaves the ring.
AKC Rally(r) Regulations — Chapter 2, Section 1
Section 1. Space Requirements. The ring sizes for rally shall be between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet, with a minimum width of 30 feet. The floor covering or ground surface must be the same as would be suitable for traditional AKC Obedience trials. The size of the ring shall be stated in the premium. In consideration of the judge’s course design requirements, they should be informed of the ring size with as much lead time as possible.
Effective Immediately — AKC Rally(r) National Championship.
The AKC Board approved an AKC Rally(r) National Championship, and amended the Rally Regulations to provide for it. The first event will be held in the spring of 2014 in conjunction with the Companion Events Extravaganza. To view more event details as they become available, please visit /events/rally/national/index.cfm
Judges are no longer required to provide course copies with the judges’ books for the completed class to the Trial Secretary/Superintendent. However, judges ARE required to keep copies of the courses used for each class along with the worksheets and copies of the judge’s books for at least 6 months in case such records are required by the AKC.
Revisions to the Obedience Judges’ Guidelines Effective April 1, 2013
This insert is issued as a supplement to the Obedience Judges’ Guidelines Amended July 1, 2013
Assignment Limitations. A judge will not be approved to judge the same regular or optional titling classes at all-breed events within 30 days and 100 straight line miles of each other with the following exceptions:
- A judge may accept assignments to judge the same classes for two obedience trials that fall on the same date at the same site.
- A judge may accept assignments to judge the same classes at two obedience trials over the course of a cluster of no more than five (5) consecutive days at the same site or within a local geographical area as determined by the AKC.
There are no such restrictions on non-regular classes or tracking tests. Assignments to judge the same class or classes at two different breed specialty or group obedience trials are not considered to be a conflict. Breed specialty obedience assignments or group shows are not in conflict with an assignment to judge the same class(es) at an all-breed obedience trial.
AKC RALLY(r) REGULATION CHANGES:
Effective June 1, 2013 — Rally Trials are now a separate event.
Clubs may now hold AKC Rally trials without regard to the number of Obedience trials they are also holding. Rally is now considered a separate AKC event and is not tied to any other AKC event. If a club is licensed for Obedience they may now hold up to 12 Rally trials per year. Any club not currently licensed for Obedience but who would like to offer Rally events will be required to successfully hold a minimum of one Sanctioned Rally A Match. For more information please contact the Companion Events Department at Rally@akc.org. The Regulations for Rally have been changed as shown below.
Chapter 1 — General Regulations, Section 1. Application to Hold a Rally Trial. Any AKC Club may be granted permission to hold a rally trial if, in the opinion of the AKC Board of Directors, it is qualified to do so, provided the club holds the event(s) for which it was originally formed at least once every two years.
Clubs meeting the requirements of AKC that wish to hold a rally trial must apply on the form the AKC provides for permission to hold such a trial with the appropriate application fee. The trial may be held in conjunction with another event or as a separate event.
A club may hold two all-breed rally trials concurrently or consecutively, at the same site on the same day. No judge will be assigned to judge for more than eight hours in one day, including any breed judging assignment when the rally trial is held in conjunction with a dog show.
A rally trial is a separate event, with a separate event number, and the rally trial application with appropriate fee must be submitted at least 18 weeks before the closing date for entries to the event.
A club may limit the number of entries
Specialty and group clubs have three options to hold a rally trial.
- These clubs may hold a trial exclusively for their own breed(s).
- If entries are limited, these clubs may accept entries of dogs of their own breed(s) first then accept entries from group breeds or all breeds until the entry limit specified in the premium list is reached.
- These clubs may hold their specialty or group rally trial followed by an all-breed or group rally trial, so long as the scheduled judging program for both events does not exceed eight hours of judging time.
Any club eligible to hold all-breed rally trials may open their trial to dogs listed with AKC Canine Partners at their option.
The Steward in Rally
Introduction to Rally Stewarding
Planning a rally trial involves many months of preparation by a Rally Trial Committee. The tasks are varied, demanding and include, but are not limited to: selecting judges, preparing a premium list, compiling a mailing list, soliciting trophies, preparing or obtaining equipment, making luncheon arrangements, securing admission tickets, and printing a catalog. One essential element that is often neglected or treated lightly is the selection and training of stewards. Stewards will be needed who have been specifically trained to assist with rally events. A steward who is not familiar with rally procedures will require time consuming instructions from the judge and can severely slow down the entire judging procedure.
To ensure the smooth operation of a rally ring, clubs should provide a training session for stewards. Experienced stewards or judges can lead the training session. A person may both steward for and show under the same judge, with the exception of the table steward who may not show and steward in the same class. Stewarding functions in the rally ring are broken down into four general categories: gate steward, table steward, ring steward and time steward. In Rally Novice and Rally Advanced, the club will provide a minimum of three stewards, as one person can serve as both the ring steward and the time steward. The time steward will monitor and report each dog’s time to the table steward. It is essential that all stewards be at ringside at least 45 minutes prior to the scheduled start of judging to receive any specific instructions from the judge and to assist in setting up the rally ring as directed by the judge. Stewards are reminded that judges are solely responsible for the ring until their assignments are completed. Stewards are provided to assist but may act only on the judge’s instructions. Stewards must not give information to owners and handlers except when the judge asks them to do so.
AKC Regulations for Agility Trials
Effective September 1, 2013 — Change to 100 mile Regulation
Clubs may have an agility trial within 100 miles of another agility trial if it is approved by the club who held the date first. This approval will be done in conjunction with Event Operations at the time of application and has to be renewed annually. The Regulations for Agility Trials have been changed as shown below:
Chapter 1 – Regulations for Agility Trials, Section 2. Agility Trials Defined. (second paragraph)
A licensed agility trial is a trial at which qualifying scores toward titles are awarded, given by a club which has been licensed by the AKC to hold the trial. In addition to agility clubs, any AKC club may be granted permission to hold agility trials provided the club holds the event(s) for which it was originally formed at least once every two years. FSS breeds with AKC approved parent clubs may become licensed to hold agility trials.
(fourth paragraph)
Agility trials may not be held closer than 100 miles in distance on the same day except a club or association may be licensed to hold an agility trial within 100 miles of another club or association which has established its licensed trial on the same date only if in each instance it obtains the written permission of the club or association with the established date and submits the written permission along with its trial application. However, there may not be two all-breed agility trials on the same day at the same location.
EVENT APPLICATION FEES:
Effective January 1, 2014 — New Event Application Fees.
The AKC Rally(r), Obedience, Tracking and Agility event application fees have been changed effective for events held on or after January 1, 2014 as follows:
AKC Rally trials with over 30 entries (based on the previous year’s corresponding trial) will have a $50.00 event application fee (a reduction from the current $100.00 application fee).
Regardless of the number of entries based on the previous year’s corresponding trial, a minimum event application fee of $25.00 will be charged for:
- Rally Trials
- Stand-alone Obedience Trials
- Tracking Tests
- Agility Trials
Revisions to the Obedience Regulations Effective April 1, 2013
This insert is issued as a supplement to the Obedience Regulations Amended July 1, 2013
Chapter 1 – General Regulations
Section 1. Obedience Clubs. (paragraph 2)
A club may hold two all-breed obedience trials concurrently or consecutively, at the same site on the same day, or two all-breed obedience clubs may hold their obedience trials one following another, if the events are held on the same site on the same day. No judge will be assigned to judge for more than eight hours in one day if judging less than five classes, or for more than seven hours in one day if judging five or more classes. This limit includes rally and/or _any breed judging assignments. _The “A” and “B” classes of the same level are considered two classes. In situations where the club feels this regulation does not result in a reasonable outcome, the club must contact the judge to gain approval for additional judging time.
Section 2. Other Clubs Eligible to Hold Obedience Trials.
In addition to obedience clubs, any AKC club may be granted permission to hold an obedience trial if, in the opinion of the AKC Board of Directors, it is qualified to do so, provided the club holds the event(s) for which it was originally formed at least once every two years.
Specialty and group clubs have three options to hold an obedience trial.
(1) These clubs may hold a trial exclusively for their own breed(s).
(2) If entries are limited, these clubs may accept entries of dogs of their own breed(s) first then accept entries from group breeds or all breeds until the entry limit specified in the premium list is reached.
(3) These clubs may hold their specialty or group obedience trial followed by an all-breed or group obedience trial, so long as the scheduled judging program for both events does not exceed eight hours of judging time.
If option (2) is selected, awards as described in these regulations, Chapter 1, Sections 19-22, will be offered for the specialty breed(s). In addition, awards as described in these regulations, Chapter 1, Sections 19-22, will be offered for the all-breed event.
If option (3) is selected, the specialty obedience and all-breed or group obedience trials will be approved and held as two separate events.
Any club eligible to hold all-breed obedience trials may open their trial to dogs listed with AKC Canine Partners at their option.__
Section 14. Dogs That May Not Compete. No dog under six months of age may compete. No dog belonging wholly or in part to a judge or superintendent, or any member of such person’s household may be entered in any obedience trial at which such a person officiates or is scheduled to officiate. Nor may they handle or act as an agent for any dog entered at that obedience trial.
If allowed by the host club, the obedience trial secretary may enter dogs owned or co-owned by the secretary and may handle dogs in the obedience trial. The secretary’s priority must be the handling of official secretary duties in a timely manner. If participation in the trial interferes with these duties, other arrangements for handling dogs must be made.
The official veterinarians will not exhibit or act as agent or handler at the show, and dogs owned wholly or in part by them will not be eligible to be entered at that show. No dog owned wholly or in part by a superintendent, any other employee of that superintendent, or any person residing in the same household as any of the foregoing will be eligible to be entered at any show held 30 days before or after a show that the superintendent has been approved to service by the AKC. Nor may that person exhibit or act as an agent or handler.
For the purpose of this section, the employees of a superintendent would include only those individuals who represent the superintendent or superintending organization at dog shows.
No judge or any person residing in the same household as the judge will exhibit or act as agent or handler at a dog show or obedience trial at which they are judging. Dogs owned wholly or in part by such judge or any member of their household will not be eligible to be entered at such event. This applies to both obedience and dog show judges when an obedience trial is held in conjunction with a dog show. Subject to the foregoing, members of a judge’s immediate family who no longer live in the same household may enter or handle a dog at a show, trial or test if the judge is not officiating over any competition that might involve that dog. If a club does not advertise in its premium list who is to judge run-offs between classes, an exhibitor will automatically be considered to have lost the run-off of any tie scores between classes if the judge of the run-off is a member of the exhibitor’s immediate family.
No dog may be entered or shown under a judge at an obedience trial if the dog has been owned, sold, held under lease, or handled in the ring within six months prior to the date of the obedience trial by the judge or by any person residing in the same household as the judge. “Trained or instructed” applies equally to judges who train professionally or as amateurs and to judges who train individual dogs or train or instruct dogs in classes with or through their handlers (see “Glossary of Terms”).
No exhibitor may show a dog under a judge at an obedience or rally trial if the exhibitor has participated in a training session taught by that judge within thirty (30) days prior to the date of the event.
No dog may be entered or shown under a judge at an obedience trial if the dog is owned or handled by any person who has regularly served as a trainer or instructor of that judge, either individually or through classes, within thirty (30) days;or if the dog has been has been regularly trained or instructed by the judge within _thirty (30) days _prior to the date of the obedience trial.
Section 16a. Transfers (formerly Move-ups).
- The club will clearly state in its premium list whether transfers will or will not be allowed. If no statement is provided in the premium list the default is to allow transfers.
- After a dog earns a title, it may be transferred to another class in a future trial, even though the closing date for the trial has passed, provided the club offers transfers.
- A transfer (i.e., from an obedience class to an obedience class; or a rally class to a rally class) may be requested if, according to the owner’s records the handler and dog are eligible and the dog has completed the requirements for the title after the closing date of the trial in which the advanced entry is to be made.
- Transfers from an “A” to “B” class at the same level are allowed provided the host club allows transfers.__(When a club does not allow transfers, refer to Section 16b. Entry of Ineligible Dog.)
- The request for a transfer must be in writing and presented to the superintendent or trial secretary at least 30 minutes prior to the start of each trial.
- Transfers may be approved provided the class and judge are available, and the class has not reached its limit.
Entry Fees for Junior Handlers (Agility, Obedience, Rally and Tracking)**Effective for events applied for after January 1, 2013:
Obedience Regulations — Chapter 1, Section 3. Entries. _(The Rally Regulations and Tracking Regulations default to this regulation/section.)
_Regulations for Agility Trials — Chapter 1, Section 9. Premium Lists.
A host club shall not accept an entry fee other than that published in its premium list or discriminate between exhibitors by offering certain owners or handlers special inducements such as rebates, prizes or other concessions unless allowed by another section of these Regulations. Except a club, at its discretion, may allow for a reduced entry fee for dogs handled by juniors. A junior must have an AKC Junior Handler number and is defined as someone less than 18 years of age on the first day of the event. An event is defined by a unique event number.
The following amendments to the Companion Events regulations will be effective January 1, 2012. (10/11)
Regulations for Agility Trials (amended to September 1, 2011)
Chapter 1, SECTION 5. Making Application. A Club or association that meets the requirements of the American Kennel Club that wishes to hold a trial at which qualifying scores toward titles may be earned must make application to the American Kennel Club on the form provided for permission to hold the trial. An application fee must accompany each application.
A club may be approved to hold up to eight licensed or member events in a calendar year. A club can be approved to hold separate trials on consecutive days, but will not be approved to hold more than one trial on any single day. Each day is considered a separate trial.
Application for licensed or member trials must be received by the American Kennel Club at least EIGHTEEN (18) weeks before the closing date for entries of the event.
The following amendments to the Companion Events regulations will be effective September 1, 2011. (5/11)
Regulations for Agility Trials
Chapter 1, Section 27. Recording Fees. At every licensed or member club trial, a recording fee of $3.50 shall be required for the first entry of each dog, and $3.00 for each additional entry of the same dog. (Each day is a separate trial.) Non-regular agility classes do not require a recording fee. When the recording fee is calculated, it does not include withdrawals.
Rally Regulations
Chapter 1, Section 5. Recording Fees. At every licensed or member club rally trial, a recording fee of $3.50 shall be required for the first entry of each dog and a recording fee of $3.00 shall be required for each additional entry of the same dog. A marked catalog and all recording fees must be sent to AKC so as to reach its office within seven days after the close of the trial. Clubs should ensure their trial records and software is updated to correctly calculate the amended recording fees for agility and rally entries.
Entry of Ineligible Dog Chapter 1, Section 16b — Obedience Regulations (Obedience and Rally) (2/11)
As of January 1st, 2010 dogs entered in an “A” class in which either the dog or the handler is ineligible can be moved to the same level “B” class after the closing date if the request is made in writing to the trial secretary or superintendent more than 30 minutes before the start of the trial.
This regulation was put in place to assist exhibitors new to AKC competition who entered the wrong class by mistake. This regulation was NOT put in place for exhibitors to try to change handlers to avoid class conflicts in other events on the day of the trial, or to avoid a last minute judge change.
If judges change the exhibitor may request a refund of his/her entry fee OR they may compete because they are still eligible for the class they entered.
Exhibitors under no circumstances may move from a “B” class to an “A” class. Everyone is eligible to compete in the “B” class as long as they are in good standing with the AKC and have a dog with an AKC identification number.
This move is not allowed for exhibitors that may have earned a title in an “A” class and want to compete in the “B” class the following day. Earning a title does NOT make the exhibitor or the dog INELIGIBLE for the “A” class. Exhibitors have 60 days to remain in the “A” class after earning a title. The exhibitor must finish out their entries in the “A” classes that were originally entered or choose to be absent for the remaining entries.
Optional Titling Classes in Obedience and “High in Trial” (8/10)
The optional titling classes; Beginner Novice, Graduate Novice, Graduate Open, and Versatility are NOT included in the award for “Highest Scoring Dog in the Regular Classes” (High in Trial) award. Optional titling classes are not considered Regular Classes. Regular Classes are Novice, Open and Utility.
This is in the Obedience Regulations in Chapter 1, Sections 21 & 22.
Agility Jump Height Table Card (8/10)
Here is a printable/portable table for agility jump heights at a glance.
Signs for the Beginner Novice Class (8/10)
Rally signs must be provided to the judge for the new Beginner Novice class. The signs that must be provided are:
Right Turn — #5
Left Turn — #6
About Turn — #7
Slow Pace — #17
Fast Pace — #18
Normal Pace — #19
Halt/Sit — #3
Two of each “Turn” sign must be provided, this includes the “About Turn”. Signs do not need to be numbered in order to indicate the next sign in the heeling pattern.
“A” Class eligibility for Beginner Novice Entries (8/10)
Any dog/handler that has never titled in AKC Obedience may enter the Beginner Novice “A” class. If a dog/handler has ever earned an AKC Obedience title (i.e. CD, CDX, UD) they must compete in the Beginner Novice “B” class.
Handlers and dogs that have earned a Beginner Novice title from the “A” class and have no other AKC obedience titles are still eligible for the Regular Novice “A” class in obedience.
Handlers and dogs that have earned the Beginner Novice title must enter the Rally Novice “B” class, because the Beginner Novice title is an AKC obedience title.
Dogs that have earned the Beginner Novice title are ineligible for any Rally “A” class and must be entered only in Rally “B” classes.
Judges books and score sheets for Beginner Novice are available in the downloadable forms page under Obedience Events — Judges Books and Scoresheets. (7/10)
AKC Canine Partners in Catalogs and Premium Lists (Obedience, Rally, Agility) (7/10)
When putting together a premium list and the club wishes to allow dogs listed in the AKC Canine Partners program it should be worded as follows:
“Entries will be accepted for dogs listed in the AKC Canine Partners program” or “Entries are open to All-American dogs listed in the AKC Canine Partners program”
When making the catalog, mixed-breed dogs should NOT be listed with the mixes of the dog. Designer names such as “Labradoodle” and “Puggle” are also not acceptable. The breed designation in the catalog should be listed as “All-American Dog” regardless of what the owner/handler writes on the entry form.
Templates Available for Agility Premium Lists (7/10)
Agility Premium List templates are now available! Send an email to agilitypremiums@akc.org to request one.
Arranging Entries by Jump Height (Obedience) (7/10)
Chapter 1, Section 3 in the Obedience Regulations, gives clubs the option to arrange entries according to jump height order in all classes in which jumps are used. If a club should choose this option, it needs to be stated in the premium list what jump height will begin the class and if the order will be ascending or descending.
The order does not need to be the same each day. The first day could be in ascending order and the next day in descending order. This also has to be stated in the premium list. Starting dogs in reverse catalog order is considered in catalog order. The judge’s books will list the dogs in the order they are to be judged that day.
Example:
Saturday’s judge’s book:
301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310
Sunday’s judge’s book:
310 309 308 307 306 305 304 303 302 301
Effective July 1, 2012_
_Move ups are allowed between any obedience classes (Regular Classes, Optional Titling Classes, Non-Regular Classes) in obedience at the club’s option. After a dog earns a title, it may be moved to another class in a future trial even though the closing date for the trial has passed, provided the club offers move-ups.
“A” Class Eligibility (Obedience and Rally) (7/10)
As of January 1st, 2010 exhibitors have the option to move from an “A” class to the same level “B” class after the close of entries if they or the dog are ineligible for the “A” class by the date of the trial.
This is not at the club’s option, if the exhibitor requests in writing to be moved to the same level “B” class due to ineligibility for that level “A” class, they should be moved.
Please note: The exhibitor must request this; trial secretaries and superintendents may not move entries after the closing date from “A” to “B” unless the exhibitor is the one who requests it.
Premium Lists and Move-ups for Obedience and Rally (11/20/06)
Move-ups must be stated in the Premium List for all Obedience and Rally trials. It is the Club’s decision to allow move-ups. The Club’s move-up policy must be stated either way; even if the club does not allow move-ups. Please refer to Chapter 1, Section 16 in the Obedience Regulations.
60 day time limit in obedience and rally:
There is quite a bit of confusion regarding 60 day time limits and earning titles in obedience and rally. Provided is a clarification of the 60 day time limit in both of these events.
1.) The 60 day time limit does not cross over events (obedience and rally).
2.) When a CD title is earned the exhibitor does NOT have 60 days to remain in any rally “A” classes they are entered in. The exhibitor must contact the Trial Secretary or Superintendent and request to be moved to the rally B class for any trial that has not closed.
3.) The 60 day time limit for both obedience and rally only applies to the DOG that earned the title. If an exhibitor is handling two dogs at the same level in either sport, the second dog must be moved to the “B” class (in that sport) for the next trial entered where the entries have not closed.
Rally Advanced A and Excellent A eligibility
Handlers with previous experience in AKC obedience can enter the Advanced and Excellent A classes in rally as long as the dog they are exhibiting has not earned any AKC obedience titles. A handler’s previous obedience experience only affects the rally Novice A class, no other class. After the Novice class, eligibility for the A classes is determined by the dog’s obedience experience.