In January 1999, the AKC embarked on a journey to recognize Juniors who obtain titles on dogs in the Companion and Performance Events. We are pleased to announce the continued growth of the program. AKC will now be awarding points to Juniors who have competed in Junior Showmanship, Companion and Performance Events. The Juniors number will need to be included on the entry form, as well as fill out the Junior Handler Certificate Form. Reports on a Junior status will be available on the AKC website.
Juniors will be recognized by sport, by breed and across events. The new recognition program will include points for Participation, Qualifying Legs, Scores, Passes, Class Placements, High in Trial, High in Combined Score, participation in Junior Showmanship, Best in Field, Reserve Best Junior, Best Junior and Title on a Dog.
At the end of the year the AKC will award the Junior Versatility Awards and Scholarships. The requirements are:
- Compete in three different AKC events. Junior Showmanship, Agility, Obedience, Rally, Tracking, Herding, EarthDog, Hunt Tests, Field Trials, Lure Coursing, CAT, FastCat, Scentwork.
- Additional points may be earned for applied for titles, i.e. AKC Temperament Test (ATT), Barn Hunt, CGC, CGCA, CGCU, Disc Dog, Dock Diving, Farm Dog, Fetch, Fit Dog, Flyball, Parent Club and Working Dog, Search and Rescue, Trick Dog, Therapy Dog , Virtual Home Manner and Virtual Scentwork titles, however they do not meet event requirements.
- The annual qualifying period is July 1st – June 30th
- Only one Junior will receive points for running a dog at an event.
Performance Events will still require the use of the completed Junior Handler certification forms – Many juniors who have met the criteria to receive a certificate have not because of lost/misplaced paperwork. The AKC Juniors Department has the ability to update a dog’s record to include the junior handler’s number, and is happy to assist.
If the Junior finds an error with their report please contact juniors@akc.org as soon as possible. We will need the below information:
- Junior Name
- Junior Number
- Dog’s Registration Number
- Dog’s Registered Name
- Date of Event
- Club Name
- What class you participated in and how you placed
We strongly urge Juniors to keep records of their wins, titles, legs, etc., and to maintain their copy of the Junior Handler Certification forms for Performance Events. In the event that the original yellow form is not received by the AKC, we will accept a copy of the Junior’s copy.
Title certificates for dogs are processed by the AKC’s computer system. Junior Recognition certificates are processed manually around the first of every month, and therefore, will be issued after the dog’s certificate has been issued. If you come across a Junior who has not received their certificate, please have them email us at juniors@akc.org; They should provide the dog’s registration number, name and the event they participated in. We will be happy to review the Junior’s record and the dog’s record to determine which forms are missing. We will only make adjustments to events during the current awards year. September 1st will be the cutoff date for requests to update the Junior record. This is to ensure we have an accurate list of finalists for the Top Juniors by September 15th.
Copies of missing or late Junior Handler Certification forms can be mailed to:
AKC
Attn: Juniors
8051 Arco Corporate Drive, Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27617-3390
phone: (919) 233-9767
email: juniors@akc.org
Supplies of blank Junior Handler Certification forms can also be obtained from the above address, phone number or the editable version is below.
- Junior Recognition Flyer
- Junior Recognition Points Summary
- Junior Participation Record
- Junior Handler Certification Form
- Junior Recognition – Will I Earn Points?