The Kennel Club sponsors the annual Kennel Club Working Trials Championships, hosted by a different Working Trials society each year. The Championships are the ‘showcase’ of Working Trials, featuring the most successful dogs from trials in the previous 12 months, and are the equivalent of the Obedience and Agility Championships held each year at Crufts  (the need for large tracts of suitable land makes it impractical to stage the Working Trials Championships at Crufts itself).

The Championships, held in the third weekend of October, are restricted to the two top level stakes, Tracking Dog (TD) and Patrol Dog (PD). Competitors are invited to take part if they have won first place in a Championship TD or PD stake with an ‘Excellent’ qualification during the previous qualifying year, from September to August. Dogs which have qualified in both stakes can compete in both PD and in TD. The previous year’s Championship winners are also automatically invited provided they qualified Excellent at the previous year’s Championship.

Judges for the Championships are nominated by the Working Trials Liaison Council and selected following a ballot of representatives on the Council, subject to approval by the Activities Sub-Committee and the General Committee.

The Championships are usually staged with a view to allowing some opportunity for spectators to observe the dogs working, even in the nosework rounds, and they offer an opportunity to appreciate some of the best handlers and dogs at work in this demanding discipline.

Future Championships
Societies hosting forthcoming Kennel Club Working Trials Championships are:
2012        Scottish Working Trials Society
                       Sponsors: The Kennel Club and Arden Grange
                        Dates:        18-20 October, 2012 
                        Place:          Lauder, Berwickshire (Scottish Borders)
                        Judges:      TD - John West
                                             PD - Jeff Poole
               
2013        Midlands Border Collie Club
2014        Wessex Working Trials Club

Winners of the 2011 Kennel Club Working Trials Championships
 The 2011 Championship was hosted by Yorkshire Working Trials Society at Lotherton Hall, Aberford, Leeds. The Tracking Dog stake was judged by Jill Carruthers and the Patrol Dog stake by Lorna Cottier. Trials Manager Dave Stewart, Assistant Manager Eric Carpenter.

2011 PATROL DOG STAKE
1^st& CC  Graham Reaney & Tarnedge Rough Diamond, Labrador Retriever (Dog). 
2^nd& Reserve CC Manda McLellan & Astra Storm, Border Collie (Dog). 
3^rdDave Olley & WT Ch Stardell Alula, Border Collie (Bitch). 
4^thGary Martin & WT CH Tytri Roy, Border Collie (Dog).  

2011 TRACKING DOG STAKE
1^st& CC  Suzanne Plumb with WT Ch Colliewood Cavallero, Working Sheepdog (Dog).
2^nd& Reserve CC Wendy Beasley with WT Ch Glenalpine Phoebe of Stardell, Border Collie (Bitch). 
3^rdTony Lockyer with WT Ch Double Top at Hartshill, Working Sheepdog (Dog). 
4^thSheila Tannert with WT Ch Styperson Cleo, Labrador Retriever (Bitch).  

Winners of the 2010 Kennel Club Working Trials Championships
The 2010 Championship was hosted by Surrey Dog Training Society at East Horsley, Surrey. The Tracking Dog stake was judged by Lorna Cottier and the Patrol Dog stake by Mick Tustain. 

PD Stake
All dogs qualified the nosework, but unfortunately after the control and PD rounds there were no qualifiers overall.
1^st Gary Martin with WTCh Tytri Roy - Collie, Dog

TD Stake
Out of the 12 nosework qualifying dogs, 8 went on to gain a very worthy TDex.
1^st & CC  Tony Lockyer & WTCh Double Top at Hartshill - WSD, Dog

Full details of the 2010 Championship

Winners of the 2009 Kennel Club Working Trials Championships

Essex Working Trials Society hosted the Kennel Club Working Trial Championships 2009 at Danbury in Essex.  The TD Stake was judged by Mr Charlie Taylor and the PD Stake was judged by Mrs Moira Rogerson.

(Left) The winner of the 2009 PD Stake (for the third consecutive time) was Dave Marchant with his Working Sheepdog WT CH WAGGERLAND MURPHY, with (L) Judge Moira Rogerson and (R) Trials Manager Penny Bann. Dave and Murphy also won the Reserve Ticket in the TD Stake (Right) The winner of the 2009 TD Stake was Mr Tony Lockyer with his Border Collie WT CH DOUBLE TOP AT HARTSHILL, with (L) Penny Bann and (R) Judge Charlie Taylor   Photographs courtesy of Mark Skillin, Working Trials Monthly magazine, with thanks

Working Trials Championships 2008
Wessex Working Trials Club hosted the Kennel Club Working Trial Championships 2008 at Upottery, Devon.  The TD Stake was judged by Mr Nigel Hines and the PD Stake was judged by Mrs Rosie Jones.

(Left) The winner of the TD Stake was Mrs Anne Fowler and her Border Collie, WT CH WAGGERLAND FLOSS - Photo courtesy of Mark Skillin, Working Trials Monthly magazine.   (Right) The winner of the PD Stake was Dave Marchant with his Working Sheepdog WT CH WAGGERLAND MURPHY

Further Information 

Other Working Trials Pages

• What are Working Trials
• Getting Started in Working Trials
• Competing in Working Trials
• Working Trials Diary (PDF)

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