The Kennel Club has approved the following changes to the regulations for obedience.
The below regulation has been amended to ensure clarity around what is expected when a show is cancelled.
Amendment to Regulation G5.b
TO:
- Any cancellation or abandonment of a show without prior permission of the Board must be reported in writing to the Kennel Club without delay, and must be carried out in accordance with the relevant Kennel Club published event cancellation policy.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
The below regulation has been amended after some Covid regulation amendments were deemed to be beneficial to the organisation of shows in the long term.
Amendment to Regulation G7.
TO:
- Application.
The application for a licence to hold an Obedience Show must be made to the Secretary of the Kennel Club at least six months weeks before the proposed date of the show together with the appropriate licence fee.
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
The below regulation has been added to allow show organisers the choice of how they wish to accept entries.
Additional Regulation G23.a
TO:
Societies have discretion to accept online entries only, postal entries only, or both online and postal entries. Schedules must clearly state the way in which entries may be made.
(Insertion in bold. Subsequent paragraphs to be renumbered)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
The below regulation has been added to reduce the timescale in which a competitor could accumulate wins at a particular level before progressing to the next level. It is hoped this will help reduce progression bottlenecks.
Additional Regulation G34.m
TO:
In estimating the number of awards won, all wins up to and including 25 days before the start of the competition shall be counted when entering for any class. For these purposes a competition shall be defined as all classes covered within the same schedule. In the event that a dog becomes eligible for the next class at a particular show, after the entry for that show has been sent, it is the competitor’s responsibility to notify the show secretary or the show processor at least 14 days before the date of the show. The dog should then be moved into the appropriate class(es). The dog must be moved into the corresponding number of classes as were entered at the lower class. If there are fewer or no classes available for the next class the competitor should be offered a refund of the relevant entry fees.
The show organiser is not required to split a class should entries exceed the maximum of 60 as a result of this notification process.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
The below regulations have been added to allow handlers to have the option to progress through the classes on a points basis. In addition the points required to gain the Obedience Warrants have been amended to reflect the points progression requirements.
New Regulation G(A)4
TO:
Progression on wins. Progression from each class will be determined by the eligibility for the class as referenced in Regulations G(A). To count for progression wins must be gained in standard classes at Kennel Club licensed Open, Premier or Championship Obedience shows. A first place will count towards progression.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
New Regulation G(A)5
TO:
Progression on points. At the handler’s discretion a dog may progress up to the next class, up to and including into Open Class C by gaining points at each level, using the Obedience Excellent scale of points scheme as follows:
- Ten points for first prize
- Four points for second prize
- Two points for third prize
- One point for fourth prize
If this method of progression is selected, the handler must ensure the show secretary/chief steward signs the dog’s Obedience Record Book at the first show entered in the higher class. There is no time limit on this progression, however, once a dog or handler has progressed, they cannot return to the class that they had progressed from. All wins and places to fourth since 1 January 2019 can be included when calculating points. Points are specific to a particular class and cannot be used against a lower or higher class.
Points required for progression on points are as follows:
- 20 points required for progression from Pre-Beginners.
- 20 points required for progression from Beginners.
- 20 points required for progression from Novice.
- 30 points required for progression from Class A.
- 30 points required for progression from Class B.
(Insertion in bold)
(Subsequent paragraphs to be renumbered)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
New Regulation G(A)6
TO:
Progression may be on wins or on points and the handler may select their preferred means of progression on a class by class basis.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
New Regulation G(A)7
TO:
Obedience Record Book. Any handler wishing to progress on points must have an Obedience Record Book as evidence of points gained at eligible shows and which must be available for inspection by the show management and/or the judge on the date of any competition entered by the owner/handler. This must include details of any wins, and any points, that allow for progression. Details will include show date, name and type of show (Open, Premier, or Championship), judge, class, placing and points.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)6
TO:
- 10. Pre-Beginners.
- To compete in Pre-Beginners a handler or dog must not have won two first places in either Pre-Beginners or Beginners nor gained a third place or above in any other Obedience class (Introductory class excepted) and have not elected to progress on points from Pre-Beginners.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)7
TO:
- 11. Beginners.
- To compete in Beginners a handler or dog must not have won a total of two or more first places in Beginners class or one first place in any other Obedience class (Introductory class and Pre-Beginners excepted) and have not elected to progress on points from Beginners.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)8.
TO:
- 12. Novice.
- For dogs which have not won 2 first places in Obedience classes (Introductory class, Pre-Beginners and Beginners excepted) and where the handler has not elected to progress on points from Novice.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)9.
TO:
9.13. Class A.
- For dogs which have not won 3 first prizes in Class A, B and Open Class C in total and where the handler has not elected to progress on points from Class A.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)10.
TO:
- 14. Class B.
- For dogs which have not won 3 first prizes in Class B and Open Class C in total and where the handler has not elected to progress on points from Class B.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)11.
TO:
- 15. Class C.
- For Championship Class C at Championship Shows, dogs must have won out of Novice, Class A and Class B, or have progressed on points from those classes, and have won Open Class C on one occasion and have been placed not lower than third on three further occasions; all Open Class C places and wins must have been won under different judges at Kennel Club licensed shows.
(Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation K3.c
TO:
- Obedience Warrants. An Obedience Warrant will be issued on application by the registered owner at the time of qualification in respect of a dog that has obtained 14 100 progression points (as defined in General Regulations G Annex A) whilst ineligible to compete in Championship Class C. The points are to be gained at Championship, Premier or Open Obedience Shows, as follows and must include the following:
(1) Two points for a first prize in Novice Class on two occasions only.
(2) Two points for a first prize in Class A on two occasions only.
(3) Two points for a first prize in Class B on two occasions only.
(4) Two points for a first prize in Open Class C on one occasion only.
(1) 20 points in Novice Class.
(2) 30 points in Class A.
(3) 30 points in Class B.
(4) 10 points for a first prize in Open Class C on at least one occasion.
(5) 10 additional points in Open Class C.
(6) Where a dog had to progress because it had won a first prize, or first prizes, at a higher level, then additional points achieved at a higher class may be used to supplement points at a lower class to achieve the 100 points total.
(5) (7) The title ‘OW’ may be used after the name of the dog on show entries and in catalogues.
(8) All wins and places to fourth since 1 January 2019 can be included when calculating points.
(Deletions struck through. Insertions in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
The below regulations have been added to introduce an Obedience Excellent Qualification as an annex to the Obedience Regulations to ensure competitors are aware of the qualification.
Additional Regulation G(D)
TO:
On application by the registered owner(s), an “Obedience Excellent Qualification” will be issued for a dog that has obtained the required amount of points for places gained at Open and Championship Obedience Shows. The scale of the points is as follows:
- 10 points for a first prize.
- 4 points for second prize.
- 2 points for a third prize.
- 1 point for a fourth prize.
The required points to achieve each qualification are as follows:
- 10 points required for Introductory
- 20 points required for Pre-Beginners.
- 20 points required for Beginners.
- 20 points required for Novice.
- 30 points required for Class A.
- 30 points required for Class B.
- 40 points required for Class C.
This qualification may be used on entry forms for dogs qualified and will be shown in show catalogues. Only one such qualification may be shown so that as a dog progresses to a higher qualification, the lower one may no longer be used. Points towards the required excellent qualification in any particular class will be awarded as a result of gaining places in that class and/or any higher class.
(Insertions in bold)
(Subsequent Regulation annexes to be renumbered)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
The below regulations are all related to the removal of the stay exercise as announced in October 2021.
Amendments to Regulations G14, G18, G29.c, G29.f.(6), G29.g, G32.h, G34.e, G(A)5-11, G(C)1.c, G(C)1.i, G(C)3.a and G(C)4.h,
Amendment to Regulation G14. Obedience Certificates.
TO:
- The Kennel Club will offer an Obedience Certificate (Dog) and an Obedience Certificate (Bitch) for winners of first prizes in Class C Dog and Class C Bitch at a championship show, provided that the exhibits do not lose more than 15 points out of 300 230, and provided also that the classes are open to all breeds.
- Judges must also award a Reserve Best of Sex provided that the exhibit has not lost more than 15 points out of 300 230.
(Deletions struck through. Insertions in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G18. Facilities.
TO:
- Judging rings shall not in any circumstances contain less than 83 sq m (900 sq ft) of clear floor space and shall not be less than 6 m (20 ft) in width except that for Championship Class C the ring must contain not less than 148 sq m (1600 sq ft). Ring sizes should, where possible, be considerably larger. Stay rings must be of an adequate size to cope with the largest expected entry.
(Deletion struck through)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G29.c.
TO:
Where classes are divided, competitors entered therein shall be notified of all changes and timed stay exercises must not be held earlier than advertised for the original class.
(Deletion struck through)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G29.f.(6)
TO:
All published running orders must be strictly observed. Competitors reporting late will be excluded from competition unless they have previously reported to the chief steward that they are actually working a dog in Championship Class C or in the Stay test of another class.
(Deletion struck through)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Removal of Regulation G29.g.
TO:
Where timed stays will take place it must be announced in the schedule that they will take priority over other tests. The times of such tests to be published at the show and in the catalogue, if available, and may also be published with running orders. Published stay times must not be changed, except in exceptional circumstances at the discretion of the show management. In the case of Championship Class C, stays must not be judged before 12 noon. In all other cases, timed stays must not commence before one hour after the published time for the commencement of judging.
(Deletion struck through)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G32.h.
TO:
The judging of Championship Class C takes priority over all other classes except the timed stays of those classes provided for in Regulation G29.g.
(Deletion struck through)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G 34.e. Competing
TO:
Any dog which is not presented for stay or the scent exercises when called for testing will be considered to have withdrawn from the class.
(Deletions struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)5.
TO:
CLASSES
- Introductory.
- This class is to introduce and support newcomers to obedience competition. In this class only incentives in the form of a toy or rewards are allowed to be carried by the handler in the competitive ring and may be given to the dog at the end of an exercise or in between exercises. Rewards include food which must be carried in a small closed container during the exercises. The judge will designate an area in the competitive ring where food may be given to the dog by the handler.
- To compete in the Introductory Class a handler or dog must not have won one Introductory Class or have achieved a 4th place or above in Pre-Beginners or in any other class.
- Handlers will not be penalised for encouragement or extra commands in all exercises except stays.
- The stays to be completed on lead, handler facing sideways onto the dog in the designated stay ring.
e d. In any exercise attempted the competing team cannot lose all the allocated points for that exercise but must be awarded a minimum of two points for each exercise they have attempted.
f e. The detailed test will be:
(1) Play with dog for 15-30 seconds on or off lead at the handler’s choice. Handlers may use a silent toy 10 points
(2) Heel on lead 10 points
(3) Recall with a finish on lead, off lead or long line, at the handler’s choice 10 points
(4) 1 minute stay on lead in either the sit or down at handler’s choice 10 points
10 points
(5 4) TOTAL 40 30 points
Amendment to Regulation G(A)6
TO:
- 10. Pre-Beginners.
- The detailed tests will be:
(1) Heel on lead 15 points
(2) Heel free 20 points
(3) Recall 10 points
(4) Sit one minute, handler in sight 10 points
(5) Down two minutes, handler in sight 20 points
(6 4) TOTAL 75 45 points
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)7
TO:
- 11. Beginners.
- The detailed tests will be:
(1) Heel on lead 15 points
(2) Heel free 20 points
(3) Recall 10 points
(4) Retrieve any article 25 points
(5) Sit one minute handler in sight 10 points
(6) Down two minutes, handler in sight 20 points
(7 5) TOTAL 100 70 points
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)8.
TO:
- 12. Novice.
- The detailed tests will be:
(1) Heel on lead 20 points
(2) Heel free 25 points
(3) Recall 10 points
(4) Retrieve a dumbbell 15 points
(5) Sit one minute, handler in sight 10 points
(6) Down two minutes, handler in sight. 20 points
(75) TOTAL 100 70 points
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)9.
TO:
9.13. Class A.
- The detailed tests will be:
(1) Heel free 30 points
(2) Recall 15 points
(3) Retrieve a dumbbell, handlers will use their own dumbbell 25 points
(4) Sit 2 minutes, handler in sight 20 points
(5) Down 3 minutes, handler out of sight 30 points
(6 4) Scent discrimination. The handler’s scent and no decoys. There must be a total of 6 scent cloths. 30 points
(7 5) TOTAL 150 100 points
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)10.
TO:
- 14. Class B.
- The detailed tests will be:
(1) Heel work. The dog shall be required to walk at heel free and shall also be tested at fast and slow pace. Each change of pace shall commence from the halt position 40 points
(2) Send away, drop and recall. 40 points
(3) Retrieve any one article provided by the judge. 30 points
(4) Sit 2 minutes, handler out of sight 20 points
(5) Down 4 minutes, handler out of sight 30 points
(6 4) Scent discrimination. The handler's scent with one decoy. There must be a minimum of 6 and up to 10 scent cloths. 40 points
(7 5) TOTAL 200 150 points
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(A)11.
TO:
- 15. Class C.
- The detailed tests will be:
(1) Heel work. The dog shall be required to walk at heel free, and also be tested at fast and slow pace. The dog shall also be required, whilst walking to heel at normal pace, to be left at the stand, sit and down position. 60 points
(2) Send away, drop and recall. 40 points
(3) Retrieve any one article provided by the judge. 30 points
(4) Distant control. Dog to sit, stand and down. Six instructions to be given. 50 points
(5) Sit 2 minutes, handler out of sight 20 points
(6) Down 5 minutes, handler out of sight 50 points
(5) Scent discrimination. The judge's scent and one or more decoys. There must be a minimum of 6 and up to a maximum of 10 scent cloths. 50 points
(6) TOTAL 300 230 points
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(C)1.c.
TO:
In all tests the left side of a handler will be regarded as the ‘working side’ unless:
(1) the handler suffers from a physical disability and has the judge's permission to work the dog on the right hand side, or
(2) the handler is working more than one dog in a stay exercise.
(Deletions struck through)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(C)1.i.
TO:
Competitors in Championship Class C who have lost more marks than would enable them to qualify with 285 215 marks at the conclusion of the judging may withdraw from the class with the judge's approval. The decision to withdraw is entirely at the discretion of the competitor and judges must not compel such competitors to withdraw.
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Amendment to Regulation G(C)3.a.
TO:
Pre-Beginners, Beginners and Novice - with the exception of the sit or down stay exercises, the competitor shall be allowed to use as many commands and signals as necessary.
(Deletion struck through)
(Effective 1 January 2022)
Removal of Regulation G(C)4.h.
TO:
Stays in ALL classes- The judge or steward will direct handlers to positions in the ring. The command ‘last command’ will be given and handlers should then instantly give their final command to their dogs. Any further commands or signals to the dogs after this ‘last command’ will be penalised. Handlers will then be instructed to leave their dogs and walk to positions indicated until ordered to return to them. These are group tests and all dogs must compete together, but where this is impracticable at any show, the class may be equally divided but the judging for the groups must be consecutive. The stay ring shall be large enough to cater for the largest expected attendance for each class.
(1) Sit stay: Dogs should remain in the sit position throughout the test. Barking, whining or minor movement such as sniffing the ground, shuffling or turning, without moving from the place where the dog was originally left, should not be considered to be a broken stay but may only be marked a nominal amount for minor movement or noise. Marks must be graduated in accordance with the Kennel Club’s specimen stay chart.
(2) Down stay: Dogs should remain in the down position throughout the test. Barking, whining or minor movement such as sniffing the ground, shuffling, hip rolling or turning, without moving from the place where the dog was originally left, should not be considered to be a broken stay but may only be marked a nominal amount for minor movement or noise. Marks must be graduated in accordance with the Kennel Club’s specimen stay chart.
(3) All classes: When a handler has more than one dog present in the same set of stays, the dogs may be placed together on the left hand side of the handler, or on either side of the handler; at the choice of the handler. It should be noted that the dogs must be placed apart with a reasonable space between them. At the conclusion of the stays, the handler should return to the same position they were in at the commencement of the test before the end of the test is indicated.
(4) The timing of the stays shall commence when the handlers have been instructed to leave their dogs.
(Deletions struck through. Insertions in bold)
(Subsequent paragraphs to be renumbered)
(Effective 1 January 2022)