Obedience & Tracking Judges Committee
Committee Contacts
| Chairperson |
Miss Vicki Etherington |
02 9349 1629 |
| Vice Chairperson |
Darryl Turley |
02 4384 2688 |
| Treasurer |
Miss Deirdre Anderson |
02 9613 8401 |
| |
Mr George Bartolo |
02 4271 1181 |
| |
Mr Kyle Charnock |
02 4681 8974 |
| |
Mr Peter Franks |
02 4261 4228 |
| |
Ms Jill Kaldor |
02 9412 4064 |
| |
Mr John Sissons |
02 9484 5952 |
| |
Mr Kevin Speed |
02 4573 6060 |
| |
Mrs Andrea Yerbury |
02 4332 9404 |
News
JUDGES SEMINAR
To be held on Friday 1st February 2008 at Erskine Park.
7.00pm register for 7.30pm Start.
Judges are encouraged to send in written submissions (questions/queries) no later than COB 22nd November 2007.
Please either mail your submissions to Dogs NSW (PO Box 632 St Marys NSW 1790) or email to Kyle.Charnock@Bluescopesteel.com
2008 OBEDIENCE JUDGES TRAINING SCHEME
The Obedience &Tracking Judges Committee will be conducting a Judges Training Scheme in 2008.
Closing date for applications will be Monday 18 February 2008 and the "Meet the Candidates Night"will be held on Thursday 27 March 2008.
The Theory Examinations will be held on Friday 9 May 2008 at 6.00pm.
Successful candidates will be required to attend training sessions which will be held in conjunction with the Obedience &Tracking Judges Committee meeting nights,ie,the fourth Thursday of the month.
The Practical Examination will be held on Thursday 23 October 2008.
NB:If less than 4 (four)candidates apply for the CCD/Novice Level Course,it may not be held.These Classes will be CCD/Novice,Open,UD,Tracking and Endurance.
**Changes to UDX Judging Effective immediately Conduct of UDX classes at Obedience Trials The Obedience and Tacking Judges Committee and the Tracking and Trials Committee advise that for a 12 month period, dogs competing in the UDX class who fail an exercise WILL be permitted to continue with all remaining exercises.
NOTE: When a dog fails an exercise, the exercise will be terminated, and the next exercise commenced. Dogs are not to be "trained" in the ring.
Judge’s Notes
(1) Re: Judging of Group Exercises
Group exercises are normally conducted after 10 dogs have been judged.
This a guideline not a rule, Judges may use commonsense in deciding when to conduct group exercises and assess the circumstances at the time.
Example (1) - If there are 22 dogs present, the Judge may chose to conduct groups after the first 11 dogs have been judged.
Example (2) – If, after 10 dogs have been judged, there are only 1 or 2 qualifiers, the Judge may elect to continue with individual exercises. However, Judges must ensure that the section on Group Exercises in the Glossary (p.13) is satisfied, including the minimum & maximum number of dogs in a group.
(2) Re: RE-Judging of Group Exercises
Judges are reminded of the Glossary section on Re-judging (p 14).
“In a group exercise, any dog which has not been affected by the peculiar or unusual circumstances should be allowed to complete the exercise before re-judging commences”
NOTE: The dogs which have completed the Group Exercises are not re-judged and are not required to do the exercise again.
Notes From the Judge’s Seminar Held on 17th November 2006
Vicki Etherington welcomed attendees and commented on CCD, UDX and Herding.
It was noted that there is a website for judges on the Dogs NSW home page. Judges can provide their email address for the provision of information/news. Judges without email addresses will continue to receive written correspondence.
It was noted that these seminars are to be held annually. Judges should send in any recommendations for rule changes as they arise.
The following comments were noted and questions answered by the judges committee.
General
Measurements /Distances
Distances specified in the rule book state “approximately”, “at least” and “no closer than”
Novice
Anticipating finish on recall
As specified on page 29 the appropriate deduction is a minor (up to 20%) eg in novice the deduction is up to 8 points.
Retrieve on flat – failure to sit in front
At present there is no deduction specified. A minor deduction could be made under the lesser points of the exercise
The following questions and comments arose from the recent open book reviews.
UD
Seek back
Judges should stand on the right side of the dog so as not to cross the dog’s track
Scent Discrimination
UD – tongs are for the scented articles only
UDX – unscented cloths are put out with tongs, not hands
Signals
If a dog sits at the stand command prior to being left how should this be scored? This Is a substantial deduction within the heelwork. This is not a zero, because the distance control has not started yet, move the handler forward again.
Open
Stay signals for retrieves.
Handler may not give stay signal with dumbbell in hand. No deduction for changing hands to clear hand to give signal.
UDX
UDX ring sketches
Some in the open book review left out critical features
Seek back with Decoy
The decoy must be a scent discrimination article. It does not have to be leather but must not be conspicuous – so if metal, then not shiny.
Most competitors are using wood.
Distance between scent discrimination articles
Approx 50cm
Positions in Motion
If handler gives wrong command – they should receive a zero score.
Distance Control
Commands from the Judge must be those listed. For example, the judge cannot say “1 means sit”. Unlike UD there is no set pattern. The judge should try to use as many different combinations as possible
Cloth size
Ambiguity between glossary and description of exercise (approx 30cm square)
What happens with the remaining cloth
Judges can take the cloth back if he desires or the handler may keep the cloth. Either method is acceptable.
General
Extreme weather conditions
The purpose of the question was to specify that group exercises can be completed in the shade. If conditions change, the group exercises don’t have to be complete in the same place i.e. can do later groups in the shade if it gets hotter.
Eligibility for making application for a title
Must be qualifying scores and gained under at least two different judges.
Testing Procedures
Answer is on page 15 of the rule book. Every dog is to be tested the same
Dog Given food outside the ring immediately after the completion of judging
This should be a disqualification if it was obvious that the handler was carrying food during judging. The judge must see the handler in the act of taking food from the pocket. If the dog is disqualified for the above reason the judge should report it.
How fast is slow pace?
The judge must take into account the size of the dog. Must remember section 10 of the rule book. Must be a change of pace (refer to rule book). Must also allow judges to be judges – set a standard and be consistent
Tied Score
If total scores are tied use the count back as per the class you are judging, then look at other exercises. If still tied can go back and look at eg heeling again.
If every single score is identical, have to perform a rerun.
Must not have two dogs placed equal.
Heeling
Should remember to look for enthusiasm and willingness to work, and to penalise fear or dislike of work.
Figure of Eight – not negotiating post
Novice – can still pass if miss a post (minor deduction).
Open – non-qualification (over 50% deduction)
Dog’s name
There must be a distinct pause between dog’s name and the command.
Stand for examination
What is “tendency to attack”? One example is a dog that growls as the judge approaches. Judge can zero the dog and does not have to continue with exercise. Or can be visual signals/body language. Judges should report a dog which shows a tendency to attack
Winner of Winners
What exercises should be used? The Obedience and Tracking Committee have prepared the following notice.
The Committee would prefer that winner of winners not be held, because of complications presented by CCD. However it is up to individual clubs to decide how winner of winners should be judged if it is offerred. There are no hard rules as this is a fun event. It must be advertised in the journal, including what exercises are to be used.
Questions from the floor
What is the maximum number of CCD dogs to be judged?
Currently 40 dogs. Obedience and Tracking Committee is putting forward a recommendation.
If there are two trials on the same day do these limits apply?
Yes but, currently per Trial not per day. Limits are per trial but judging per hour limit applies. Judges shouldn’t accept an appointment with a load which is too heavy as it is difficult to concentrate for that long
Suggestion – make it a per day limit where there are multiple trials
Country trials?
Same numbers
Novice - What should the judge score when the handler finishes the dog when the judge says return?
It should be a minor deduction under the lesser points of the exercise.
Is there a required order for trials which have CCD and CD in the same ring?
It should be advertised and the catalogue should be followed. A suggested default is CCD followed by novice followed by open however there is no rule.
UDX – directed send away. Can the handler give the direction (prolonged) then stand upright then send the dog?
The judge needs to decide whether the signal is too prolonged and deduct accordingly.
Must the handler stand upright before sending the dog?
The rules are contradictory and NSW has requested clarification. At present the committee is accepting either interpretation.
Judges jurisdiction – where does it start and finish? Does jurisdiction start and finish in the ring?
Eg does jurisdiction cover disqualifying handler for having food after leaving ring? Yes
What are the boundaries of the metropolitan area?
This is found in the regulations
Titled - UDX Rules (Recommendations)
Exercise - Multiple Retrieve
The 3 leather scent discrimination articles used in the "Multiple Retrieve" must not be marked on the ends in white, these articles must not be conspicuous in colour. They may be numbered (1,2,3) but don't have to be.
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