AKC OBEDIENCE: NOW AND INTO THE FUTURE

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AKC OBEDIENCENOW AND INTOTHE FUTURE
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• Before We Talk About
• The Future
• We Need To Talk About
• The Present

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Obedience Last 5 Years

• Events stay steady or increase
• Entries steadily decline
• 2003 2,390 Trials 139,650 Entries
• 2008 2,480 Trials 122,076 Entries

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2008 vs. 2009(January - April)
Events Entries
2009 785 39,833
2008 787 41,010
-2 -1,177
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• Obedience -- The foundation for ALL dog sports

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Obedience Purpose

• To demonstrate the usefulness of the purebred dog
  as a companion to man
• To showcase dogs that have been trained and
  conditioned to behave in the home, in public
  places and in the presence of other dogs
• Allow exhibitors and their dogs to enjoy
  companionship and competition as they proudly
  earn AKC titles

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More Obedience For Your Buck

• Common complaint
• Cost to hold obedience events
• Do we need the most expensive car in the world
  at 10.9 million, or are there other models that
  will meet our needs?

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Obedience exhibitors have asked for and
received a 1961 Ferrari California Spider, and
there is now an expectation.
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• What type of facility do you need to hold an
  obedience trial?

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• Indoor or outdoor
• level area of sufficient size
• to accommodate
• single or multiple rings
• as recommended in the AKC Obedience
  Regulations

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Indoor Ring

• Rectangular and about 40 by 50 feet for all
  classes
• Utility - not less than 35 by 50 feet
• Novice or Open not less than 30 by 40 feet
• Floor - Firm footing, using rubber or similar
  non-slip material at least 4 feet wide

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Outdoor Ring

• About 40 by 50 feet
• Ground - clean and level
• Grass short

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• Now considering what we just covered and what you
  may have been told
• Try this True False Quiz

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• Obedience has to be held in its own building,
  away from any other show activity.

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• Obedience cant be held within 150 feet of a
  conformation ring or other dog show activity.

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• Obedience cant be held adjacent to a grooming
  area.

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• Obedience rings have to be enclosed by gates.

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• People cant sit within 10 feet of an obedience
  ring.

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• People cant talk while watching a dog work in
  the obedience ring.

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• People can have food and/or eat near an obedience
  ring.

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• Obedience rings must be matted the entire width
  and length of the ring.

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Obedience dogs CAN work near crowds. National
Obedience Invitational Tampa, Fla. 2006
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And other distractions.
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• SCHEDULING
• JUDGES

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• CLASS LIMITS CAN RESULT IN LOST ENTRIES
• For instance
• Novice A Limit 27 - Entries 15
• Novice B Limit 27 - Entries 12
• Open A Limit 24 - Entries 31 (7 returned)
• Open B Limit 24 - Entries 33 (9 returned)
• Utility A Limit 16 - Entries 19 (3 returned)
• Utility B Limit 16 - Entries 24 (8 returned)
• LOSS OF 27 ENTRIES

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Scheduling Judges

• New Regulations
• Entries limited to 8 hours of judging time
• Entries taken as received until 8 hour limit is
  reached or entries close
• Allows clubs to multi-task judges based on time
  (Judge could be hired for Obedience, Rally and
  Conformation.)

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Scheduling Judges

• Hourly Limits
• Regular Obedience Optional Titling
• Novice - 9 Graduate Novice - 8
• Open - 8 Graduate Open - 7
• Utility - 7 Versatility - 6

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• Optional Titling Classes

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Optional Titling Classes

• Graduate Novice Class
• Class between
• Novice and Open
• Graduate Novice Title (GN)

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Optional Titling Classes

• Graduate Open
• Class between Open and Utility
• Graduate Open Title (GO)

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Optional Titling Classes

• Versatility Class
• Encompasses exercises from all levels in 1
  of 12 orders, random selection by judge on the
  day of the event.
• Versatility Title (VER)

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Optional Titling Classes

• Beginning Novice Class
• Transition from Rally to Obedience
• Beginning Novice Title (BN) Starts July 1, 2010

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• New Non-Regular Classes

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• Wild Card Novice
• Wild Card Open
• Wild Card Utility

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Helping Clubs Save Money

• Save on ribbons with labels
• for Date/Place
• Two Concurrent all-breed
• obedience trials allowed
• (as of January 2010)
• Dogs may earn titles with 3
• legs under 2 judges
• (as of January 2011)

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Getting Started

• National Obedience Invitational Long Beach,
  Calif.

Contact Obedience_at_akc.org for information on
offering obedience at your clubs events!
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We Want Your Ideas!

• How do we get more people involved in Obedience?

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Ideas from Staff Delegates

• New Exhibitor and Potential Exhibitor Briefings
• Club members assigned to Obedience Trial to
  answer questions and greet new exhibitors
• Demonstrations at Schools Public Events
• Special Awards for Novice Exhibitors
• Schedule Novice classes earlier in the day

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Ideas from Staff Delegates

• Send Thank You Notes to Novice A Exhibitors
• Planned Get-togethers for Obedience exhibitors
  after trials
• Recruit 4-H and other youth groups to help with
  your events
• Work with 4-H and other youth groups to run
  matches and let the youth keep the proceeds for
  their program

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Ideas from Staff Delegates

• New Conformation Exhibitor Briefings should
  include tours of the obedience trial
• Schedule Rally and Obedience near the same times
  and in the same building
• Schedule Novice B before Novice A so new
  exhibitors can watch the B class first
• More AKC clubs should offer training classes

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Thank you for supporting AKC Obedience

• For more information
• Curt Curtis, Assistant Vice President of AKC
  Companion Events 919-816-3575 or cac_at_akc.org
• Obedience questions/concerns Obedience_at_akc.org
• AKC Website www.akc.org
• New Judging Rate Schedule Sheets may be
  downloaded from http//www.akc.org/pdfs/MOJ999.pdf