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V. GENERAL RULES APPLICABLE TO ALL FIELD TRIAL COMPETITIONS
*Effective January 1, 2009
The following apply to and provide for rules of competition for all classes of UKC field trial competitions.
A. Eligibility.
1. All dogs entered must be of a breed designated as a pointing breed and be registered with UKC, or have a UKC Temporary Listing (TL) number, Limited Privilege (LP) number or Permanent Listed (PL) number (if permanent listing is enacted by UKC).
2. No entry shall be accepted from any person who is not in good standing with UKC.
3. Unhealthy or unsanitary dogs, dogs with a contagious disease and dogs owned by disqualified or barred persons are not permitted to enter or participate in field trials.
4. Bitches in heat are not permitted to participate in any field trial nor are bitches in heat allowed on or near the competition grounds or to accompany anyone in the gallery.
5. No Judge (nor any substitute or apprentice Judge) may handle or enter a dog in a field trial at which he/she judges. Nothing herein shall preclude a Judge or apprentice Judge from handling a dog in one field trial and also serving as Judge or apprentice Judge in a separate field trial held on a subsequent day, which is sponsored by the same club.
6. Neutered/Altered Dogs. Neutered/altered dogs shall be eligible for all UKC field trial competition in the Open Dog Class or Gun Dog Class, so long as the entry form submitted by the owner and all scoring cards indicate that the dog is neutered/altered by the designation (Alt) appearing besides the dog's name. A dog's altered (Alt) status shall not be considered in judging the dog's performance. Failure of an owner to reflect a neutered dog's altered status (Alt) shall be cause for disqualification of the dog and forfeiture of the entry fee.
*B. Breed Specific Disqualifying or Elimination Faults. It is the belief and policy of the United Kennel Club, Inc. that each parent breed club is best equipped to appropriately address issues surrounding the physical conformation of members of such breed, to include whether such dog possesses disqualifying or eliminating faults as set forth the official conformation standard for a breed of dog. Therefore, any previous references in earlier versions of these rules requiring inspection of a dog for disqualifying or eliminating faults prior to a field trial is no longer in force and effect. UKC encourages owners of dogs and applicable breed clubs to address conformation issues in an objective, sensible and forthright manner. Where there is no UKC parent club for a breed, UKC reserves the right to address the breed standard and determine disqualifications and eliminating faults.
C. Prohibited Devices and Practices. During the field trial heat, the dog shall not wear coercive or electronic devices and the handler shall not use any coercive methods. Silent or supersonic whistles are forbidden. Check cords may not be used while any dog is under judgment in any stake.
Dogs may wear leather, nylon, chain or similar collars. Females or any dog with an injury may wear chest protective vests or boots, if approved by the Judge.
Bells or electronic beeper only collars may be used in field trials for ruffed grouse or woodcock, but may not be used in any other type of field trial, absent specific permission and approval from the UKC.
Any person who, during the running of a stake, strikes or otherwise abuses or mistreats a dog, or conducts himself in a manner prejudicial to the best interests of the sport, shall be expelled from that stake by the Judges who shall also report the matter to the Field Trial Committee, who shall report same to UKC.
D. Prohibited Activities. Motorized off-road vehicles (ATV's, golf carts, etc.) and horseback riding by any handler or Judge are prohibited on the grounds at or around all field trials. Further, no motor vehicle or motorized off the road vehicle shall drive across the grounds unless directed by the Judge or an authorized member of the Field Trial Committee. Notwithstanding the general prohibitions contained herein, nothing shall prevent the use of motor vehicles or motorized off the road vehicles by the Field Trial Committee in connection with the transporting of Judges, dogs, and han dlers around the course or for transporting and planting liberated birds in Type (L) field trials upon the direction of the Field Trial Committee or Judge(s), so long as same is intended to help the field trial proceed in an orderly fashion.
E. Prohibited Dogs/Training. There shall be no training on the field trial grounds for the trial the day(s) of competition or the preceding day. There shall be no running or training of a dog behind the gallery or anywhere else on the field trial grounds by anyone on the field. There shall be no free running dogs, no dogs not entered in the event, and no bitches in season on the field trial grounds where dogs are under judgment.
F. Designated Game for Licensed Trials. Both Open Dog Class and Gun Dog Class in a UKC licensed field trial shall be run on designated upland game, either wild, or liberated/ released. One or more species of upland birds may be designated as game for the running of a field trial. There are two distinct field trials: (1) Type W (wild bird) and (2) Type L (liberated bird).
The Field Trial Committee shall designate in its application one or more species of wild (W) or released/liberated (L) upland game birds, as defined in these rules, to be hunted at the field trial. The club's application for a field trial shall further designate whether the field trial is to be conducted using wild (W) or liberated (L) upland game birds. It is the sponsoring club and Field Trial Committee's sole responsibility to know the state and federal laws that may apply to hunting wild or liberated upland game birds and to secure appropriate permits or licenses required by any governmental entity to lawfully conduct the field trial.
1. Wild Game for Licensed Field Trials. Wild upland game of one or more species approved by UKC may be hunted in any Licensed Type (W) field trial at the National or Local Level where state and federal laws permit.
2. Liberated Game for Licensed Field Trials. Pen-raised or liberated (released) upland game birds approved by UKC may be used at any Licensed Type (L) field trial at the National or Local Level where state and federal laws permit. Pheasants, chukar, partridge, grouse, bobwhite quail, or ther acceptable upland game birds specifically authorized by UKC may be used. Pigeons may not be used as designated game in any UKC Licensed Field Trial.
G. Registration of Participants. Handlers should check in and register at the designated office at the field trial the morning of the event, before the heats begin. The registration of the participants should be completed prior to the beginning of the trial in order to begin the running of the heats on time.
H. Handlers Required To Be Present.
Handlers who do not answer present to the call of their name may be declared forfeit, if not previously excused by the Judge. The handlers with the dogs must be on the field at the Judge's disposal. Those who do not present themselves on the field at the call of their name/dog by the Judge or in a timely fashion may be considered forfeit. The handlers must come in front of the Judge before and after their course and they must comply with the Judge's instructions. The dog(s) must be leashed during this time.
I. Judge's Decision Final: Head Judge Prevails in Lack of Consensus. The Judge's decision is final in all matters of judgment pertaining to placements, passes and failures. Judges will evaluate all dogs entered on a pass/fail basis as defined by these rules and by the style of the dog’s breed. The Judge(s) shall have the right to place the top two dogs in each class as First Place and Reserve. Full discretionary power is given to the Judges to withhold any or all passes or placements for lack of merit and Judges should not award placements merely because a field trial was held, and shall pass or place dogs strictly as these rules of competition dictate.
In the case of field trials with multiple heats or which are run in braces where two or more Judges are utilized for judging, a Head Judge shall be chosen and designated to the participants by the Field Trial Committee prior to the beginning of the field trial. The Judges shall endeavor to reach a consensus in awarding placements. In a case where there is a lack of consensus about the placement of the top two dogs in any class, the decision of the Head Judge shall prevail.
J. Safety Rules. It is mandatory that the Judges, gunners, handlers of the working dogs, guides, marshals or any other person on the field where dogs are under judgment wear a blaze orange outer garment (hat/cap, vest, shirt or jacket as a minimum) in any shot game Type (L) field trial. Gun afety is of utmost importance and all entrants and participants at field trials shall consider safety paramount. Designated gunners who, at the discretion of the Judge, do not handle the gun safely must leave the grounds and be replaced by another gunner provided by the sponsoring club. In addition, any person committing an unsafe act as determined by the Judges or any member of the Field Trial Committee may be requested to vacate the grounds and shall be reported to UKC for the violation.
K. Running Order and Distribution of Dogs. The Field Trial Committee will conduct the drawing for the running order, distribution of the dogs and assign the Judges for the heats. It is preferable that such advance assignments be made prior to the day of the trial. Allocation of the entrants and the fields to different Judges shall be randomly drawn in the presence of at least three persons who may be Judge(s), the Field Trial Chairman, the Field Trial Secretary, or members of the Field Trial Committee. The Field Trial Secretary, or his or her designee, shall record the results of the drawn running order in writing and shall inform the participants as soon as practical following the drawing and recording of the distribution of the dogs among the assigned Judges and drawn running order. The drawing gives only an indication of the desired running order and a participant may not refuse to be at the Judge's disposal, putting forward the running order as a reason. Judges shall generally follow the running order as drawn, but may alter the running order as they deem necessary to expedite the completion of the field trial.
*L. Same Day Entry and Run Limitations. A dog may run only once in a given field trial heat, whether solo or braces. A dog may only be entered in the Open Dog or Gun Dog Classification, but not both, whether running solo, braces, or both in a field trial regardless of whether such field trial is conducted in a day or over multiple days. However, a dog may run solo and braces in the same field trial, whether the field trial is conducted in a single day or whether the field trial is conducted over multiple days, so long as both heats are run in the same Classification (Open Dog or Gun Dog). "Field Trial" as used in this section means a single competition at which placements are eligible to be awarded, whether run in a single day, or over multiple days. Nothing herein shall be interpreted to mean that a single dog is restricted from running in separate classes in different field trials.
*M. Multiple Heats. Multiple heats are required to be run in a field trial where there are twenty (20) or more entrants in a class. In such cases, the total number of dogs shall be divided into two or more heats with roughly equal number of dogs in each heat, and each heat will be judged separately for a possible callback for placement or barrage. Trials with less than twenty (20) entrants in a single class may all be run in a single heat, unless the Field Trial Committee desires and assigns multiple heats to expedite completion of the field trial. In any multiple heat trial, each heat will be judged separately for a possible callback for placement or barrage.
*N. Multiple Heat Trials and Placement Callbacks for Barrage. In Open or Gun Dog Class field trials where multiple heats are run, the Judge for a heat may, or may not, pick one dog out of each group's heat that runs a course of excellent merit (solo or in braces) which will contend for First place in the barrage. Each of the dogs that are picked shall then return to compete in the barrage for the final award of First Place and Reserve Placement. During this run off heat known as the barrage, all dogs shall compete in braces of brief duration and not to exceed five (5) minutes. The Judge shall break a tie after considering the style of the dogs in the barrage or runoff heat. The Judge(s) shall proceed by elimination via braces until the final two top dogs are observed in brace, utilizing this portion of the judging to compare the gait, style and desire of the dogs as well as the quartering method and the obedience. First Place and Reserve Placement must be attributed by the Judge(s) only to dogs of outstanding merit that run an excellent course. In the event there are not two or more dogs chosen that are eligible to compete for the final award of First Place, then the single dog chosen shall not be required to complete a barrage run off and shall be declared the First Place winner for that class of competition. At field trials where multiple heats will be run, the sponsoring club may obtain the services of more than one Judge to facilitate the judging of the individual heats. Obtaining more than one Judge at multiple heat trials is not a require ment, but instead is a means to facilitate the running of dogs and judging of multiple heats in a timely fashion. Although no specific restriction is imposed concerning allocation of the number of dogs to a particular judge, it is strongly suggested that a maximum of twelve (12) dogs be allocated to a single judge in a day as a workable number, and that an allocation above the number of fifteen (15) dogs to a single judge in a day is considered excessive.
O. Single Heat Trials and Placement Callbacks. In field trials where there are less than twenty (20) entrants in a single class and judged by a single Judge, the field trial may be run in one single heat. The Judge may place after the first heat, or may call back dogs for a placement callback. The Judge shall break a tie after considering the gait, style and desire of the dogs as well as the quartering method and the obedience in the callback heat. The First Place award must be attributed by the Judge only to a dog of outstanding merit which runs an excellent course. Therefore the Judge may, or may not, pick dogs out of the single heat (solo or in braces) to award as First Place winner and as Reserve winner, as the situation may dictate.
*P. Attribution of Placements. First Place may be awarded at licensed field trials to the winners of the Open Dog Class and the Gun Dog Class. A single Reserve Placement may be awarded to a second place dog in the Open Dog Class and Gun Dog Class. No placements are mandatory and awarding a First Place or a Reserve Placement is not mandatory, but in the sole discretion of the Judge. Judges should be discriminating in the awarding of placements, and shall award same only as specifically provided under these rules and regulations.
To award a First Place and/or a Reserve placement in trials with more than one Judge, a Head Judge will be chosen by the Field Trial Committee and designated prior to the commencement of the field trial. The Judges should endeavor to reach a consensus in awarding placements. However the Head Judge's decisions as to all placements will prevail in the event of a lack of consensus.
The winning of Reserve shall not count towards satisfaction of First Place requirements for either Championship designation (CHF or GRCHF) in the Open Dog Class but two Reserve Placements shall satisfy a portion of the requirements for the title Trialer designated as "TR" as provided in the requirements for earning title and championship designations in the Open Dog Class. In the Gun Dog Class two Reserve Placements shall satisfy the requirements for the GUN title, replacing the one First Place required.
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