Holding an AIOC Club Trial
The following documents is intended to provide those responsible for organizing an AIOC Club Trial hosted by their club with an overview of the necessary ingredients of a successful trial. These should be viewed as suggestions only and can be modified to suit the specific needs of the club and its current situation. Throughout, references are made to the AIOC Rules and Regulations, a copy of which should be kept at the registration table in case needed.
Guidelines for Putting on an AIOC Trial
Putting on a Trial – March 2024 prepared by Bill Blair
Holding an AIOC Club Trial
The following document is intended to provide those responsible for organizing an AIOC Club Trial, hosted by their club, with an overview of the necessary ingredients of a successful trial. These should be viewed as suggestions only and should be modified to suit the specific needs of the club and its current situation. Throughout, references are made to the AIOC Rules and Regulations, a copy of which should be kept at the registration table in case needed.
As far as possible, CKC Obedience Trial and Rally Obedience Trial Rules and Regulations will be used to govern the judging at AIOC trials. These, too, should be available at each trial. Section 6 of the AIOC Rules and Regulations highlights some of the key exceptions made to those rules and should be consulted when organizing the trial.
This document is intended to deal with happenings outside the ring and should be used in conjunction with the two stewarding guides – “Working together – A Guide for Obedience Stewards” and “Stewards in CKC Rally Obedience” which deal more specifically with what happens within the ring.
Book a hall
The first ingredient of a successful trial is a suitable venue. There must be adequate room for at least one ring – 30’ X 40’ minimum for obedience (40’ X 50’ recommended) and between 2000 and 3000 square feet with a minimum width of 30’ for rally (i.e. 30’ X 67’ or 40’ X 50’ to 30’ X 100’ or 40’ X 75’ maximum) plus room for the registration, concession and set up/spectator areas. Flooring should be such that it provides firm footing for the largest dogs and a non-slip surface or rubber matting for take-off and landing at all jumps.
Check for potential conflicts with other AIOC events or other obedience, rally, scentwork or agility events as this will have an impact on your entry. When we book our club trials, conflicting CKC events are not yet normally approved and showing on Canuckdogs but these dates are usually fairly consistent from year to year and there is nothing to stop you from contacting any of the CKC clubs on the island to find out what their planned (or priority) dates are for the upcoming year. If nothing else, when a conflict does show up closer to your AIOC date shifting of the date should be considered subject of course to hall and judge availability. The only approval required is that of the AIOC Executive.
Arrange for judge(s)
The club should arrange for a qualified judge at least two months before the proposed trial date.
Only qualified CKC or AKC obedience or rally judges or those approved by the AIOC can judge an AIOC trial. A list of currently approved AIOC judges can be obtained from your Club’s AIOC Representative or by accessing the AIOC website (R&R Sect 3.1). Judges are paid an hourly rate commencing one-half hour before judging starts to the awarding of trophies and ribbons, plus travel expenses, if any. Rates are negotiable between the club and the judge but as of March 2024 the suggested hourly rate is $25.
In the event of an emergency, if the club finds itself without an AIOC approved judge, it may hold a “mock” trial but no qualifying score ribbons can be awarded or scores toward a club title counted (R&R Sect 3.2).
Also, AIOC rules allow a judge to compete in a class and also judge other classes at the same trial. (R&R Sect 3.5). This should be confirmed with the judge when initial arrangements are made.
For rally trials, the size and layout of the rally ring should be provided to the judge in advance so that the courses can be designed to fit the ring with start and finish stations aligned with the entrance and/or exit. At the same time, arrangements should be made to have the judge provide copies of the proposed courses to the trial organizer in order to have the appropriate signs pulled and sorted prior to the day.
Are you going to have a concession?
If you are going to offer a concession of some kind, arrange with your club’s “entertainment” person to look after this. This can be a rather large task and should be delegated to a separate working group. Provision of a concession (or lack thereof) should be noted on the trial poster. As a minimum, there should be coffee, tea, water, etc for the judge, stewards and other workers. Lunch will also have to be provided for them.
Determine the order of judging
The order that the classes are to be judged must be decided before the trial is advertised. In a single trial situation, most clubs start with Utility A or B but this is not mandatory. If two clubs are hosting joint trials, the two clubs should agree on the order of judging so as to minimize the chance of conflicts between the two rings. It is helpful if the A class is offered first then if someone is late arriving for the A class they can always go into the B class where the opposite is not allowed.
The club must allow “exhibition only” entries as teams competing for MOTCH, RAE or RMX titles must be entered as “exhibition only”.
Prepare and circulate poster
For all trials, a poster advertising the event must be prepared and circulated to all AIOC Club Representatives and the AIOC Webmaster at least three weeks prior to the trial date (R&R Sect 6.6). Included in this poster must be the following information:
- Sponsoring club(s)
- Date
- Location
- Entry fee
- Judge(s)
- Order of judging
- Start Times for registration, judging and the first rally walkthrough
- Awards to be offered (HIT, HIC, Junior, Exhibition, etc)
- Availability of concession and limitations, if any
- Contact person(s) – phone # and email address
The club must follow the order of judging as advertised (R&R 6.15).
Ribbons and rosettes
For each trial, a supply of ribbons and rosettes will be required and should be ordered well in advance of the trial date to ensure they are received on time. These can be done in your club’s colours, and sizes are optional. The following rosettes will be required:
- High in Trial (obedience only)
- High in Class (one for each obedience class being offered – Novice A, Novice B, etc)
- High in Class (one for each rally class being offered – Novice A, Novice B, etc)
- High Exhibition (if offered)
- High Junior (if offered)
- High Visitor (if offered)
Also, a supply of Qualifying Score “flat” ribbons will be required for each of the obedience and rally trials. Enough will be needed to meet the size of the entry expected.
Trophy table
A trophy table should be provided to display any trophies or prizes being offered as well as all the ribbons and rosettes. There will not be sufficient room on the judges table to display these so a separate table is required, located outside but handy to the ring as the stewards will need to access it at the end of every class.
Table cloths
Each table should be covered by a clean table cloth including the registration, trophy and judges tables. Some clubs have customized table cloths but this is not mandatory.
Set up and takedown crew
The club will need to arrange for the rings and matting to be in place and swept prior to the trial starting. They should be ready to go at least one-half hour before the judging is to start in order to allow adequate time to set up the first rally course and the necessary equipment for obedience. This will also include having all the jumps ready including pins for the bar jump.
Ring stewards
For each class there should be three ring stewards, two in the ring and one outside. The two in the obedience ring are normally referred to as a table steward and ring steward while the one outside the ring is referred to as the runner or gate steward. In Rally, there is a Table Steward and a Timer immediately beside the ring and a gate steward at the entrance. There should be at least one steward experienced in the class being judged at the ring at all times. This steward often serves as the table steward but that is not mandatory. It is also useful to have one or two alternates who can step in if needed. Experienced stewards can sometimes be hard to find so make sure you have them lined up well in advance of the trial
For all new stewards, a copy of the current ring stewarding guidelines should be provided. Two documents currently in existence are “Working together – A Guide for Obedience Stewards” and “Stewards in CKC Rally Obedience”. Both of these documents have been updated to reflect all of the current rules as of January 1, 2024 and should be available from your AIOC Representative or the AIOC website.
In AIOC trials, both obedience and rally, there is no “judge’s book” as there is in a CKC trial so there is a limited role for the table steward in having the correct score sheet available for the judge when each dog comes into the ring and checking the additions on the score sheets at the end of judging of each team. All score sheets (qualifying and non-qualifying) must be taken to the registration table for recording at the end of each class before they can be distributed to the competitors.
Some clubs (and judges) prefer to use a master sheet similar to the rally “judge’s book” to record all scores (and times for rally) in the ring as each team completes its run. At a minimum, this sheet should include the class, armband number, breed, final score and time for rally. A column to indicate placements can also be useful.
Table equipment – clipboards, stop watch, leashes, tape measure, pencils, rule book
In each ring, the club must provide one or two clipboards for the use of the judge, two extra slip leashes for the use of the ring stewards during the group exercises, a 16 foot tape measure for measuring the jumps, a copy of the current CKC Obedience Trial and Rally Obedience Trial Rules and a couple of pencils. Although most judges provide their own stop watch for the group exercises in obedience, it is always handy to have a functioning backup stop watch available in the case of battery failure. For rally, the club must provide a stop watch for the timer and, again, a backup stop watch should be available.
There should also be whiteboards and markers at each ring entrance for the runner or gate steward to write the armband number and breed for the entrants in each class and for rally to record the scores after each team has completed their run.
Most clubs also provide a coffee cup for the judge, mints, “sani wipes”, a card showing the correct setup for the broad jump and in some cases a card showing the number of boards needed for each high jump setting. In obedience, a sheet showing the six orders of judging for Open HB, 18B and Utility B can also be helpful for the stewards.
Ring equipment – mats, ring gates, jumps
For each obedience ring, there is a minimum size dictated by the CKC Obedience Rules and Regulations. It also dictates the height of the ring surrounds – whether baby gates, curtains or rope. The rules also stipulate that adequate non-slip footing must be provided at each jump as a minimum, so if the ring is not totally matted, there should be at least 10 to 15 feet of matting on each side of the jumps.
For obedience, a high jump, bar jump and broad jump are needed. For rally, only two jumps are needed but some judges prefer to use either two high jumps or two bar jumps so this should be confirmed with the judge before the trial so that the correct jumps can be brought to the trial. Of course, if the club does not have enough of each jump, most judges are reasonably flexible.
Each ring will also need one table for the judge (2.5’ X 6’ minimum) and three chairs (judge, table steward and timer). A fourth chair may be needed for the Utility class.
The club should also provide clean up supplies in case of the inevitable accident in the ring. This should include plastic bags, paper towels and a spray bottle of deodorant such as Nature’s Miracle Stain and Odour Remover.
Score sheets – individual and group
For obedience trials the club must provide score sheets for novice, open and utility classes as well as for pre-novice and novice intermediate classes if offered. These are available on the CKC website but many judges have score sheets of their own design that they prefer to use. In that case, they can provide the club with master sheets from which the necessary number of copies can be made or provide an adequate supply that they will bring with them. This should be confirmed with the judge prior to the trial.
For Open HB & 18B and Utility B, the rules offer a variety of judging orders. Refer to the obedience rule book for the details of the six options for each class. Therefore, the correct score sheets need to be provided for the order that the judge elects to use. This too should be confirmed before the trial but cannot be divulged to anyone prior to being posted by the judge (at least thirty minutes before each class but no more than one hour before the beginning of the trial).
For rally, the same score sheet is used for all the classes. This is available from the CKC website but again some judges have sheets of their own design. Confirm this with the judge.
In each case, individual score sheets must be prepared for each competitor and provided to the table steward prior to the commencement of judging of each class. Group sheets will also be required for pre-novice, novice and open classes in obedience. Once a class has commenced judging, no further entries should be accepted.
Rally course maps
For rally obedience, course maps have to be posted at ringside prior to the walkthrough. These must be posted at least 10 minutes but not more than 60 minutes before the start of the trial. Again, these must not be disclosed to anyone prior to posting. Most clubs prefer to have enough copies to give one to each competitor in the particular class. The club should arrange with the judge to send a master copy of the planned courses or to bring sufficient copies for handing out to the competitors. If the judge is going to bring copies, you should ask for a copy of the courses or at least a list of the signs being used so that they can be pulled and arranged before needed for setup.
Arm bands
The club will have to provide armbands to all the competitors. Blank arm bands can sometimes be obtained through the local dog food representative but all that is needed is blank card stock approx. 4” X 5” on which the number can be written with a heavy weight felt pen. A supply of elastics is needed and a variety of sizes can be very useful as not everyone’s arm is the same size.
Registration sheets – necessary info.
For each class, a registration sheet will be required to record the necessary information for each competitor. A sample sheet is shown in Appendix B. At the end of each class, individual score sheets will be returned to the registration desk for the recording of results. These sheets will then be used to prepare the report of trial results to be sent to all clubs following completion of the trial. Send a copy of the results (including for exhibition only entries) to all AIOC clubs even if none of their members are entered so that the club’s records are complete.
Cash box, float & cheque
At the registration table, a suitable cash box will be required in which to put the entry fees received. A float will also be required in order to make change. The size of the float and denominations will vary depending on the entry expected and the individual entry fee (i.e. loonies and toonies are less important if the entry fee is $15 than they would be at $12). Some club treasurers prefer to pay all expenses such as the judge’s fee and expenses or hall rentals by cheque rather than out of entry fees collected on the day. This should be coordinated with your club treasurer.
A small file box is handy to have to hold the trialing cards (sorted by class) until the end of class judging and all the qualifying scores are recorded on them. Dogs competing as “exhibition only“ (including those competing for MOTCH, RAE or RMX titles) should not have their trialing cards updated at the trial. It is their responsibility to do so.
Pens, pencils, etc
At the registration desk, a couple of pencils for recording entries and completing score sheets will be needed as well as a heavy weight felt pen (black preferably) for doing armbands. An eraser might be helpful too in case of the inevitable error and scotch or masking tape to post schedules, posters, etc. A supply of elastic bands will also be required for the arm bands.
Registration
At the time of taking entries, the following information will have to be provided and some included on the registration form.
– verify membership – every entrant must be a current member of an AIOC club. They will have to provide their current membership card to substantiate this. Once verified, the membership card can be returned to the entrant but the trialing card must be kept until the end of class judging and the recording of qualifying scores. Trialing cards are not required to be retained for MOTCH, RAE, RMX or Exhibition entries but should be examined to establish eligibility to enter as Exhibition.
– class eligibility – the entrant should know what class they are eligible to enter but if in doubt the judge can normally clarify it. Every entrant in an AIOC trial must start in Novice and progress through the higher levels – already having CKC degrees does not matter. In AIOC trials a dog is only eligible to enter one class per trial (Sect 6.12) unless competing for an RAE, RMX or MOTCH title. A single sheet “AIOC Class Eligibility” sheet is available through the club’s AIOC representative and should be located on the registration table.
– exhibition entries – the club must accept exhibition entries. This must be stated on the registration form (See Appendix B for an example form) and also be clearly marked on the individual score sheet. These entrants are judged just as every other competitor in the class but are not eligible for awards other than any offered for “exhibition only” entries. Rules around exhibition only entries are included in Appendix A.
– juniors – some clubs offer awards for high score earned by a junior competitor (under 16 years of age on the day of the trial). If your club has chosen to do this, then that too must be recorded on the registration form and on the score sheet.
– taking registration – ensure that all required information is recorded on the registration form for each entrant. Some people have more than one dog and when reporting back to the clubs it is important that they receive the information they need to properly record the passing scores in their own records.
– closing entries – it is preferable to cut off entries to each class prior to the start of judging in that class. It is helpful if the A class is offered first then if someone is late arriving for the A class they can always go into the B class where the opposite is not allowable.
– recording scores – at the end of each class the individual score sheets (qualifying and non-qualifying) are to be returned to the registration desk for recording on the registration form. This should be completed and class placements determined prior to releasing any of the sheets to the competitors. It is always easier to resolve an issue if you still have the score sheets in hand. If the club chooses to have the table steward record all the final scores and times in the ring, score sheets can then be handed to competitors at the end of each class and only the summary record given to the registration person.
– updating trialing cards – at the end of each class, qualifying scores must be recorded on the back of each dogs AIOC Trialing Card and initialed by the trial secretary. It is okay to return trialing cards ahead of time to competitors who know they have not qualified.
It is useful to have two people handling the registration at the trial – one to take the registration information and entry fee and one to prepare the arm bands and score sheets as each entry is taken. A supply of blank AIOC trialing cards (for obedience and rally) should be kept on hand for new people who show up at the trial without a card or have lost their old one. These too are available through the AIOC rep. for your club.
Paying the judge
At the end of the trial it will be necessary to pay the judge the amount of the agreed hourly fee plus any expenses for travel or other expenses such as photocopying. It will be necessary to have either enough cash available or have the club Treasurer available to pay by cheque. Enclosure of the payment in a “thank you” card is always a nice touch.
AIOC reporting
Within two weeks of the end of the trial, the summary report of qualifying scores (including “exhibition only” entries) must be completed and sent to all club AIOC representatives and the AIOC Secretary. Samples of the standard reporting forms for obedience and rally are shown in Appendix E. Electronic copies in MS Word format are available through your AIOC rep which can be completed electronically and sent out by email.
Only qualifying scores are reported in order of placement within the class and the remarks column used to indicate High in Trial, High in Class, High Visitor, etc. “Exhibition only” scores must also be reported.
APPENDIX A
Exhibition only entries
AIOC rules state that a dog must have completed a degree (three legs) before it can be shown as “exhibition only” in the latest degree finished.
i.e.: three passing scores in Novice, the dog may be entered as “exhibition only” in NOVICE B.
i.e.: three passing scores in Open, the dog may be entered as “exhibition only” in OPEN B but not in NOVICE.
i.e.: three passing scores in Utility, the dog may be entered as “exhibition only” in UTILITY B or in OPEN B but not in NOVICE.
Note that under AIOC rules (Sect 6.12) a dog can only be entered in one class in a single trial, therefore, a dog cannot be entered in a class and as “exhibition only” in a lower class in the same trial except for dogs competing for the RAE, RMX or MOTCH titles. A dog competing for an RAE may also compete in Master as a regular entry.
APPENDIX B
Association of Island Obedience Clubs
OBEDIENCE TRIAL
CLUB: _________________________________
On: _________________ At: ____________________________________________
Judge: ______________ Class: _________________
(use separate sheet for each class – Novice A & B, Open HA & HB, Open 18A & 18B, Utility A & B)
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Arm Band # |
Name of Dog |
Name of Owner |
Breed |
Club |
Qualifying Score |
Remarks |
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Notes: Use abbreviated club titles. Under “Remarks” add such items that will be of historical value, i.e. high in trial, high visitor, trophy winner
Association of Island Obedience Clubs
RALLY OBEDIENCE TRIAL
CLUB: _________________________________
On: _________________ At: ____________________________________________
Judge: _________________ Class: _________________
(use separate sheet for each class – Novice A & B, Advanced A & B, Excellent A & B, Master)
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Arm Band # |
Name of Dog |
Name of Owner |
Breed |
Club |
Qual, Score |
Time |
Remarks |
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Notes: Use abbreviated club titles. Under “Remarks” add such items that will be of historical value, i.e. high in class, high visitor, trophy winner, etc.
APPENDIX E
Association of Island Obedience Clubs
OBEDIENCE TRIAL
CLUB: _________________________________
Report on qualifying scores earned at the club trial competition held:
On: _________________ At: ____________________________________________
Judge: ______________ Class: _________________
(use separate sheet for each class – Novice A & B, Open HA & HB, Open 18 A & 18B, Utility A & B)
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Order |
Name of Dog |
Name of Owner |
Breed |
Club |
Qualifying Score |
Remarks |
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Notes: Use abbreviated club titles. Under “Remarks” add such items that will be of historical value, i.e. highest in trial, highest visitor, trophy winner, Scores for exhibition dogs are to be reported. Send results to AIOC Secretary and all club reps within 2 weeks of trial
__________________________
Trial Secretary – Signature
__________________________
Trial Secretary – Please Print
Association of Island Obedience Clubs
RALLY OBEDIENCE TRIAL
CLUB: _________________________________
Report of qualifying scores earned at the club trial competition held:
On: _________________ At: ____________________________________________
Judge: _________________ Class: _________________
(use separate sheet for each class – Novice A & B, Advanced A & B, Excellent A & B, Master)
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Order |
Name of Dog |
Name of Owner |
Breed |
Club |
Qual, Score |
Time |
Remarks |
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Notes: Use abbreviated club titles. Under “Remarks” add such items that will be of historical value, i.e. high in class, high visitor, trophy winner, Scores for exhibition dogs are to be reported. Send results to AIOC Secretary and all club reps within 2 weeks of trial
__________________________
Trial Secretary – Signature
__________________________
Trial Secretary – Please Print
This document is also intended to deal with happenings outside the ring and should be used in conjunction with the two stewarding guides – “Working together – A Guide for Obedience Stewards” and “Stewards in CKC Rally Obedience” which deal more specifically with what happens within the ring.
Ring Stewards Handbook – CKC Rally – 2024
Putting on a Trial – 2024 March
Other resources:
Canadian Kennel Club – Obedience Trial & Rally Obedience Trial Rules & Regulations (Jan.2024)
Additional information: www.canadianrallyo.ca
AIOC Vancouver Island 