A g e n d a
ITEM 1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
ITEM 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 6 February 2020 (copies previously distributed).
ITEM 3. MATTERS ARISING/RESULTS OF RECOMMENDATIONS
- The Council is invited to note that the Board, at its meeting on 7 April 2020, approved the following amendments to G Regulations:
Regulation G31.
TO:
- On application for a person’s first appointment to judge Championship Class C the minimum conditions which apply are:
A person must:-
(1) judges must have at least eight years judging experience which must include 30 championship and/or premier and/or open show appointments of which at least 15 must be Open Class C and two each of Beginners, Novice, Class A and Class B.,and
c. (2) At the time of judging a first Championship appointment the
Judge must have attended a Kennel Club Obedience Regulations and Judging Procedure Seminar and passed the Regulations and Judging Procedure examination. have completed and passed an Obedience Regulations and Judging Procedure examination on the Kennel Club Academy prior to attending, and passing, a Kennel Club Obedience Test Design and Practice of Judging seminar.
(Insertions in bold. Deletions struck through)
(Subsequent sub-paragraphs to be renumbered)
(Effective 1 January 2021)
d.Qualifications for judges at premier and open shows and for the non-certificate classes at Championship Shows-
On first appointment judges must satisfy the show committee that they:
- have judged a minimum of four appointments within at least two years at a lower level including limited/companion obedience shows and matches/club or fun competitions.
- have won out of Beginners at a licensed championship, premier or open obedience show as a handler, and have acted as a caller, scribe or marker steward on six occasions at licensed shows; and
- have
attended a Kennel Club Obedience Regulations and Judging Procedure Seminar and passed the Regulations and Judging Procedure examination.completed and passed an Obedience Regulations and Judging Procedure examination on the Kennel Club Academy prior to attending a Kennel Club Obedience Test Design and Practice of Judging seminar.
- have attended
an Obedience Test Design and the Practice of Judging Seminar.a Kennel Club Obedience Test Design and Practice of Judging seminar and passed the assessment.
(Deletions struck through, insertions in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2021)
Note: the wording for Regulation G31(b) as shown above is slightly different to that recommended by the Council as it also incorporated changes recommended for approval by the Activities Committee in order to clarify that judges must have fulfilled all criteria prior to applying for approval to judge at championship level.
Regulation G29.f(3)
TO:
Where a draw for the complete running order of classes other than Championship Class C is not made, show managements must conduct a ballot to determine a running order for at least the first 10 6 competitors/dogs in these classes: this may be reduced to 6 at shows with less than 200 dogs entered or where there are less than 25 dogs entered in a specific class.
Sub paragraph (3) does not apply to limited shows.
(Deletions struck through. Insertions in bold.)
(Effective 1 January 2021)
Regulation G(C)4.h. – Stays in ALL classes
TO:
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 an indoor 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.
(Deletions struck through. Insertion in bold)
(Effective 1 January 2021)
- Stay exercises
- Out of sight stays
At its February meeting, the Council wished to recommend that out of sight stays be discontinued as soon as possible, and removed from the list of exercises. With regard to other stay exercises where the dog remained in sight of the handler, it recommended that with immediate effect all handlers should be required to stand sideways on to their dogs, not with their backs to them, so that they would be in view of the handler at all times.
In view of the seriousness of the issue, the Council was unanimous in recommending that the matter be considered by the Activities Committee and/or the Board as a matter of priority. It is invited to note that the Committee, at its meeting on 19 March 2020, had noted that the Council was in the process of formulating the necessary Regulation amendments to support its recommendations, and that these would be considered at the Council’s meeting in July. The urgency of the issue was lessened in view of the current situation in which no shows were taking place due to the coronavirus pandemic, and it was agreed that no further action was required until the Council’s further recommendations were available.
- Review of all stay exercises and amendments to G Regulations
The Council had agreed at its previous meeting that all aspects of the stay exercise should be reviewed. It is requested to consider options and proposals which have been submitted by Mrs Allen, Mr Luckock, Mrs Patrick and Mr Wakelin.
- The Council’s views are sought in respect of stay exercises relating to individual classes (two options are provided)
- It is invited to consider proposed amendments to Regulation G(C)4.h.
(Annex A refers)
- Training for commentators
At its previous meeting, the Council was advised that subsequent to its request, the Board had approved the principle of practical training for commentators but with the stipulation that such training should be available company-wide, as appropriate. It was informed that the scheduling of a Commentators Seminar (to encompass all disciplines) was currently on hold due to resourcing. It had noted that work on the business case, to be submitted on the Council’s behalf, would commence shortly.
It is invited to note that a business case is being prepared and will be submitted to the Finance Committee for consideration as soon as possible.
- Height classified classes
This issue is on the agenda as part of Item 7.a relating to the Obedience Working Party.
- Capping on number of wins
At its last meeting, the Council discussed a suggestion that a cap be placed on the number of wins in each class, except Open Class ‘C’ and Championship Class ‘C’, in order to allow more competitors to progress through the classes, while handlers having reached the cap could compete in the class until such time as the relevant closing dates have passed, but may not accept a win.
A suggestion was made that a ’21 day rule’ be introduced whereby all wins up to and including 21 days before the start of the competition would be counted when entering for any class. Should a dog become eligible for the next class at a particular show, after the entry for that show had been sent, it would be the competitor’s responsibility to notify the show secretary so that the dogs may be moved into the appropriate class.
The Council had noted that a similar issue had been discussed by a social media group for UK obedience show secretaries and it was agreed that the views of the social media group should be sought in order to inform further consideration of the suggestion. Mr Harlow undertook to contact the group administrator to seek further information, however the Council is invited to note that it had not been possible to obtain details of the views of the social media group.
The Council is invited to discuss the matter further.
- Progression on points
The issue of progression on points was referred to the Working Party for further discussion and is noted on the agenda under item 7.b.
- Obedience Excellent award
At its February meeting, the Council noted that it was necessary to make an amendment to the number of points required to claim the Obedience Excellent award in Pre-Beginners in the light of an amendment to Regulation G(A)6.a. which stated that to compete in Pre-Beginners a handler or dog must not have won two (previously one) first places in either Pre-Beginners or Beginners nor gained a third place or above in any other Obedience class (Introductory Class excepted). Currently, 10 points were awarded for a first place.
It is invited to consider the following proposal submitted by Mrs Allen for an amendment to the claim form for the award:
CLAIM FOR AN OBEDIENCE EXCELLENT QUALIFICATION
The required points to achieve each qualification are as follows:
…10 20 points required for Pre-Beginners
(Deletion struck through. Insertion in bold)
ITEM 4. ACTIVITIES JUDGES SUB-GROUP
The Council is invited to note that the Sub-Group’s meeting due to take place on 22 April 2020 had been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
ITEM 5. ACTIVITIES HEALTH AND WELFARE SUB-GROUP
The Council is invited to note that the Sub-Group’s next meeting will take place on 14 September 2020.
ITEM 6. YOUNG KENNEL CLUB
The Council is requested to note a written report from Mrs Lavender relating to the YKC Obedience.
(Annex B refers)
ITEM 7. RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE OBEDIENCE WORKING PARTY
- Height Classified Classes
Discussion of issues relating to height classified classes will be deferred until the Council’s next meeting.
- Progression on points
At its previous meeting, the Council noted that the Working Party was in agreement with the Council that use of the Obedience Excellent points scheme was preferable to introducing a new scale of points solely for progression purposes.
A proposal will be submitted to the Council at its next meeting.
ITEM 8. PROPOSALS FROM SOCIETIES/PRIVATE INDIVIDUALS
No proposals have been received.
ITEM 9. DISCUSSION ITEMS
No discussion items have been received.
ITEM 10. FIVE YEAR STRATEGY
Representatives are invited to propose further items to the Council’s Five Year Strategic Plan.
(Annex C refers)
ITEM 11. OBEDIENCE INFORMATION STAND
The Council is invited to note a report on the Obedience Information Stand at Crufts.
(Annex D refers)
ITEM 12. ANY OTHER BUSINESS
Please give at least two weeks’ advance notice of matters to be raised under ‘Any Other Business’ as this assists the office if research is required. These items are discussed at the discretion of the Chairman.
ITEM 13. DATE OF NEXT MEETING
The date of the next meeting will be confirmed in September 2020.
NOTES:
- The Kennel Club will reimburse standard rail fares to all representatives attending the meeting, from their addresses as recorded at the Kennel Club. Claim forms will be available at the meeting.
- Those resident in Northern Ireland or Scotland may apply in advance for authority to substitute shuttle air travel for standard rail fare, although it is requested that tickets are booked well in advance to take advantage of any reduction in fares.
- Please give advance notice of matters to be raised under Any Other Business. This assists the Office if research is required. These items are discussed at the discretion of the Council Chairman.
- Kennel Club Liaison Council Regulations state that the Kennel Club will bear the cost of all reasonable and externally incurred costs connected with a Council, if agreed in advance. Therefore, representatives should apply to the Kennel Club for approval of any costs they may wish to claim prior to the expense being incurred.