Next International Trick Dog Competition will be launched in October 2023
International Trick Dog Competition online
Can your dog become the International Trick Dog Champion 2022?
Take part in this high-profile annual competition to really challenge yourself and your dog!
The overall winner will be crowned the
International Trick Dog Champion
with lots of runner-up prizes, weekly prizes and loads of fun on the way too!
The competition will consist of 7 tasks of increasing difficulty.
You'll normally have 2-3 weeks to submit your entry for each of the tasks.
The winners for each of the tasks in each of the classes will be awarded individual certificates.
Everyone who entered will receive helpful individual feedback from the judges for each of their entries.
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The competition is designed as a progressive training with a stretch.
We will help you to take your dog's training to the next level.
It will also be a great opportunity to celebrate your achievements along the way!
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The competition attracts some of the top trick dog teams worldwide with amazing opportunities to learn, inspire and to make friends.
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You can find out about the previous ITDC winners in the Hall of Fame =>
Task 7: Share your love
Huge well done to everyone who took part in Task 6- it was conceptually hardest one so far!
We are now at out last task of the ITDC for this year!
For the last task we would like to ask you to share what you love
It could be a Valentine-themed entry or it could be something totally different- perhaps showing your hobby, or a dream or some cause that you are passionate about.
So for Task 7 we'd like to ask you to show tricks sharing your love or tricks about something that you care about
Any number of tricks, any type of tricks, with the total length of video up to 3.5 minutes ( of course it can be less).
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HOW TO ENTER:
1) To enter the International Trick Dog Competition electronically submit the link to your video (or videos) by the end of the day (your time) on Sunday the 19th of February 2023 together with the entry fee by completing the Submission Form.
You'll be able to pay via PayPal, Apple Pay or securely by a credit card.
Each class entry is £4 or $5 or an equivalent in your currency.
You can enter more than one class per week. For class descriptions see below.
You can join the competition at any point.
Winners for each Task will be announced on Wednesday the following week.
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We have 4 additional special prizes this time:
- Creative story award
- Creative tricks
- Technical complexity
- Team which made the biggest progress throughout the competition
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The prizes will be awarded on the basis of your video entry into the ITDC class, but feel free to add any additional details into your entry form. All 4 special prize winners will get additional 10 competition points and a named certificate.
We would like you to try something new with your dog and stretch yourselves, so we are giving you 3 weeks this time to prepare.
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We also traditionally ask everyone to send us the video of your final task (we'll sort out the logistics how to do it later) so we can post it on DTA YourTube Channel as an inspiration for others and a special memory for years to come. You can see the final task videos for the previous years of the competition- there is so much inspiration and talent there!
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Prizes:
Top 5 dogs in EACH of the classes of the ITDC after every task will receive a printable named certificate by e-mail.
All entries will also receive brief individual feedback from the judges.
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The International Trick Dog Champion and overall winners in each class will receive a named certificate.
The Champion and the Overall Winner in each class will receive a rosette at no extra cost posted to any country in the world.
Top 5 finalists in each of the classes will also be able to receive rosettes for a small financial contribution just to cover the rosette costs and postage.
All other class finalists will receive printable named certificates.
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This is prestigious and highly regarded International competiton.
It's not just about competing, awards, international recognition and progressing with your dog's training- though of course you'll have plenty of that.
You'll also meet lots of like-minded people around the world, some amazing inspirational teams and will make lots of life-long friends!
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Classes:
Class 1. Novice Trick Dog (dogs new to trick dog training or have trick dog titles at or below Novice level before the start of the competition. The titles can be from any Trick Dog titling provider. This class is primarily aimed at newcomers, young dog with little experience and puppies. The titles obtained during the competition will not affect your class eligibility)
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Class 2. Advanced Trick Dog (dogs with titles above Novice Trick Dog level before the start of the competition, but below the Champion Trick Dog Title. The titles can be from any Trick Dog titling provider. This also includes titles and competition experience in related dog sports. The titles obtained during the competition will not affect your class eligibility)
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Class 3. Champions league (dogs with Champion Trick Dog title or equivalent before the start of the competition. The title can be from any Trick dog titling provider or from other related dog sports. This also includes all of the dogs who perform professionally to the public or involved in high level studio work. The titles obtained during the competition will not affect your class eligibility)
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Class 4. Limits-free For dogs who have physical limitations or a difficult start in life, but who do not want to limit themselves to what they can achieve. Dogs that beat all the odds and despite their limitations achieve great things and enjoy their life to full The physical limitations may include disabilities, physical restrictions or chronic health conditions. This group also includes rescue dogs.
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Class 5. Amateur dog trainers For those who train their own dogs, rather than work professionally as a dog trainer. This class is about you as a trainer and your work together with your dog(s) as a team. Please see below additional note on judging criteria.
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Class 6. Dog team (2 or more dogs performing the tricks together)
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You can enter your dog upto 3 suitable classes for each of the 7 tasks.
For example, for the same task, you can enter your video into class 2, class 4 and class 5 (if qualifies) for more chances to win and more potential points. We recommend that you stick with the same classes where possible. If you have any questions about classes of eligibility please don't hesitate to message us- always happy to help.
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How does it work?
Each week you’ll choose from a large selection of tricks to perform with your dog.
Video your dog performing the tricks and submit online.
Enter your dog into one or more classes each week.
You’ll be awarded points for each of your top 5 places in each of the class you enter:
1st place in class- 10 points
2nd place - 7 points
3rd place - 5 points
4th place- 3 points
5th place- 2 points
If your dog is placed in more than one class all of the points will be counted. The Dog Team class points will be split between the dogs.
For example, if your dog was awarded 1st and 2nd places in two different classes, you’ll get 10 points for the 1st place and 7 further points for the 2nd place, making 17 points in total for that week. You'll not receive points for entries that were not placed, but you can increase your chances of placing by entering into more than one relevant class and by continuously improving with your dog as the competition progresses.
The dog with the most points at the end of the 7th task will become the International Trick Dog Champion.
Additionally, dogs who receive most of the points in each of the classes will be awarded 1st, 2nd or 3rd places in the class.
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Judging:
The judges will be using the following criteria for scoring your submissions:
- Performance of the trick
This has 2 elements to it:
- Quality and clarity of trick execution
- Independence of trick execution (do you need to lure the dog or does it perform the tricks independently)
- Flow of the sequence and transitions between the tricks
- Responsiveness to commands
This has 3 elements to it:
- Do you need to give more than one cue or dog performs the trick after one cue?
- How long is the delay between the command and the dog's response?
-How subtle your commands are
- Teamwork and motivation (how well the dog and the handler understand each other and enjoy working together)
- Additional complexity (this can be distractions, distance work, trick complexity, location, the additional complexity in transitions, chain of behaviours to a single cue, out of sight tricks, tricks with dog facing away etc.)
- Use of props (this includes dog's engagement, commitment and enthusiasm to working with the props and the variety of props)
- Creativity
- Safety (how aware is the handler of own, the dog's and other's safety)
The weighting of scores in the Amateur Dog Trainer classes different from the other classes. Much more weighting is given to teamwork, motivation, your communication with the dog(s) as well as choosing the appropriate level of difficulty and the type of the task to suit your dog and your responsiveness to your dog's body language. This class is about you as a trainer and your work together in a team.
The dog teams will be additionally scored for synchronicity (where appropriate), working together and individually and their focus on the handler.
If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask anytime DogTalentAssociation@gmail.com
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Best of luck and enjoy!
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COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
1) My dog is relatively new to tricks, but we would like to progress and learn. Is it worth entering?
Yes absolutely! You will be competing with similar dogs in your class- so everyone will have an equal chance to win. The completion is designed as a progressive training with lots of individual feedback, encouragement and opportunities to learn.
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2) I live in...... can I still enter?
This is truly International Competition. Team from any country of the world is welcome to join. We are always proud to have wide international representation with competitors from USA, Canada, across many countries in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, China etc. You don't need to speak English either to enter if someone could help you to translate the task, or there is always Google Translate, which works pretty well most of the time.
3) How can I get more points from the judges for my ITDC entry?
More experienced handlers can further increase the complexity and gain extra points by increasing the trick duration, perform to voice or hand commands only, adding the distance, working facing away from you, adding distractions and combining several tricks together, performing all tricks as a sequence, behaviour chain and by including more advanced tricks etc.
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You can also see the detailed judging criteria below at the bottom of this page.
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For full rules see Competition Rules and Submission guidance.
The earlier you are able to submit your entry the easier will be for the judges to mark all of the submissions and announce the results.
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Throughout the competition, we are working with you on creating a professional-looking trick dog performances that are engaging, fun to watch and can be used for public display. As you progress through the tasks also consider working towards DTA Trick Dog Titles (to develop the technical side of tricks and your dog's talent) and Talent Show Dog Titles (to further your team's skills to perform the tricks for an audience- virtual or real life) and Challenge Titles as a further fun stretch.
