We have 5 Talent tracks for you to choose from:

Prizes:

Top 5 dogs in EACH of the classes will receive a printable named certificate by e-mail after every task..

All entries will also receive brief written individual feedback from the judges.

 

There is a special additional prize from the judges for Creativity for this task. The winner of this prize will receive a certificate and additional 10 competition points. 

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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 very 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. Intermediate Trick Dog dogs with some trick training expedience and a trick title or two. This is for dogs who have been doing some trick titles but have not been doing it for very long. and are early in their trick training journey. 

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Class 3. Advanced Trick Dog dogs with Advanced level trick dog titles before the start of the competition, but below the Champion Trick Dog Title. The dogs in Advanced level are experienced Trick dogs with a large and growing portfolio of tricks including some advanced tricks and skills.  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 4. 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 5. 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 6. 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 7. 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.

Classes 1-4 are mutually exclusive. Choose the current experience level of your dog when selecting the Class 1-4 to enter.

Additionally to the entry into one of the classes 1-4 you could enter upto another 2 classes depending on your dog's eligibility. For example, for the same task, if eligible you could enter your video into class 2, class 5 and class 6 for more chances to win and more potential points. We recommend that you stick with the same classes where possible.

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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 class will be 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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