Applying for Titles
You have the Quallies now get the Titles!
So now you have some quallie cards, what do you do with them? Once you have attained 3 qualifications in any Novice category (agility, jumping, gamblers, snooker or pairs) you are eligible for your Novice title in that discipline. You must apply for your title which will enable you to move up to the next level. You cannot remain in the Novice level for that discipline as you cannot compete in the level you have already titled in (excluding the Open and Masters Classes).
Remember when you joined Dogs Queensland and you received some yellow forms titled 'Non-Championship Title Application Form'? Well those are the ones you need now (if you have misplaced them you can download them from here) . The front of the form is self explanatory, then list the qualifications attained for this title on the back of the form and where it asks for 'Points Awarded' just put in Q. Check in the back of the most recent edition of the Dog World for the cost of application. Don't forget to send in your dog's registration certificate with the title application form (and cheque). Dogs Queensland will send you back a new registration certificate which includes your dog's titles on it.
MOVING UP A CLASS
Rule 3.1 of the ANKC Agility/Jumping Rules (revised 01.01.11) states -
“3.1 Classes
Classes are defined as Novice, Excellent, Master and Open and any other class that the ANKC Ltd determines. Qualifications up to and including the date of closing of entry, shall count as eligibility to compete in any Class. At the discretion of the Trial Secretary, a competitor who completes the necessary passes to a title and has applied for that title, after the closing of entry, may request and be transferred to the next higher class. The following Class description applies to Agility, Jumping and Games
(a) NOVICE CLASS: For dogs that are not eligible for the Novice title.
(b) EXCELLENT CLASS: For dogs that have qualified and applied for the Novice title and are not eligible for the Excellent title.
(c) MASTER CLASS: For dogs that have qualified and applied for the Excellent title or Master title.
(d) OPEN CLASS: Open to all dogs. (Note: There is no Open class in Games.)”
To clarify, this means once you have obtained your title in a novice or excellent class, your dog is now eligible to move up to excellent or masters respectively and you must also complete a title application and post it to Dogs Qld ASAP after gaining such title. If you have already posted entries for future trials, your eligibility and/or ability to move up to the next level will depend on the closing date of those future trials.
For eg, you obtained your Novice Agility (AD) title on Saturday 01.01.11 and your next agility trial is on 15.01.11. Entries closed on or before 01.01.11, you are still eligible to run in AD, however you may contact that clubs trial secretary and ask if it is possible to move your dog up to ADX. As the entries have already closed, the trial secretary may have already completed the trial catalogue and an upgrade may not be possible.
IF the entries close AFTER 01.01.11, then you MUST upgrade to ADX and contact the trial secretary ASAP to notify them of the required upgrade so that they can prepare the trial catalogue correctly.
Please remember whenever contacting a clubs trial secretary to do so ASAP after the date your dog obtained its title, to be polite and accept their decision.
Now that you have gained your first title, your dog's name will have changed. It will now be Jumping Magical Wand AD or JD perhaps. Don't forget to update your entry forms to reflect this change. You are now eligible to enter the Excellent division (ADX, JDX, etc) for the discipline that you have gained your title in. You will need to gain 5 qualifications in the Excellent class to gain your Excellent title for each discipline. This will then move you into the Masters division where you require 7 qualifications to gain each Masters title. You require 5 qualifications to gain your Open titles, however you remain eligible to compete in the open division even once your title has been attained.