Somehow, one of the most fundamental of the AWDF
rules
was omitted from the official site:
American
Working Dog Federation
Regulations
for Qualification and Conduct of
Working Trial
and Conformation Judges
I. Scope
These regulations establish minimum requirements for the acceptance of individuals into apprenticeship programs and rules of conduct for all apprentices and judges.
Applicants must from the time of application abide by all rules of conduct and limitations on professional activities.
Individual member clubs of the federation may impose additional or more rigorous requirements, but may not allow any applicant, apprentice or judge to in any way act in a manner contrary to these rules and regulations.
These rules apply not only to individual members of the clubs which make up the federation, but also to all individuals who serve as judge at any event sponsored, authorized or conducted by a member club.
Judges licensed by an FCI affiliated entity in a foreign country may serve as judge at AWDF member club events as long as they reside in the country of the license granting entity. For these purposes, 180 or more days spent outside the nation of the license granting entity in any calendar year shall render the individual ineligible for the remainder of that year and the next calendar year.
Those organizations applying for AWDF membership must submit a list of existing judges seeking to continue in that capacity, along with a resume for each. Only those judges found to be in complete and unequivocal compliance with these regulations by a committee appointed by the AWDF board shall continue to hold a judge's license or to serve at competitive events.
II. Mandatory Qualifications for Apprenticeship.
General:
1. An applicant must have been a member in good standing of the member club for at least two years.
2. Must not be a canine professional, that is, must not derive a substantial portion of his or her income by buying and selling, breeding, training or handling dogs in competitive events. The exact definition of what constitutes substantial income shall be left by the discretion of the AWDF Board or a committee appointed by that board. In any case, income exceeding one half of the individual's income shall be considered substantial for the purposes of these regulations.
3. Must be a minimum of twenty five years of age.
Working Sport Judges:
1. Must have trained and shown one dog through the highest applicable title (such as Schutzhund III or French Ring III) and a second dog to a lower level (such as Schutzhund I or IPO I)
2. Must be or have been active as a club trainer and/or protection work helper or have equivalent training experience.
Conformation judges:
1. Must have trained at least one dog through the IPO I, Schutzhund I, Ring I or other working title as specified by the AWDF board.
Permitted compensation:
1. A judge may accept normal, customary and reasonable reimbursement for expenses for all legitimate canine activities open to the public. As an example, travel expenses for events open to the public are permissible, travel paid for by a private client for canine training services are not.
2. A judge may accept reasonable and customary payment for educational services as exemplified but not limited to conducting seminars, classes or lectures or the publication of material in a periodical, book or any other form.
III. Specific Conduct Regulations for Judges, applicants and apprentices.
1. Judges must not accept money or any item or service of value in exchange for handling any dog in any competitive canine event any place in the world.
2. Judges must not be employed by or employ the owner or handler or have any other significant business relationship with the owner or handler of any dog entering an event at which he or she serves as judge.
3. Upon discovery a dog entered in a competition at an event at which he or she is or will be serving to be in violation of the "Rules for participation of dogs in competitive events" section of this document, a judge must cease participation until the dog in question is removed..
IV Rules for participation of dogs in competitive events.
A dog is not eligible to be entered in any working or conformation event if a judge of that specific event or any member of his family has owned, sold, held under lease, boarded, trained or handled the dog within the current calendar year of the starting date of the event. For purposes of these rules, the words "any member of his family" shall include a spouse, a sibling, a parent or a child, whether natural or adopted, of the judge in question.
Enacted April 8, 1994