PENNSYLVANIA BEAGLE GUNDOG ASSOCIATION, INC.

RUNNING RULES AND GENERAL PROCEDURES

(revised 2005)

 

The Association will follow the American Kennel Club’s Beagle Field Trial Rules and Standard Procedures for Small Pack Option trials.  All clubs should hold, at the most, one (1) all-age qualifier and one (1) derby qualifier; but all clubs are required to hold at least one qualifier.  The exception will be for the following special rules and procedures (these rules and procedures apply to both all-age and derby qualifying trials except where noted):

 

P. B. G. A. QUALIFYING TRIALS

 

A.        Each P.B.G.A. Qualifying trial shall qualify hounds who have successfully           obtained the necessary placing and points as stated in the running rules for the         P.B.G.A. Championship Trial.

 

B.         1.  Entries:  are open to AKC registered Beagles.  If not AKC registered, the hound      must be part of an AKC registered litter.  Exceptions will be allowed for Beagles registered in Canada.  Entries are open to anyone whose hound can meet these requirements.  Individual membership in the Association is not required to qualify their hound for the PA Beagle Gundog Championship Trial.

 

2. Entry Fees will be a minimum of $10.00 and a maximum of $12.00 per hound   for DUAL ENTRY ONLY (field and show), at the discretion of the club with the per capita adjusted as needed returned to the Association’s Treasurer.  All entry forms must be filled out completely.

     

            3. Castrated dogs and spayed bitches are ineligible for entry.

 

C.        Field Scoring:  The Field Judges will score the first five field placed hounds in each class independently of each other and give their scores to the Roving          Marshall or Field Trial Secretary.  The Field Trial Secretary will add the two      judges’ scores for each hound and divide by two for each hound’s field score. The        Field Judges will base their hound scoring from 100 points on down.  A score of     100 points will be given to the perfect running hound, and a percentage of    perfection awarded to each hound as it pleases each judge.  A minimum of sixty         (60) points is needed to qualify a hound for the PA Beagle Gundog        Championship Trial.

 

D.        Conformation Show Scoring:  The Conformation Show Judge will score each    hound entered in the show.  Scoring is based on the AKC Standard for the Beagle   using the 100 point scoring:  25 points for head, 35 points for the body, 30 points   for the running gear and 10 points for miscellaneous.  The Show Judge will give the scores for each hound to the Field Trial Secretary. 

 

            A minimum of sixty (60) points is needed to qualify a hound for the PA Beagle Gundog Championship Trials. 

 

            Any hound owned by the show judge will be given the minimum score of sixty   (60) points for the show. 

 

            Hounds placing at PBGA member club AKC LICENSE TRIALS in the current            field trial season are exempt from the sixty -(60) point minimum score in a qualifying trial show.

 

            Dogs placing at PBGA observation trials shall be qualified and points earned, as in other PBGA qualifying trials.

 

E.         1. Grand Final Winner:  At Qualifying trials, there will be a single Grand Final Winner to cover all four classes.  At the All-Age Championship Trial and at the            Derby Championship Trial a Grand Final Winner trophy will be awarded in             each of the four classes.  The Grand Final Winner typifies the single hound in each class as the complete Beagle, and is given to the hound scoring the highest   combined total number of points from both field and show.  The Field Trial Secretary will post the results for each class so that all may see the scoring for the          Grand Final Winner Award.

 

2. In the event of a tie for Grand Final Winner, the following tie breaker system will be used:

                        a.  The hound with the highest field placement shall win.

            b.  If field place is in a tie, the hound with the highest field points shall

                 win.

                        c.  If field points are tied, then the hound placing in the largest field class

                             (defeated more field starters) shall win.

                        d.  If the field classes are the same size, then the hound placing in the                                   largest show class shall win.

 

F.         Awards: The following awards will be used at all P.B.G.A. Qualifying Trials:

 

                        MANDATORY AWARDS - First place TROPHIES to all classes (field                                                                                and show.

                                                                         TROPHIES to Grand Final Winners.

                                                                         Ribbons must be given to all placed hounds                                                                               in the field.

                        OPTIONAL AWARDS -       TROPHIES to all places.

                                                                         It is recommended that ribbons be given to                                                                                all lesser placement in show other than 1st                                                                                  place and GFW.

 

 

G.        ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:

 

            1.  Color-coded collars must be used.  Painted numbers on the hounds may be              used at the clubs discretion.

            2.  Alternate packs may be run whenever it is warranted by the Field Trial                                 Committee.

            3.  Any club may run a combined sex P.B.G.A. Qualifying Trial providing the                 host club advertises that it will be a combined sex trial.

4.  Apprentice judges may be used in field and show, apprentice judges to be          observers only (in accordance with AKC regulations).  An apprentice field judge is defined as a judge who has judged less than 10 licensed trial events at the time he/she is asked to judge a championship trial event.

 

GUNDOG BRACE FORMAT:

 

1.  Each member club is required to hold one qualifying trial, this may be either one all-age qualifier or one derby qualifier.  Clubs may, if dates allow, hold both an all age qualifier and a derby qualifier, but holding both is not a requirement.

2.  It is proposed that each club may hold their all age qualifying trial using either a Brace format or an SPO format as outlined in AKC rules.  Said qualifying trial in brace format may not be held in conjunction with NEBGF qualifying trials or National  SPO Championship qualifiers.

3.  No club is required to hold a qualifying trial using the Brace format; clubs wishing to use the brace format are still required to hold one qualifying trial using the SPO format.

            4.  Derby and All-Age Championship trials will be run under SPO format.

5.  All Brace and SPO format qualifying trials, except licensed trials, will be required to use gunfire, must include conformation shows and will be eligible for consistency.  License trials will follow their original formats whether it be Brace or SPO.

 

P.B.G.A. HIGH POINT AWARD:

 

Each year, the two-(2) most consistent hounds by sex and class will be honored for their accomplishment in gundog trials that are sponsored by P.B.G.A. clubs only.  These gundog trials will include P.B.G.A. Qualifying trials, the All-Age Championship trial and Plan A trials.  A hound placing in any of these trials will be awarded points on a 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 point system.  In the event of a tie, the hound having the most wins shall be the winner. In the event of a tie with wins, the hound with a win in a class with the largest number of entries shall be declared the winner.

 

At the conclusion of each of these trials, the host club Field Trial Secretary will send the top five (5) placement results with entry forms that list the name of      

            owner and name and sex of hounds, to the PBGA East Region Vice President who        is responsible for keeping tabs on all the hounds in the running for the High Point   Award. The High Point Award will be announced at the conclusion of the PBGA    All-Age Championship Trial each year.  Most consistent and runner-up trophies            will be awarded in each class (13” dogs, 13” bitches, 15” dogs and 15” bitches).

 

            All field trial results should be mailed by the Field Trial Secretary within two   (2) weeks to the P.B.G.A. East Region Vice President.  Any club not submitting       results within two (2) weeks will be assessed a $25.00 penalty.

           

H.        PENNSYLVANIA BEAGLE GUNDOG CHAMPIONSHIP:  The All-Age Championship Trial will be held on the second full weekend in October, unless due to an AKC schedule that conflicts with the PBGA All-Age Championship Trial date.  The Derby Championship Trial will be held the third weekend of June. These trials shall rotate from East to West in alternating years.  No PBGA member club will schedule an AKC Licensed trial, and AKC sanctioned trial, PBGA qualifier or other events on the dates of the PBGA Championship Trials.

 

            1. The P.B.G.A. Championship trial will be hosted by the member club who      successfully bids for this trial at the summer meeting for the following year.

2. The judges for the Championship trials will be selected by the delegates at the meeting before the trial (Derby judges will be done in January and All-Age judges will be done in June).  Each delegate will write down no more than eight (8) names of proposed field judges, one show judge, and two apprentice judges.  Each judge, if accepting, must give the Association’s East or West Region Vice President a signed           acceptance to judge.

3.  The judges receiving the highest number of votes shall be asked to judge.  The EVP, WVP, and President (as a committee) shall have the right to eliminate any judge in the event that there is a serious concern about their ability to judge effectively (i.e., ability to remain impartial, questionable procedures, judging offense, etc.), due to a scheduling conflict, or due to the judge’s desire to enter or handle a hound in the competition.  These decisions will be made on a case by case basis.

4. The Championship trial will be conducted in the same manners a P.B.G.A. Qualifying trial, except all awards will be trophies.  With the exception of AKC Field Champions, all entries must be qualified in a P.B.G.A. Qualifying trial or at an AKC Licensed trial by a P.B.G.A. member club the same year prior to the trial.  Owners and Handlers of hounds will be responsible for seeing that their hounds are placed in the right class: 13” bitches, 13” dogs, 15” bitches, 15” dogs.  If a hound places in two different classes at a P.B.G.A. qualifying trial, the             handler shall determine which class to enter the dog.

            5. The Association shall handle all expenses incurred for the Championship Trials.          All monies received from entries shall be used to pay judges and other expenses   incurred on days of trial.  All excess monies from entries shall be turned over to   the Treasurer.

            6.  Host club will be responsible for providing meals and shall receive all profits.

7. The entry fee for unqualified hounds at the Derby Championship Trial will be doubled.

8. The entry fee for AKKC Field Champions that have not placed at a qualifying trial will be double.

 

I.          1. Qualifying Trial Schedule:  Each year at the June meeting the West Region Vice         President will give tentative dates for the next year.  The clubs will have until the       October meeting to respond to the schedule by approving or disapproving these        dates.  Scheduling will be done by the West Region Vice President.  Any changes          or disagreements about the schedule should be taken to this person. Any changes   or cancellations must be cleared through the West Region Vice President before       anything is done.  The state shall be divided into two sectors.  The east sector,             starting at PA - NJ line, west to State College.  The west sector, starting at the PA        - Ohio line, east to State College.

 

            2. Priority Trials: 

                        A.  First Priority - Licensed Trials

1.  AKC Licensed Trials on the schedule as of 2005 shall be given first priority.  Any additional second AKC Licensed Trial scheduled after that date will NOT be given any priority.

                        B.  Second Priority - P.B.G.A. All-Age Qualifiers

                        C.  Third Priority – PBGA Derby Qualifiers

                        D.  Fourth Priority - Make your own pack, two couple pack, etc.

 

            3. If two or more clubs are in conflict over the same trial date, the following       procedure will prevail:

                                   

                        The club which has been conducting gundog trials the longest amount of                                     time in years will have preference over another providing one of the                                    clubs did not hold a P.B.G.A. Qualifying trials on that date the previous                          year.

 

J.          ANY MOTION TO CHANGE THESE OR ANY SUBSEQUENT RUNNING   RULES MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE INDIVIDUAL CLUBS SIXTY (60)         DAYS BEFIRE THE MOTION IS TO BE VOTED ON.