National Specialty and Companion Events

The Vizsla Club of America holds its National Specialty events the 17th week of the AKC Corresponding Date Table. This event is held in a different region of the country every year and includes Conformation Sweepstakes, Agility, Junior Showmanship, Obedience, Rally, Scent Work, educational events, and Judges Education.  In addition to the National Events, two other events take place: the All Star Review and the Iron Dog competition. The All Star Review is limited to Vizslas with a Conformation Championship and either a Field Championship or Master Hunter title. A three-judge panel decides the winner. Iron Dog is not limited to championship dogs. It rewards the top versatile dogs competing in Conformation and Companion Events during the Nationals week.

Entry in any VCA National Event (show, field, performance, or companion event) requires a DNA number. This requirement also applies to rescues as well as spayed and neutered dogs. Advertising in the National Specialty Catalog requires both a DNA number and an OFA number if a specific dog’s name is used.

National Specialties are a great place to learn about the breed and talk to participants and breeders.

The Vizsla Club of America National Specialty and Companion Event is held the 17th week of the year per the American Kennel Club Corresponding Date Table. Groups looking to host an event or submit bids can use this link to determine the specific corresponding date:
https://images.akc.org/pdf/Corres_Date_Table.pdf

NSCE JUDGES

Iron Dog

In celebration of our versatile Vizslas, this competition highlights the wide-ranging abilities of the breed. Entries in Iron Dog are open to AKC-registered Vizslas, including spayed and neutered dogs of all ages. Iron Dog points accumulate from classes entered in Conformation, Rally, Obedience and Agility. After all competitions are completed, the overall winners will be crowned.

Professional handlers are allowed; however, amateur owners will receive a 30-point bonus added to their Conformation score for handling their own dogs in all venues. Any professional handler who is listed as an owner and handles the dog in all other Iron Dog events is eligible for the bonus.

Awards: Gold, silver and bronze medals and ribbons are awarded to the top three point earners.

Rules:

• Only scores earned on designated National Specialty Event days will count.
• To be eligible in the companion events, the dog must be entered at the level in which they are currently competing in AKC events.
• Dogs may be entered in any or all of the companion event types. Their highest score from each event will be used in Iron Dog scoring (e.g., Conformation would use the dog’s highest placement in Sweepstakes or Conformation and the best score in Rally Excellent or Rally Advanced).
• Handlers who reside in the same household and share a dog may split handling (e.g., one owner handles in Obedience and another in Agility) and still receive the owner- handler bonus. Professional handlers may not split handling with co-owners.
• Handlers who reside in different households and split the handling of a dog are not eligible for the amateur bonus.
• Overall tiebreaker: We will use Agility times. Averaging the JWW and STD rounds, the dog with the fastest clean run in yards per second wins.

Scoring: A perfect score is 1,000. There are 250 points available in each venue: Agility, Obedience, Rally and Conformation.

Agility: Jumpers and Standard scores will be added together plus any achievement bonuses. Master dogs earn achievement bonuses with speed points for each second under the course time to a maximum of 20 points. Preferred dogs will divide their speed bonus points in half.

For the purposes of Iron Dog score tabulations only, the following penalties will be applied to faulted rounds:

• “R” – Refusal/run-out, 5 penalty points
• “W”– Wrong course, 5 penalty points
• “T” – Pause table fault, 5 penalty points
• “F” – Failure to perform, 10 penalty points
• “E” – Excusal (NQ), 0-point score for class

The following achievement bonuses will be added to your Agility score for a maximum of 250 points:

• 10 points for Open (10 points per event – 20 points for JWW and STD)
• 15 points for Excellent (15 points per event – 30 points for JWW and STD)
• 15 points for Master (15 points per event – 30 points for JWW and STD)
• 0–20 speed points (seconds under time – minimum of 0 and maximum of 20 points combined from JWW and STD.) Preferred dogs can earn a maximum of 10 points. Speed points apply only to clean rounds in Master JWW and STD.

Obedience: Of the 250 possible points, 20 points can be earned for participation plus your highest Obedience score. Should you receive an NQ, the points you did earn will contribute to your score. The following achievement bonuses will be added to your score:

• 5 points for Novice or Veteran
• 10 points for Graduate Novice or Preferred Open
• 15 points for Open
• 20 points for Graduate Open or Preferred Utility or Versatility
• 30 points for Utility

Rally: Of the 250 possible points, 130 points can be earned for participation plus your highest Rally score. Should you receive an NQ, the points you did earn will contribute to your score. The following achievement bonuses will be added to your score:

• 5 points for Intermediate
• 10 points for Advanced
• 15 points for Excellent
• 20 points for Master

Conformation: Points from your highest score in Sweepstakes or Conformation class will apply. A special Iron Dog Non-Regular class, designated as “Iron Dog” or “Iron Bitch” on the AKC entry form, will be offered for judging of non-eligible dogs (i.e., spayed or neutered). Dogs age 8 and over must be entered in Veterans. Stud Dog, Brood Bitch and Brace classes do not earn points for Iron Dog.

Of the 250 possible points, 150 points can be earned for participation, 30 points for an owner-handler (see Notes), plus additional points for the following bonus categories:

• 1 point for each dog defeated in a class for a maximum of 25 points
• 35 points for Best of Opposite Sweeps or Best Veteran Dog/Bitch in Sweeps
• 40 points for Best in Sweeps
• 45 points for Reserve Winners Dog or Reserve Winners Bitch
• 50 points for Winners Dog or Winners Bitch
• 55 points for Award of Merit or Best of Winners
• 60 points for Select Dog or Select Bitch
• 65 points for Best of Opposite
• 70 points for Best of Breed

Notes:

• Add 30 points for amateur owners/co-owners handling their own dogs in all venues.
• Add 30 points for professional handlers listed as owners handling their own dogs in all venues.
• Any dog excused from a class will receive a 0-point score for that class.
• Running totals of scores will be posted daily in a prominent location.
• Entry-level classes (Novice Agility, Beginner Novice and Preferred-Novice Obedience, and Rally Novice) are not eligible for achievement bonus points.

Registration Fee: The Iron Dog registration fee is $25 per dog plus the cost of all classes.

Iron Dog Committee

Gail Fleming, Heather Jackson, Ginger Sammonds, Jenny Follett, Carol Keller, and Jamie Walton

A little about the judging

It’s a given that the dogs entered in the All Star Review conform to the AKC Vizsla Standard by virtue of their show championships; therefore, the judges’ scoring will place heavy emphasis on the standard specifics that refer to the Vizsla as a working dog.

The competition is judged by a three-judge panel, whose identities are kept secret up to the start of the show. The judges are chosen from the ranks of Vizsla owners and breeders who have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the dual qualities of the Vizsla breed.

All proceeds from the All Star Review are donated to Hemangiosarcoma research.