Rules & Regulations

1. Introduction

1. The British Retriever Trophy is a Registered Trademark for Lightoaks Gundogs Limited, registered in England & Wales with Company Number 16649537. References in this document to the 'Board' or to the 'Organisers' refer to the appointed directors of Lightoaks Gundogs Limited, registered at the time with Companies House; such information being in the public domain.
2. The British Retriever Trophy (hereafter The BRT) is a competition to assess the work of retriever gundogs in the field, in the form of an Open Working Test, with dogs working solely with dummies and where game or other wildlife may not be shot.
3. Game and other wildlife will similarly not be killed (or severely injured) by the dogs. If, in the sole opinion of the Board or of the Judges, a dog is of savage disposition, it shall be ineligible for entry or immediately eliminated from the competition.
4. The BRT does not support activity which permits, encourages or develops aggression in a dog.
5. The BRT will be subject to its own Rules (as set out here) and operate independently of Regulations developed by The Royal Kennel Club (TRKC). That said, The BRT will honour in all respects the latest Code of Ethics issued by TRKC.
6. Whilst these Rules & Regulations are intended to be reasonably comprehensive, it is understood that they may not cover every eventuality. In the event of any lack of clarity, the sole opinion of the Organisers (acting reasonably) will be final.

2. Welfare of Dogs

1. A competitor whose dog is entered in The BRT should take all reasonable steps to ensure that the needs of their dog(s) are met and should not knowingly put their dogs' health and welfare at risk by any action, default, omission or otherwise.
2. A breach of this Regulation may be referred to the Board for disciplinary action.
3. The use of pinch collars, electronic shock collars, or prong collars is not permitted at The BRT.

3. Organisation

1. As above, The BRT will be organised in its sole discretion by the Board of Directors of Lightoaks Gundogs Limited.
2. Control of Dogs - the owner, competitor, handler or other person in charge of a dog at The BRT, must at all times, ensure that the dog is kept under proper control whilst at the venue, including its environs, car parks and approaches. When not running in a Test, all dogs should be kept on a lead.
3. Equal Opportunity - primary responsibility for the organisation of the Tests will fall to Lightoaks Gundogs Limited's directors - David Latham and David 'Christmas' Thomas, both of whom have extensive experience of gundog work under shooting field conditions. They will ensure that each dog is given, as near as possible, an equal opportunity, with any variability in circumstances, wherever possible, minimised.
4. For the avoidance of doubt, the Organisers will not themselves be permitted to run dogs in The BRT competition.
5. Good Gundog Work - the Organisers will, wherever possible, simulate the circumstances of a shooting day. They will ensure that the tests are designed to further good gundog work and not inhibit dogs from marking or from showing natural working ability. Dummy throwers will be positioned with such considerations in mind.
6. Running Order - the Organisers will ensure that all competitors are made aware of the running order.
7. Acceptability of Tests - final decisions regarding the acceptability of tests lie with David Latham, David Thomas and with the judges.
8. Dummies - only dummies acceptable to the judges will be used for retrieves in The BRT.
9. Gunfire - when dummies are thrown in association with gunfire, the shot will always precede the thrown dummy and the 'gun' will always be positioned a plausible distance from the retrieve. With unseen retrieves, gunfire is optional at the discretion of the Organisers.
10. Proximity to Other Dogs - a dog, when retrieving, will not be required to pass too close to another retrieve.
11. Safety of Dogs - Organisers and judges will take care for the safety of dogs and will not require them to negotiate dangerous obstacles. That said, whilst judges will take reasonable precautions for the safety of competing dogs, it is the duty of the handler to satisfy himself or herself that the dog is suitably trained, physically fit and appropriately prepared to undertake the work allocated by the judges, before directing his or her dog to undertake the allotted task.
12. Steadiness - dogs shall be required to be steady by the handler until commanded to retrieve. Any dog which does not fulfil this basic requirement shall not receive a prize or a Certificate of Merit. In extreme cases, such a dog may, at the sole discretion of the judges, be removed from the competition.

4. Location & Dates

1. The 2027 BRT will take place at The Apley Estate, Shifnal, Shropshire.
2. Dates for the 2027 Competition will be Saturday 19th June and Sunday 20th June.

5. Competition Rules

1. The Organisers will ensure that all competitors and judges are informed that the competition will be operated under the Rules & Regulations set out here and not Regulations laid down by The Royal Kennel Club.
2. The Royal Kennel Club Code of Ethics will nonetheless apply in all respects.
3. Competitors in The BRT shall not openly impugn any decisions of the judges, or criticise the hosts, Organisers, ground or helpers.
4. All competing dogs must be registered with The Royal Kennel Club.
5. The Organisers (acting reasonably) have the power to exclude dogs from the competition and the right to refuse an entry.
6. All judges will have experience of dog work under shooting field conditions.
7. Each competition 'Test' will have at least one Royal Kennel Club Panel Judge officiating.
8. All handlers must carry out the instructions of the judges. The judges are empowered to remove from the competition, any dog whose handler does not follow their instructions, or whose handler wilfully interferes with another competitor or his or her dog.
9. No person attending The BRT may allow a bitch in season to be on the test ground or to foul any ground to be used by competing dogs.
10. If the judges consider a dog unfit to compete by reason of contagious disease or physical condition, such a dog shall be required to be removed immediately from the ground.
11. No dog shall wear a collar whilst competing.
12. No person shall carry out punitive correction or harsh handling at The BRT.
13. No competitor should withdraw their dog and leave the ground without the judges being made aware.
14. All competing dogs must be steady to gunfire and to fall and must retrieve, only on command.
15. Where possible dogs will be tested at a simulated drive, walking up and in water.
16. A dog must walk steadily at heel, including in between tests.
17. Good marking is essential, with a quick pick up and a fast return. Dogs will be credited for showing marking ability and initiative. Credit points will be awarded at the sole discretion of the judges and will therefore include:

1. Natural marking and hunting ability.
2. Quickness in gathering the retrieve and in delivery.
3. Nose.
4. Drive & Style.
5. Quiet Handling.
6. Control.

1. Serious faults will include:

1. Refusing to retrieve.
2. Whining or barking.
3. Running in or chasing.
4. Out of control.
5. Failure to enter water.
6. Changing the retrieve.
7. Poor heel work.

6. Judging

1. Organisers and judges will agree a common scoring system and this will be advised to all competitors prior to the commencement of competition.
2. Whatever the system adopted:

1. Failure to complete an individual test will result in a mark of zero.
2. Where a multiple retrieve is deemed to constitute a single test, if a dog fails in any part of the multiple exercise, this will result in a mark of zero for that exercise.

1. Individual retrieves will be judged on a points system. At the discretion of the Organisers, individual tests are likely to be marked out of 20.
2. Organisers and judges will ensure that spectators are a reasonable distance from competitors as they compete.
3. Judges will give competing dogs every opportunity to work well, by ensuring that conditions are as far as possible in their favour. They will be looking for dogs that need little handling and for those that please them the most in their work.
4. Judges will not penalise a dog too heavily for putting down a retrieve to get a firmer grip. This will not however be confused with sloppy retrieving.

7. Format

1. The 2027 Competition will take place over 2 days - Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th June.
2. Dogs competing on the first day of The BRT (where capacity is limited to 70 dogs) will have:

1. Qualified (see below) and;
2. If relevant been directly selected through the Ballot or initially drawn as a Reserve (again see below).

1. On 19th June, competing dogs are expected to be organised into two groups - a morning group and an afternoon group. Further details will be provided once the number of competing dogs has been determined and in advance of the Event.
2. If for example 70 dogs are running on the first day, then the Organisers would expect to run 35 dogs in the morning group, plus a different 35 dogs in the afternoon group.
3. Competing dogs will work across a number of individual Tests. The Tests will be selected by the Organisers in their sole discretion, but are likely to number five. By way of example, if there are indeed (1) 35 dogs in each group and (2) 5 Tests, then the dogs would be divided into 5 equal squads of 7 dogs, with a 'Shotgun' start across the 5 Tests.
4. In between Tests, competing dogs will be allocated waiting areas, from which future Tests cannot be viewed.
5. The number of retrieves per Test location will be selected by the Organisers, again acting in their sole discretion.
6. Competition rankings will be based on the cumulative points score for each individual dog for each day of competition; this points score calculated by the judges in their sole discretion. Scores will be displayed at the ground.
7. At the end of the first day, the number of dogs will be 'cut', with the cut based on the accumulated points score for each individual dog. The highest scoring 30 dogs (plus ties) will be required by the judges for the second day of competition (Sunday 20th June).
8. Those dogs not required by the Judges for the second day will be eliminated from the competition.
9. At the end of the second day:

1. The 6 dogs with the highest cumulative score for that day will be invited to participate in a Grand Final/Run-Off to decide The BRT Champion for the year.
2. Details for the Grand Final will be at the sole discretion of the Organisers and will be advised to the handlers of the highest scoring 6 dogs, before the Run-Off commences.
3. Points accumulated throughout Sunday's Competition and prior to the Grand Final (not Saturday's points which will be 'discarded' after the cut) will be carried into the Run-Off, so that the best performing dog throughout Sunday will have an advantage. That said, the Grand Final will be structured so that any of the 6 dogs is capable of winning.
4. At the conclusion of the Grand Final, the finalists will be placed 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th based on their accumulated points total for the second day of competition. This accumulated total to include points awarded during the Grand Final. The 5th and 6th placed dogs will be awarded Certificates of Merit.

8. Qualification & Number of Runners

1. Qualifying Events:

1. In order to qualify to compete in The BRT, dogs must win an Open Working Test for Retrievers.
2. These working tests to be:

1. UK based i.e. hosted by a gundog Club or Society in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland.
2. AV (Any variety) - a dog winning a single breed Open Working Test will not qualify for The BRT.
3. Affiliated to The Royal Kennel Club – a dog winning a Test that is not affiliated to TRKC will not qualify for The BRT.
4. Hosted during the Qualification 'Window' - the Qualification Window for the 2027 BRT will open on 2nd July 2026 and end on 31st May 2027.

1. Number of Dogs per Owner and per Handler:

1. Subject to winning a qualifying event (as above) The BRT will not restrict the number of eligible dogs, either by Owner or by Handler.
2. This means that a Handler may qualify more than one dog and run more than one dog in The BRT, even if those dogs have the same ownership.
3. In the event that the same combination of dog and handler wins more than one qualifying event, they will still be eligible to receive only one place to run at The BRT.
4. See also 'Ballot' below.

1. Enforced Change of Handler:

1. A qualification place for The BRT is fundamentally awarded to the dog and not to the handler.
2. As such, if the handler (that qualified the dog) is not able to attend The BRT e.g. through illness, then the owner of the dog may call in a substitute handler. This will be the case even if the substitute handler has already qualified a different dog, which he or she will additionally run at the competition.
3. Any dispute arising here will again be settled at the sole discretion of the Organisers.

1. Entry Fees:

1. Competition Entry Fees for The 2027 BRT will be £120 per dog and will apply to all dogs that are to run.
2. Entry Fees shall be payable (online) strictly by 8th June 2027 in accordance with instructions provided by the Organisers. On payment of the Entry Fee, the Handler will be taken to a link and prompted to enter brief qualifying details.
3. Any dog whose Entry Fee has not been paid by this date, will not be eligible to compete. In the event of a Ballot and with any Reserve List not exhausted, then such a failure to pay the Entry Fee will see an opportunity to run awarded to the next dog on the Reserve List.
4. From the point at which the Handler is advised of the opportunity to run the dog from the reserve list (9th June 2027), there will be a further period of 7 days (until 16th June 2027) during which the Entry Fee must be paid. If this Entry Fee is not paid, then the Reserve Dog will not be eligible to run.
5. In this way, no dog will be able to compete in The BRT where the Entry Fee has not been paid.
6. If a qualified dog is forced to withdraw with the Entry Fee already having been paid, then the Entry Fee (in the absence of substitution) will be refunded by 30th June 2027.

1. The Ballot:

1. Capacity for the 2027 BRT is limited to 70 dogs.
2. As above, those dogs will be divided into two groups of even size – one group to compete in the morning of the first day (19th June 2027) and the other group competing in the afternoon of the same day.
3. Should more than 70 dogs qualify, then the organisers will make use of a ballot to reduce the number of competing dogs to 70.
4. If a Ballot is required, a combination of Handler and Dog that wins two or more Qualifying Events shall still be entitled to only one place in the ballot.
5. Logistically, the Ballot will operate as follows:

1. As above, the Qualifying Window closes on 31st May 2027.
2. The Ballot (if needed) will be drawn by Jessica Smith (Jess), Director of Lightoaks Gundogs Limited on 1st June 2027.
3. All qualified dogs will enter the Ballot and Jess will draw the names of all of those dogs.
4. The first 70 dogs drawn will be eligible to run in the 2027 BRT.
5. Any dogs drawn after the first 70 will be added to a reserve list in the order in which they are drawn, so by way of example, the 71st dog drawn by Jess will be first reserve, the 72nd drawn dog the second reserve etc.
6. By way of further example, if a dog (from the 70) is forced to withdraw, then either:

1. First the Owner of the dog is able to substitute that dog with another Qualified Dog (in the same ownership) from the reserve list (irrespective of their position on that list); or
2. In the event that the owner does not own a substitute qualified dog, and assuming that there are sufficient reserves, the next dog from the reserve list will be given the opportunity to run.
3. If there are insufficient reserves to cover the number of dogs withdrawn (and not substituted), then the number of dogs running reduces accordingly.
4. Decisions of the Organisers here are again final.
5. Any substitutions or withdrawals must be advised to the Organisers at least 48 hours prior to the commencement of the competition.

1. If any of the reserves decides not to take up the opportunity to run, then the opportunity will pass to the next 'numbered' reserve on the list.
2. As soon as any Ballot has been completed (on 1st June 2027), the Organisers of The BRT will publish the results on The BRT website and use reasonable endeavours to contact the handlers of all qualified dogs.
3. Once the results of any Ballot have been announced, then Entry Fees will be immediately payable (via The BRT website) for those dogs that will run.
4. Entry Fees are payable strictly in line with IV above.
5. For the avoidance of doubt (and subject to the overall capacity of 70 competing dogs not being exceeded) the Organisers will take all reasonable steps to ensure that wherever possible, Reserve Dogs will be given an opportunity to run.

9. Awards & Cash Prizes

1. For The 2027 BRT:

1. The Owner of the winning gundog - The 2027 BRT Champion Retriever will receive a cash prize of £10,000.
2. The Owner of the Champion dog will receive (and keep) a trophy, hand-crafted by Moorcroft, Stoke-on-Trent.
3. In addition, the Owner of the Champion Dog will receive (and return after one year) a Cold-Cast Bronze Trophy sculpted by Tanya Russell.
4. The total Cash Prize Fund for The 2027 BRT shall be £22,000. Cash Prizes will be awarded as follows:

1. The Champion (as above) - £10,000
2. The Owner of the Second Placed Dog - £5,000 plus a Moorcroft Trophy (to keep).
3. The Owner of the Third Placed Dog - £3,000 plus a Moorcroft Trophy (to keep).
4. The Owner of the Fourth Placed Dog - £2,000 plus a Moorcroft Trophy (to keep).
5. The Owners of the Fifth and Sixth Placed Dogs will each receive a Cash Prize of £1,000 plus a Certificate of Merit.
6. In addition to the above:

1. The Breeder of the Champion dog will receive (and keep) a Moorcroft Trophy.
2. The Handler of the Champion dog will receive (and keep) a Moorcroft Trophy.
3. Meeting any tax liability attaching to their prizes will be the responsibility of the individual recipients and not the Organisers.

10. Removal of Dogs from the Competition

For the avoidance of doubt and at the sole discretion of the judges, a dog shall be removed from The BRT if it is:

1. A bitch which is in season.
2. Suffering from any infectious or contagious disease.
3. Interfering with the safety or the chance of winning of a fellow competitor.
4. Of such temperament or is so much out of control, as to be a danger to the safety of any person, or other animal.
5. Likely to cause suffering to the dog if it continues competing.

11. Objections

1. An objection must be lodged directly with the Organisers or with the judges, prior to the commencement of the Prize Giving.
2. For The 2027 BRT, the Prize Giving will take place at the conclusion of competition on Sunday 20th June.
3. The right to lodge an objection to a dog or to any action taken at The BRT is limited to anyone in attendance, or the owner of a dog competing.
4. Where an individual dog or handler is subject to an objection (unless the judges or the Organisers take a different decision at the time of the objection), the dog and handler will be allowed to continue to compete.

12. Disqualification and Forfeit of Awards

A dog may be disqualified from winning an award at the sole discretion of the Organisers, whether or not an objection has been lodged. This if in the sole opinion of the Organisers, the dog has:

1. Undergone surgical interference with its vocal cords for non-therapeutic reasons.
2. Been entered by a person disqualified or suspended under Royal Kennel Club rules.
3. Been registered or recorded as owned by one of the judges or one of the Organisers, within a period of 12 months prior to the competition.
4. Been handled, boarded or prepared by one of the judges or Organisers, within a period of 12 months prior to the competition.
5. Been the subject of any other default, omission, action or incident, rendering it unfair that the award should be allowed to stand.

If a dog is disqualified, the prize to which it would otherwise have been entitled shall be forfeited. The Organisers may at their discretion move up the dog or dogs next in the order of merit to take the prize or prizes.

13. Questions

Any questions relating to these Regulations should be directed to the Organisers.

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