Heelwork to music secretary information

• Decide on a date, a venue and the classes to be run
• All competition dates must be applied for either in writing on club headed paper or by completing a competition date application form online which can be found in your club profile. 
• Competition dates must be applied for up to six weeks before the show
• The licence must be displayed at the competition
• Book a suitable competition venue with adequate facilities including ring space, spectators' facilities, toilets and running water, refreshments, veterinary and medical arrangements, lighting and heating as appropriate, and parking. Audio equipment must be provided and, if necessary, a licence for playing music must be arranged. Timetable the official classes to be held, and any additional classes if desired

Identify suitably qualified and experienced judges for the number of classes and competitors anticipated. Two or three judges per class are required, one being the head judge. Judges should be invited in writing, and asked to accept in writing; the club should then confirm the appointment in writing to form a three-part contract.

Read more about judging heelwork to music.

The following guidance has been provided to competition organisers to help assist in carrying out a ballot.

• Competition organisers should give careful consideration to the management of the number of classes to be scheduled and the timings involved in those classes
• Where the overall entry numbers require a ballot, ideally competitors should be asked if they wish to voluntarily withdraw; if not, a random ballot should take place
• Where the entry for an individual class has exceeded 25, the class should be split
• If the society is not in a position to split a class, a random ballot should take place to reduce the entry to 25

In order to enable competition organisers to plan their schedules effectively, the following table shows the projected routine times for HTM and freestyle. This information is based on timings from five heelwork to music competitions.

• Prepare and distribute a competition schedule, using the Kennel Club specimen schedule as a basis
• Carry out a risk assessment and develop a safety plan to minimise risks. Organisers should also be aware of changing weather conditions. Read more about important things to consider to help maintain the health and welfare of dogs in hot weather
• Arrange adequate public liability insurance (the certificate must be displayed at the competition with the licence from The Kennel Club)
• Once entries have closed, split classes if necessary to prevent any class entry exceeding 25
• Prepare and distribute a programme (catalogue) for the competition

• On the day of the competition, ensure copies of the Heelwork to Music (L) Regulations, all entry forms, programmes, the competition licence, insurance certificate, awards, equipment and an incident book are taken to the competition
• A copy of the official catalogue for each competition, containing a full and correct list of all entries, with all the awards correctly marked, must be retained by the organisations for at least one year from the date of the competition and must be forwarded to The Kennel Club if requested, together with any other documents

It is important that the society and show services department is informed of a cancellation in writing by completing the cancellation of shows form as soon as this decision is made, giving the reason for the cancellation. It should not be assumed that because the licence application form is not returned to The Kennel Club by the due date, that the show will be removed from the show diary. 

If the cancellation is notified far enough in advance, this could free up a date for use by other clubs and societies, and in other instances it will prevent the office assuming the event is going ahead and therefore sending out unnecessary reminder letters for schedules and/or catalogues. 

Read further information about cancellation of events.

Societies are required to consider government advice, including DEFRA, in place at the time when planning an event. It is also worth noting that often advice is different for different parts of the United Kingdom and this needs to be taken into account when planning the event both in relation to the venue and expected participants.

One of the main concerns for societies is whether there will be adequate insurance cover. Kennel Club show regulations stipulate that insurance is required – otherwise the show licence is invalid. It is always best to check with the society’s own insurance provider in terms of the amount of and heads of cover. We have partnered with Pet Business Insurance (PBI) to provide specifically designed insurance cover for canine clubs or societies, including public and products liability insurance at a competitive price. It is unlikely that any Covid-19-specific insurance will be available but general public liability will be available.

You can contact them on 01284 736874 or visit their website.

A society should make best efforts to ensure that the venue/ground is Covid-19 safe, in line with government advice available at the time (including risk assessments). This will then help in demonstrating that the society has discharged its duty of care to participants and visitors. It is not possible to guarantee a no Covid-19 risk scenario, and there will be an element of assumption of risk by the participant/visitor. The society’s job is to minimise that risk. As always in the context of health and safety, there should be clearly documented instructions and role descriptions defining the clear delegation of responsibilities for the range of health and safety issues at the event.

A statement must be included in all schedules to state that if an exhibitor, or anyone in their household, has Covid-19-related symptoms or has tested positive for Covid-19, they must not attend the event.

Society committees must ensure that they have adequate cover for all the society's activities. The Kennel Club Insurance cover is specifically designed for canine clubs or societies, including public and products liability and directors' and officers' liability insurance at a competitive price.

The heelwork to music regulations specify that competitions must issue a schedule which conforms to the current specimen schedule issued by The Kennel Club. The specimens are available below and are regularly updated to take account of changes to the regulations or policy. Competition secretaries are advised to download the most recent version of the specimen schedule before preparing any schedules.

• WT10 - specimen HTM schedule entry form
• WT74 - specimen premier HTM schedule entry form

Anything that occurs at an event that is ‘out of the ordinary’ should be considered an incident and logged in the incident book even if those involved do not wish to take any action. This information must then be sent to The Kennel Club within 14 days of the event. Learn more about incidents at events.

Every society must undertake its own individual risk assessment for every event.

Any particular measures or conditions that competitors need to be aware of prior to the event must be included within the schedule.

Please read the HTM Risk Assessment document here

If a judge has been contracted for a future show/event and is no longer willing to officiate due to concerns relating to Covid-19, their age or health, the contract should be cancelled and a new judge appointed. It must be acknowledged that everyone’s circumstances are different and therefore The Kennel Club will not take any action against a judge not fulfilling their appointment in these circumstances.

Written guidance should be sought from the venue hirer regarding any special measures the show committee must undertake during their hiring period.

Rings may need to be spread out more than previously to allow space between the rings for free movement of people and to ensure that those in adjacent rings are not too close to each other.

Indoor venues may need to have more space around rings to ensure there is adequate space and a separate entrance and exit should be encouraged,

Is your proposed venue therefore large enough to accommodate the above and any other special requirements?

• Judging seminars are most usually hosted by registered clubs and societies, but any individual or group is welcome to organise and host a seminar
• The seminar content must be presented by an officially appointed Kennel Club accredited trainer
• Societies, individuals or groups organising a seminar should contact one of the accredited trainers (listed below) to invite them to conduct the seminar and arrange a suitable venue. They can then advertise the seminar to attract sufficient attendees. The organisers charge attendees reasonable fees at their discretion and should arrange for payment of the accredited trainer's expenses with the trainer. Trainers will usually bring relevant literature (such as regulation books, judges' guides and judges' record books) to the seminar for purchase by the candidates - in some cases the cost may be included in the seminar fee
• Anyone who is holding a heelwork to music seminar this year is invited to email the details to our governance and education team so that the seminar can be listed on this page