General Rules & Competition Guidelines

Mission Statement

To deliver top-tier dog sport competitions that reward versatility and skill, celebrate the bond between dogs and handlers, and uphold sportsmanship and training excellence.

The Competition Season

• The BAD competition season runs September through August — each season begins 1 September and ends 31 August. The 2026-27 season runs from September 2026 through August 2027.
• The equipment warning ladder below runs on the competition season. A handler's equipment warnings expire at the end of the competition season in which they were given.
• The competition season is not the calendar year. The $600 W9 threshold under Payout Structure is counted January through December, because it follows the tax year.

Waiver & Liability

• All handlers and event staff must sign a liability waiver and promotional release before participating.
• Any judged runs completed without a signed waiver will be void for that event, and no refund will be given.

Dog Control & Safety

• BAD events are open to all breeds.
• Dogs must be at least 6 months old (24 weeks) to compete.
• Dogs must be physically able to compete — no lameness, illness, or open wounds.
• All dogs must be leashed or kenneled at all times on event grounds, except during their turn to compete.
• Leashes must not exceed 6 feet in length.
• Retractable leashes and flexi leads are not permitted anywhere on the property.

Dog Behavior & Responsibility

• Handlers are fully responsible for the behavior of their dogs and agree to indemnify Bad Dog Sports LLC for any incidents or injuries caused by their dogs.
• Any signs of aggressive behavior must be reported to BAD staff immediately. Staff will act on the day to keep people and dogs safe — separating dogs, pausing a run, or asking a handler to crate a dog.
• Acting on the day is not a finding against a dog. A dog's record is only affected through the complaint process below.

Aggression Complaints

BAD takes aggression seriously, and takes just as seriously that a finding against a dog stays with it. So no complaint counts against a dog until all four BAD partners have reviewed it.

• A complaint must be in writing. Verbal reports and accusations made at the pool or on the course are not complaints. Anyone may make one — a competitor, a spectator, a judge, or BAD staff.
• All four BAD partners review every written complaint and respond with a finding.
• A partner with a stake in the complaint steps aside. A partner does not sit on a review involving their own dog, a dog they handle, or a complaint they made themselves, and takes no part in deciding whether such a dog is held out. The seat is filled by a BAD judge, or another person appointed by BAD, who is not a partner and had no involvement in the incident; the partners who are not standing aside make that choice. If more than one partner steps aside, each seat is filled the same way. Four people always review a complaint — the same principle that keeps a judge from competing in a run they are judging.
• The handler is told, and may respond. BAD sends the handler the substance of the complaint and gives them the opportunity to give their account in writing before any finding is made. A handler who does not respond in time does not stop the review.
• Timing. BAD acknowledges a written complaint within 5 business days. The handler has 10 business days from that acknowledgement to give their account. The partners issue their finding within 10 business days after that period closes.
• A dog may be held out while a complaint is pending. Where there is a genuine safety concern, the partners may hold a dog out of BAD events until the finding is made. This is a precaution and not a penalty — it is not a finding, and it carries none of the consequences of one. It is used only where waiting out the review would put people or dogs at risk, never as a matter of course. A hold lasts as long as the review, which may span more than one event.
• A dog held out is refunded. Any entry already made for that dog is withdrawn and the entry fee refunded at the point the hold is placed, before the event runs. That does not depend on the outcome — a dog that does not compete does not pay, whether the complaint is upheld or not. The consequence of an upheld complaint is the finding itself, never a lost entry fee.
• The finding weighs the circumstances, not just the incident. A dog that is startled, crowded, cornered, or approached by a loose dog while waiting its turn and reacts is not an aggressive dog, and the partners will say so. Where a complaint shows that another handler's dog was loose or out of control, that is taken up with that handler.
• Only upheld complaints count. Every written complaint is recorded and kept on file. A complaint that is reviewed and not upheld stays on file as reviewed and not upheld, and does not count toward the total below.
• Three upheld complaints, with no time limit. A dog with three upheld aggression complaints may be banned from future BAD events. The count does not reset at the end of a season or a year — three upheld complaints across three years is still three.
• A ban is a decision, not an automatic penalty. The partners weigh the findings together and decide.

Equipment Warnings

Each sport's rulebook lists what a dog may and may not wear when it competes — Eligibility & Equipment in the dock jumping rulebook, Equipment in the shed hunt rulebook. This is the ladder that applies when a dog competes in equipment its sport does not allow.

It is one ladder across both sports, counted once. A handler who leaves a collar on at the dock and again at a shed start gate is on their first and second occurrence, not a first in each. It is the same person making the same mistake, so it counts as the same mistake.

Warnings are given to the handler, not the dog. A handler running several dogs makes the same error whichever dog is in front of them; counted against the dog it would be a string of first warnings that never escalates.

1. First occurrence — warning. The handler is warned and the occurrence is recorded. The equipment must be removed before the dog competes. - In dock jumping, the jump has already been taken by the time it is seen, so the jump is disallowed and recorded NJ. The equipment must come off before the dog takes any further jump, and the dive continues. - In shed hunting, the equipment is caught at the line before the run, so there is nothing to disallow. The equipment comes off at the line and the hunt is run as normal.
2. Second occurrence — disqualified from that dive or hunt. The dog has no official score for it, is not ranked, and is not eligible for a share of that competition's purse. Its entry fee stays in that purse. The dog's other dives and hunts are unaffected.
3. Third occurrence — excused from the event. The handler is excused. Their remaining dogs may be taken over by another handler if one is available; arranging that is the competitor's responsibility, and BAD staff will not run dogs. Entries left without a handler are forfeit: no refund is given, and those entry fees stay in their purses.

Warnings expire at the end of the competition season in which they were given — see The Competition Season above — and the count returns to zero once a handler has been excused under the third rung.

Refund Policy

• No refunds will be given without a veterinarian or doctor's note once pre-registration has closed. Two exceptions are set out below.
• The note must be received by BAD no later than 5 business days after the event. Email it to info@bestallarounddog.com. A note received after that deadline cannot be honored.
• Before pre-registration closes. A paid entry may be cancelled for a full refund at any time up to the moment pre-registration closes for that event. Each entry is separate — one dog in one dive or one hunt — and may be cancelled on its own without affecting the rest. No note is required and no reason need be given. The full entry fee is returned to the card or account it was paid from; Bad Dog Sports bears any processing fee. The place is released, so anyone on that run's waitlist may take it. Once pre-registration has closed, the veterinarian or doctor's note rule above applies — including an entry taken on the day, which never had a pre-registration window.
• Dogs held out pending an aggression complaint. If the partners hold a dog out of an event while a complaint is reviewed, its entry is withdrawn and the entry fee refunded at that point, before the event runs. No note is required — see Aggression Complaints above.
• No prize money is paid out at the event itself. Each competition's purse is calculated once the refund window has closed, and payment is mailed from that point — see Payout Structure below.

Judging & Conduct

• Participation in any BAD event implies acceptance of the judge's decisions as final.
• Judging is based on the performance of the day and reflects the judge's honest evaluation.
• Competitors are expected to address judges respectfully and show grace in all outcomes.
• Handlers must be clean, appropriately dressed, and reflect respect for the sport.
• This is a family-friendly environment — no alcohol or drugs permitted.
• BAD reserves the right to pull a dog from competition if it appears injured or unwell. No refunds will be issued in such cases.
• BAD staff will not handle or run dogs for competitors.

Judging Standards

These standards apply to every judge at every BAD event. Each sport's rulebook adds the mechanics specific to that sport.

• A judge may not compete in any run, dive, or hunt they are judging.
• The judge is responsible for timing, scoring, rules enforcement, and safety for the competition they are assigned to.
• Judges may not aid a handler during a run — verbally or physically — beyond the initial course or procedure explanation, a warning for a rules violation, or a safety concern.

General Expectations

• Know the rules before competing.
• Bitches in season may not compete and may not be near the staging area, start line, or event headquarters.
• Clean up after your dog — no exceptions. Handlers found in violation will be excused from the event, and no refund will be given.
• Dogs must be under control at all times.
• All dogs must have up-to-date vaccinations or valid titers in accordance with state and local laws. Proof may be requested.
• All competitors must demonstrate good sportsmanship and treat others with respect.
• Poor sportsmanship may result in removal or banning from events.

Payout Structure

These terms apply to every BAD event that carries a cash purse.

• 50% of entry fees go toward the cash purse.
• Prizes are awarded for each individual competition — every run a dog enters is scored and paid on its own.
• Cash prizes are awarded to the dog's owner, not the handler.
• Payments under the tax reporting threshold are sent by mail within 5 business days of the close of the refund window.
• W9 requirement. Once a competitor's total winnings reach $600 or more in a calendar year, BAD must have a completed W9 on file before releasing further payment. BAD will notify the competitor and send the form; payment is mailed within 10 business days of receiving the completed W9.

How Groups Are Paid

BAD pays on a floating percentage group. When a competition closes, every qualifying dog is ranked by that sport's scoring measure and the field is divided into five equal 20% groups. The dog placing highest within each group is awarded that group's share of the purse. Where the field does not divide evenly, the smallest group is the last group. The more dogs that enter, the larger the purse and the more placements paid.

Each sport's rulebook states what it ranks on and how ties are broken.

The purse is split evenly. Every group carries the same share, so winning the slowest group is worth exactly what winning the fastest group is worth. A dog competes against dogs of its own speed and is paid the same for beating them.

This holds at every field size — no weighting adjustment is ever required — and it keeps winning any group worth more than the cost of entering it down to a field of eleven.

By entering any BAD event, competitors agree to comply with all regulations, demonstrate good sportsmanship, and prioritize the safety and enjoyment of everyone involved — human and canine alike.