Rules and regulations governing Maine State 4-H Dog Shows include:
Entries are open to all youth in the State of Maine who are enrolled in an approved 4-H Dog Project as of April 1 of the current year. Participants must have reached their 9th birthday but not have passed their 19th birthday as of midnight Dec 31, of the previous year.
Day of the show entry is not allowed.
All dogs must be owned or leased by April 1 of the current year.
All participants must present the standard embossed 4-H Approval form for Animal Shows, properly executed rabies certificate, and lease form (if applicable), to the 4-H representative on the day of the show. The 4-H representative strongly encourages all dogs to have up-to-date distemper and parvo shots. The 4-H Approval form for Animal Shows must be submitted to your local Extension Office before June 30 in order to have it approved and embossed.
Participants must pick up after their own animals.
Participants must dress appropriately in 4-H attire, with green or khaki bottoms and white on top. Participants should be dressed neatly with no wrinkled shirts and shirts must be tucked into pants. Sandals and flip-flops are not permitted in the show ring during any of the competitive classes.
Participants must enter one Showmanship and one Obedience class. Participants may also enter an additional dog in one Obedience class as non-competitive if time permits. No awards will be given for the additional dog’s class. The dog used for the additional class cannot be the same dog as in the competitive classes, and all necessary paperwork must accompany the second dog.
All animals must meet the health requirements of the State of Maine Department of Agriculture, as listed in the rules and regulations of the Livestock Department. Any animal showing signs of illness may be asked to leave the show grounds at the discretion of the show committee/4-H representative.
Maine 4-H Dog Guide rules will be used as a guide for scoring. All scoring for awards will be on the Danish point system of 200 points for Obedience and 100 points for Showmanship. Ribbons will be given to each participant.
Depending on the show, a trophy may be awarded. It may be awarded to the dog and handler with the highest combined score from the handler’s Showmanship class and Obedience class. An additional trophy may be awarded to the dog and handler with the second highest combined score from the handler’s Showmanship class and Obedience class. At the discretion of the show committee/4-H Representative if trophies are presented they may instead be given by highest scoring per age division or highest scoring between on-lead and off-lead obedience classes.
All dogs must be kept on-leash when not in the show ring and handler must keep dog under control at all times. Any dogs displaying aggressive or disruptive behavior will be asked to leave the show grounds immediately.
Female dogs in heat will not be permitted on show grounds for any reason.
Failure to comply with any rule will be considered just cause for disqualification from the show and/or forfeiture of all awards.
Questions or concerns regarding these rules may be addressed to the Coordinator/Junior Coordinator of the Maine 4-H Animal Science Dog Committee.
All shows should be reported to the Faculty Liaison or Activity Coordinator of the Maine 4-H Animal Science Dog Committee so they may be listed on the 4-H website. Contact information for the Faculty Liaison or Activity Coordinator of the Dog Committee may be found at the Maine 4-H Dog web page.
