AKC Agility Judges Guidelines

obstacle; the timer shall keep the time running (or hit RESTART if the
e-timer has stopped running) until the dog has properly executed the
last obstacle (See Chapter 4, Section 14 of the Regulations for Agility
Trials). For E-timing, instruct the Timer that the time must be started
manually if the dog did not physically start the time by going through the
electronic beam but continued on through the course as soon as the dog
has completed the third obstacle. This is used solely to know whether the
team has exceeded the MCT. The Timer must also be instructed to press
the RESTART button (not the START button) when using e-timing,
if the dog runs past the last obstacle and then takes it in the wrong
direction, thus breaking the beam and stopping the time.
• Reducing stopwatch/e-timer malfunctions: Instruct the timer to look at
the watch/e-timing console to ensure that it is running after starting each
run. At the completion of each run, the timer should look again at the
stopwatch/console to ensure that it has stopped. See Chapter 6 of these
Guidelines for dealing with stopwatch/e-timer malfunctions.
• Whistles: The timer shall be equipped with a whistle or a working
electronic horn/buzzer. If a dog starts across the line prior to being told
to, the timer shall blow the whistle or press the horn/buzzer button, and
the exhibitor shall be re-started if the error was deemed a mistake by the
judge. If there is a stopwatch/e-timer malfunction identified while the
dog is working the first three obstacles, the timer should blow the whistle
or press the horn/buzzer button and the dog should be re-started. If a dog
reaches Maximum Course Time (MCT), the timer shall blow the whistle
or press the horn/buzzer button so the judge knows that maximum course
time has been reached and the exhibitor must then leave the course.
The judge must then blow their whistle as a follow-up to the Timer as
many exhibitors do not hear the buzzer/horn. Judges shall translate the
seconds for maximum course time on the standard course time worksheet
to minutes and seconds as they would appear on the stopwatch for the
timer. For example, 70 sec. SCT plus 20 sec. equals 90 sec. MCT. The
judge would translate this to 1:30 seconds to get the MCT for the class.
The MCT shall be 20 seconds more than the longest SCT in the class.
When a dog reaches the MCT, the timer blows the whistle and the dog
is excused from the ring. When using electronic timing, the horn/buzzer
will automatically sound if the SCT is programmed into the console and
a speaker is attached.
• The position of the Timer must be immediately adjacent to the Scribe
which shall be closer to the Start obstacle than the Finish obstacle.
Gate Steward:
• When to enter the ring: The gate steward’s primary job is to keep the
class running smoothly by getting the exhibitors ready to enter the ring
when instructed to by the judge. They should ensure that all exhibitors
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