My club is considering opening up obedience and Rally to all breeds at our specialty in the future. Our entries have been very low (really disappointing) and it is getting tough to get judges who want to accept the assignments for such a low turnout. We are wondering if opening to all breeds would help all the way around.

We are considering limiting the entries and I was wondering if any other specialty clubs are having any luck with all breeds and if you are limiting the entries, what seems to be a good number.

I also know that some people don't like the idea of all breeds at a specialty but this is not a discussion of that subject, just the economics of it.

Thank you for any insight you may be able to provide.

Having all breed obedience at a specialty negates the "specialty" aspect. We learned this when my club tried an all breed trial in conjunction with the specialty and it was very disappointing. We tried then to have a separate trial, open to all breeds on a totally different date which did not interfere with our specialty and it was much better attended and received.

I've attended some and as said above, it sure isn't the same "feeling" as being all Labs, etc.. I do understand the economics of putting on obed trials (belong to a more rural all breed club as well as another training club) but just hate to see it go that way w/ specialties.

I'd suggest looking at why entries are low if lower than normal for the area. Is this a hot time of year when labs just really don't work well? Is there adequate shade at the site or can it at leastbe improved upon? Are the obed competitors treated as well as they should be (ie, will they WANT to come back next year?). Were the grounds where the ring set up was, clean, if outdoors? Is the grass green and level or brown and bumpy (ie thinking open/utility level here esp!)? Did the premiums and confirmations get out in a timely fashion? Just a few thoughts.

We haven't done it at our specialty yet, but entries are dwindling quite a bit, too. Not sure exactly why, but the club as a whole tends not to be particularly interested in Obedience, so the same few members end up working each time. The exhibitor experience is still good though, and the grounds are fine so I'm left guessing the main reason people don't come is that the shows (we run 2 back to back) are held on Thursday and Friday and people don't want to take off of work, especially when there are plenty of all-breed shows in the area who hold trials on weekends. Conformation entries have been dropping in recent years as well, probably for similar reasons.

That said, I have attended with my Labs obedience trials that were part of other breeds' Specialty shows (both GSD's and Dobermans). One thing that is done at the Doberman trial in particular that may be a good compromise is that separate prizes are awarded to Dobermans than from the rest of the entries. So you would have a 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc as usual, but also award 1st Doberman, 2nd Doberman, etc., which is nice as it keeps the exhibitors from the "home" breed feeling as if outsiders came and won all the good prizes ;-)

While I understand the desire to keep it to all labs, my feeling is better to open it up to All-breed Obedience than to drop it entirely. Another option might be to open it to all Sporting Breeds, rather than All-breeds .... kind of keeps it in the "extended family" so to speak.

Just some food for thought if you do go down that road ....

We did that. But the expense was awful. We always offered really nice prizes, and to offer the equivalent (per AKC rule) prize for any all breed entry was exorbitant. If your HIT trophy is valued at $200, then you must offer a similarly valued prize for the All Breed HIT, the same goes for any other breed specific prize offered at a combined Specialty//All Breed Trial, including class prizes and ribbons. So your costs would be doubled.

The SDLRC has been doing it the last few years I believe. I hear it has been very sucessfull. You might want to contact a board member to get more info.

Ask the LRCP how it panned out for them after Bare Bones. They're doing it for The Potomac and Bare Bones upcoming, both are suppose to be specialties. As most know they even moved the obedience venue area to another location changing the entire show grounds. They lost Labradors normally in obedience and rally because of it.

You'll need trophies for the other breeds besides the Labrador trophies, another expense.

A club specialty should be for Labradors only but that's just my opinion.

Stopped going to Barebones because opened to all breed. I can rather attend an all breed obedience closer to home, get more points and save expense of rooms and travel...a specialty IS a specialty...so didn't attend Potomac last year because they changed the site and I didn't care to run up & down the road and won't attend again this year because added to this it will be opened to all breeds...It's either a LABRADOR SPECIALTY or an open all breed...will the conformation classes be next...open to all breeds?