AKC Utility Test
Pattern Diagrams and Commands
Used by the Judge & Handler
Prepared by Mark Plonsky, Ph.D.

The Utility test consists of 6 exercises as follows:

Exercise	Points
1. Signal Exercise	40
2. Scent Discrimination - Article #1	30
3. Scent Discrimination - Article #2	30
4. Directed Retrieve	30
5. Moving Stand & Exam	30
6. Directed Jumping	40
Maximum Score	200

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1. Signal Exercise

Figure 1. A Typical Signal Exercise
Note that this pattern correlates with the commands given in the table below.

Judge's Commands	Handler's Commands	Dog's Behavior
Are you ready?	Ready	Attentive
Forward	Heel signal	Heeling
Right Turn		"
Fast		"
Left turn		"
About turn		"
Halt		Sits straight
Forward	Heel signal	Heeling
Slow		"
Normal		"
About turn		"
Left turn		"
Stand your dog	Halt with hand signal	Stands
Leave your dog	Stay signal	Stays
Signal to drop	Drop signal	Downs
Signal to sit	Sit signal	Sits
Signal to recall	Recall signal	Comes
Signal to finsish	Finish signal	Finishes
Exercise finished	OK	Free (reasonably)

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2 & 3. Scent Articles

Figure 2. A typical layout of the scent articles.

Judge's Commands	Handler's Commands	Dog's Behavior
	Take article & handle it while watching steward lay them out	At heel
	Turn away from articles
Are you ready?	Ready & give article to judge	Attentive
Places article
Send your dog	Heel	Does about turn (with or without a sit, rules allow either)
	Find it	Retrieves the correct article to a sit in front
Take it	Give	Releases article
Finish	Command or signal	Assumes heel position
Exercise finished	OK	Free (reasonably)

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4. Directed Retrieve

Figure 3. A typical layout for the directed retrieve.

Judge's Commands	Handler's Commands	Dog's Behavior
	Wait for articles to be removed then move to where they were (facing away from the gloves)
Are you ready?	Ready	Attentive
Number 1, 2, or 3	Heel	Pivots
	Marking signal & Fetch	Retrieves
Take it	Give	Releases the glove
Finish	Command or signal	Assumes heel position
Exercise finished	OK	Free (reasonably)

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5. Moving Stand & Exam

Judge's Commands	Handler's Commands	Dog's Behavior
	Stand at the go out point
Are you ready?	Ready	Attentive
Forward	Heel	Heels
Stand your dog	Stand & Signal (then 5 paces)	Stands abrubtly
Does exam	Standing 5 paces in front of dog	Stable
Call your dog to heel	Command or signal	Assumes heel position
Exercise finished	OK	Free (reasonably)

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6. Directed Jumping

Judge's Commands	Handler's Commands	Dog's Behavior
Are you ready?	Ready	Attentive
Send your dog	Command & signal	Quickly moves to far side of ring
	Command to sit (when reaches far side of ring)	Sits
Bar or high	Command & signal, then pivot when dog is midair	Jumps on return then sits in front
Finish	Command or signal	Assumes heel position
Exercise finished	OK	Free (reasonably)

Note this exercise is done twice; once with the bar jump and once with the high jump in the order specified by the judge.

Copyright © 1996-99, Marty Plonsky, Ph.D. mplonsky@uwsp.edu. All rights reserved. Please view his site Dr. P’s Dog Training.

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