NOM

In the Nordic Championships for Working Dogs (NOM), dogs compete in five trials: Nordic protection, tracking, messenger dog, search and IPO trials.

The Nordic protection trial consists of four parts; obedience, tracking, article search and protection work. The tracking, messenger dog and search trials consist of four parts; the main event is carried out on two separate days, the obedience part and the article search each on one day. The IPO trial is organised at level 3 in compliance with the international IPO rules.

Each participating country can enter three dogs in each trial. In each trial the championship is awarded to both the best individual dog-handler team and the best national team. The results of the best two dog-handler teams are calculated into the result of the national team.

With the exception of the IPO trial, the performances are evaluated using a score scale of 0-5-5.5-6-6.5-7-7.5-8-8.5-9-9.5-10. The average score of the judges is multiplied with the coefficient defined for each trial phase or exercise.

Each country appoints one judge to each trial. The judge for IPO Part C shall represent the country, which organises NOM the following year, and last year the NOM Committee decided that the judge for IPO Part A shall represent the organising country.

The national Kennel Clubs of the participating countries have agreed that dogs obtaining more than 90% of the maximum points will be awarded a "working certificate". If none of the dogs in some trial obtain 90% of the points, but the winner obtains at least 80%, the "working certificate" will be awarded to the winner, but not to any other dogs possibly obtaining more than 80%. The Finnish Kennel Club has now granted NOM 2009 the right to award the "working certificates" according to this principle.

The Finnish Kennel Club has applied from FCI for the status of an international trial for IPO at NOM 2009. FCI has approved this, so CACIT will be presented to the winner of IPO.

In each trial, the dog-handler teams are divided into three groups and the starting order of the countries within the groups is drawn. After the drawing, the team leaders for the national teams announce the names of the dogs in each group (if the national team does not include three dogs in some trial, the team leader may decide in which group(s) the dog(s) participate). In the Nordic trials the starting order of the groups is 1-2-3 on the first day and 2-3-1 on the second day. In the tracking trial the individual tracks are drawn within each group on both days.