WHAT BELGIUM RING IS?

Belgian Ring consists of a set of obedience, scent, agility and protection exercises that will test the dogs endurance, character, intelligence, stability and courage as well as the trainer's skills in preparing the dog for this test.
The agility is similar to French Ring with two high jumps, a broad jump and a wall. Obedience includes heeling on and off leash, a down in the absence of the handler, a send away and a food refusal.
Scent work consists of finding a wooden dowel that has been touched by the handler. Protection includes such items as defence of handler, attacks under gunfire, and call off. Belgian Ring consists of three levels, Belgian I, II and III.
A key difference compared with the ring sport that North Americans are familiar is the Belgian Ring program, requires the complete set of exercises at all levels.
Dogs progress to the higher levels when and if they receive a sufficiently high score .

In Belgium, the Ring I indicates the highest level of proficiency. The Ring III dog is the entry level dog.
The program does not have a certificate that corresponds to the French or Mondio Brevet.
The second element that distinguishes the Belgian Program is the emphasis on a changing environment as an obstacle to the dog succeeding in the protection phase of the work. Various types of obstacles are placed before the dog as an inducement for him to break off his attack. A dog that will not drive through these obstacles will fail. A dog that attempts to go around the obstacles to make the attack will be penalised severely.
The obstacle may be a line of tires, an artificial pond, a platform that the dog must run up in order to engage the decoy, hanging plastic bottles, insecure footing, or whatever the Belgian judge can conjure up to test the nerves of canine participant. The obstacles are challenging and ever changing, limited only by the ingenuity of the judges.

Another unique element of the Belgian Ring program is the inclusion of an object guard that requires the dog to respond correctly to multiple decoys, environmental distractions such as leaf blowers and finally to undertake an object guard in muzzle.

On the protection field in addition to being unfazed by the environment, the dog needs to complete the attack with a full mouth bite. In this respect Belgian Ring is similar to the requirement for the Schutzhund dog, as opposed to the French Ring Sport. However, unlike Schutzhund the dog faces an attack man in a full body suit and is encouraged to bite the legs. The decoy is stationary and does not offer behaviours that would stimulate the prey instinct.
It is harder on the nerves of the dog to bite a man that is not moving that a man in motion. The dog must show that he is willing to commit to the bite.

The order of the exercises is determined by the judges at each trial so pattern training will not be successful. Two judges are required for a trial.

The program is subdivided in three groups.
1. Obedience
2. Jumping
3. Bite work


Program - Obedience

Heeling on leash (4 points)
Handler and dog must walk a pattern determined by the judge. After the signal of the judge, the handler may give one command to start, and than he most follow the pattern till the end.

Heeling off leash ( 6 points)
Identical to the first exercises done without a leash.

Positions (down - sitting - stand-up) 3x4 pt (12 points)
Handler must leave his dog, in one of these three positions. He walks minimum 15 meters from the dog and at this distance the handler then changes the position of the dog according to the instructions of the assistant judge.
The handler may give one command to change the position of his dog. Additional commands result in the loss of two points. After three commands, the exercise is over and the dog lose his points

Send Away (10 points)
The handler must send his dog forwards (in a straight line) about 25 meters. The dog must go to the end of the field. At the end of the field, lines marks a distance of two meters from the fence.
To receive full points the dog must cross this line with all 4 legs. The dog is then called back by the handler.

Down (8 points) in Absence of Handler.
The dog is placed at a spot indicated by the judge and left alone. The dog must stay down for about 1 minute. The handler goes to a place designated by the judge out of sight of the dog.

Refusal Of Baits ( 20 points )
During the contest 2 pieces of bait are thrown ( not presented ) to the dog ( in front of the dog ). This is done at a clearly defined moment, identical for all dogs.
It must be avoided that the bait is thrown in the dog's mouth. If this should happen and the dog drops it immediately, he won't be punished. The dog is allowed to stay down, sit or stand up.

Retrieving object (10 points)
Handler must throw an object, (the object is chosen by the judge and may be a variety of objects) The distance that the object must be thrown depends upon the object selected by the judge.
The handler may give one command to instruct the dog to bring the object back.

Identification (10 points)
The handler receives a small wooden dowel from the judge. The handler keeps this dowel with him until this exercise is started. The handler must place his dowel between two or tree other dowels at a place designated by the judge.
During the placing of the dowel, the dog must remain where his handler placed him. The handler may come back to his dog, give some scent and then gives the command to find. The dog must bring the stick back to the handler.
The dog must find the area where the dowels have been placed and must then pick out the correct dowel to bring back.


Program - Jumping

Wooden palisade (20 points)
The dog climbs a wooden palisade 2.20 meters in height. To send the dog over, the handler stands at the side of the wall. A command is given and the dog crosses the wall and waits for a second command.
Before calling his dog back, he handler must place himself with his back against the wall, so the dog is unable to see his handler. The handler is then allowed to give the command to return over the wall.
Going is 8 pt, returning is 12 pt.

Hedge - height 1.20 m (10 points)
The dog must jump over the hedge, wait and return on command. The dog can stay, sit or lie down but the dog remain in place before being called back.
Going is 4 pt, returning is 6 pt.

Hedge with Ditch (10 points)
Ditch length 1.50 m/ height hedge 1.20 m. The dog must jump over on command.

Broad Jump (20 points)
A ditch with a width of 3 meters must be jumped (12 points). After the first jump we place an obstacle behind the ditch so that the distance now becomes 4 meters.
The dog then jumps the ditch combined with the obstacle a second time. To have the 20 points, the dog must jump the ditch plus the obstacle. If the dog is not successful on the first jump, the obstacle is not added.
If the dog is successful only on the first jump the maximum points he could receive would be 12 pt. If the dog has to jump a second time the 3 m he loses 2 pt from the 12.
After three attempts its finished and all points are lost.


Program - Bitework

Attack (two different attacks 35 points for each attack)
5 points to go 25 points for biting (Biting points) 5 points for the out and return The aggressor (protected by a bite costume) must attract the attention of the dog, from a distance of 20 to 50 meters.
In this attack, the aggressor can use many different objects or water (depending upon the ingenuity and imagination of the judges) to try to make the dog afraid or to keep the dog from closing for the bite.
For example these obstacles could include a blanket, a pail lid, an umbrella, or stick. Also the judges can require that different obstacles be placed that the dog must first go through or over to reach the decoy.
Ponds, low hurdles, uncertain footing, scarecrows, handing plastic bottles, are examples of this type of barrier. Once the dog is passed by the aggressor, the helper may do what's he want to keep the dog away for biting.
If the dog goes around any obstacle or when he passes the decoy with his head the decoy, then the decoy must try attempt to prevent the dog from making the bite.
So if a dog shows weakness in the approach to the decoy because of the objects used by the decoy or because of the barriers placed between the dog and the decoy, then the dogs task becomes even harder because the level of opposition allowed to the decoy escalates.

Attack interrupted (30 points)
5 points to go 25 points if the dog do not bite The dog is sent on an attack but the handler must try to call his dog back as close as possible to the attack man.
He loose points for being too far away from the decoy when called off.

Defence of Handler (40 points)
5 points for the distance 5 points for the communication 25 points for biting 5 points for the return Handler and dog must walk a prescribed path.
Only to depart the conductor can't give one heel command During the walk, several things may happen. A second or a third attack man can take part in the exercise, acting to distract the dog.
The aggressor try's to surprise the dog in different ways. After the first section of the prescribed path, the aggressor must follow the handler at a distance from about 5 meters.
The dog must alert the handler that he is being followed, barking or turning around his handler. After the dog has alerted, the handler takes the dog to a place indicated by the judge and there he receives a handshake from the aggressor.
The dog may not react. After the handshake, the last part of the exercise takes place when the handler comes to the end of the path and the aggressor attacks the handler. The dog must react without any command and bite the aggressor for 5 seconds.
At signal from the judge the handler recalls his dog. The handler may be sitting, standing or walking when the attack takes place. The decoy may yell or bang pots to intimidate the dog or in the earlier parts of the exercise to induce an early inappropriate attack on the decoy.

Guarding a object (30 points)
The judge selects an object arbitrarily and the handler places both the object and the dog in the middle of three circles. The three circles have a radius of 1.5 m, 2.5 m and 3.5 meters.
The handler then walks to a place selects by the judge so that the handler is hidden from the dog. The exercise begins on the sign from the judges, depending of the work that must be done.
Three times the aggressor shall try to take the object away from the dog. To assist the attack mans' efforts to distract the dog, the aggressor is allowed to utilise different objects (water, balls, plastic bottles etc..)
with him to distract or intimidate the dog. When the aggressor comes close to the object the dog must first attack, then release and return to his object. He must show that he can and is willing to defend his object.
The farther the decoy is from the object when the dog attacks, the greater the penalty assessed against the score of the dog. An attack that occurs when the decoy is within the first circle (1.5 meters) no penalty is assessed.
If the Dog attacks when the decoy is beyond the outside circle 3.5 meters) the dog loses all points for that part of the exercise. The dog must work totally independently.

Guarding a object with muzzle (20 points)
The exercise is repeated but the agitation in this exercise is civil because the attack man does not wear a bite suit. There are two attempts by the attack man to take the object.
The muzzle from the dog is very strong leather with steel at the front.

Search and Transport with gunshots (50 points)
This exercise consists of two parts. First part: Search (25 pt)5 for the departure 5 for barking when the attack man is found for not biting after discovery of the attack man for finding the man.
The aggressor hides and the dog is sent to find him. Blinds are not used for this search. Natural hiding areas on the field or a small building may be used. When the dog find the man he most announce this by barking.
If the dog bites the man there is a loss of five points. Second Part (25 points)After the discovery of the attack man, the handler comes to his dog, and takes the man out of his hiding place and begins the escort or transport of the aggressor.
During the transportation the man shall try to escape three times. The dog must react without commands. In this last 25 points there are 10 for the transportation and 15 for biting. If the dog does not react to stop the decoy by the time the man has escaped 5 meters the dog loses the 25 last points of this exercise.
This loss of points occurs even if the dog is successful on two of the three escape attempts. In the second and third escape attempts, the decoy fires the gun when the dog is biting.