.png)
BMDCA Futurity
BMDCA Futurity Litter & Puppy Nomination Options
For Additional Questions:
For online nominations, the date of the fee payment transaction establishes the date of the nomination (based on USA EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME). Please save your transaction receipt as your confirmation.
I. Purpose
The purpose of the Futurity is to encourage the breeding of the best possible Bernese Mountain Dogs and to reward the breeders for their efforts. For this reason, the Futurity is weighted in favor of the breeder, who is the one that chooses the sire, raises and nominates the litter, and often pays the individual puppy nominations as well.
II. General
A. The Futurity year includes litters whelped from October 1 through September 30; for example, the 2016 Futurity includes litters whelped from October 1, 2014, through September 30, 2015.
B. Nominations of both the litter and individual puppies in compliance with Futurity rules, as well as entry and fee payment for the appropriate Futurity class at the BMDCA National Specialty, are required for Futurity competition eligibility.
C. Prize monies can only be won through competition in Futurity competition judging.
D. Rules, nomination forms, and online nomination submission provisions shall be available via the BMDCA website. Rules and forms may also be obtained from the Futurity Chair and may be published periodically via BMDCA publications.
E. The Futurity shall be open to all litters bred by BMDCA members in good standing. The owners of nominated puppies must be BMDCA members in good standing or, if non-members, must be in good standing with the AKC. All participants must comply with the Futurity rules.
F. When a Futurity-eligible puppy is sold, eligibility is transferred to the new owner.
D. All dogs will be eligible for only one Futurity.
H. The Futurity Chair reports directly to the BMDCA President and Board, except when providing the name of the Futurity judge to the BMDCA National Specialty Show Chair. BMDCA National Specialty Show chairpersons and Specialty Coordinators may contact the Futurity Chair with questions at any time.
III. Nomination of the Litter
A. The litter must be nominated by the breeder at least one day prior to the date of whelping. The breeder of the litter must be a BMDCA member in good standing at the time of breeding, as well as at the time of nomination. If there is more than one breeder of the litter, only one need be a BMDCA member. The first-listed BMDCA member breeder on the AKC registration reflecting current ownership of the dam shall be the breeder of record for Futurity purposes. If a bitch is leased, the lessee must be a BMDCA member breeder.
B. The dam and sire(s) of the litter must be entered in the Berner-Garde database and reflect current ownership.
C. The litter nomination must be submitted on the designated form either by mail or online through the process designated on the BMDCA website. If mailed, the postmark on the envelope transmitting the nomination and fee establishes the date of nomination. If online, the date of the fee payment transaction establishes the date of the nomination. The date of the nomination must be at least one day prior to the date of whelping. Nominations that do not meet this requirement shall be declared ineligible. It is the nominator's responsibility to provide complete and accurate information for eligibility.
D. Fee is $15.00 and is payable to BMDCA. There will be no refunds.
E. Nomination of the litter in compliance with Futurity rules makes each puppy in that litter eligible for individual nomination.
IV. Nomination of Puppies
C. The individual puppy nomination must be submitted on the designated form either by mail with the established fee or online through the process designated on the BMDCA website. If mailed, the postmark on the envelope transmitting the nomination and fee establishes the date of nomination. If online, the date of the fee payment transaction establishes the date of the nomination.
A. Puppies may be nominated individually if an eligible litter nomination was submitted in compliance with Futurity rules. A puppy may be nominated by either the owner or the breeder on or before the date on which the puppy reaches 4 months. Puppy owners need not be BMDCA members.
B. The puppy being nominated must be entered in the Berner-Garde database prior to nomination and information sufficient to establish ownership and unique identification, i.e., Berner-Garde ID number, AKC number, name, and gender, as well as microchip number, AKC DNA number, or tattoo ID must be provided on the nomination form. The Futurity Chair shall determine whether the information is sufficient for eligibility. It shall be the responsibility of the owner to provide any subsequently updated identification or ownership information to the Futurity Chair in a timely manner to maintain competition eligibility.
D. Fee is $15.00 for each puppy and is payable to BMDCA. There will be no refunds.
V. Entry for Judging
A. In addition to the individual puppy nomination, the puppy must be entered in one of the regular classes in either conformation or obedience in the BMDCA National Specialty Show and Obedience Trial. Fee for this entry must be paid.
B. Futurity entry must be indicated on the entry form as an additional class. The entry fee for the Futurity class, as well as the fee(s) for the regular class(s), is in addition to the nomination fees (III, D; IV, D).
D. All dogs will be eligible for only one Futurity.
C. The Futurity class entered will be based on the age of the puppy on April 1, not its age on the date of the show.
E. The Futurity Chair will provide the BMDCA National Specialty Superintendent with the names, registration numbers, and owners of eligible puppies and the classes for which they are eligible. This information will be available after February 15 of the year of the BMDCA National Specialty. The Futurity Chair will work directly with the superintendent to address any questions of eligibility and/or entered classes.
VI. Judge
A. A BMDCA member breeder may provide one judge nominee annually for the following Futurity year with a litter nomination, regardless of the number of litters they nominate. Contact information for the nominee must also be provided.
B. The nominated person must at all times from the date of nomination through completion of the judging assignment be in good standing with the AKC, and, if a member, with the BMDCA.
C. The Futurity Chair will compile a ballot of nominated judges by March 1 a year prior to the future Futurity (e.g.: for 2016, the ballot would be compiled on March 1, 2015). The Futurity Chair reserves the right to delete from the ballot any nominee who declines the nomination. Nominees will be asked to provide a brief bio for inclusion with the ballot. It will be the responsibility of the nominee to provide the information in a timely manner.
D. The Futurity Chair will send the ballot to each eligible breeder of record for Futurity purposes. Any coowners will not be entitled to an additional vote. Each ballot recipient may vote for five nominees in order of preference (first, second, third, etc.). The ballots must be returned by the date indicated on the ballot to the Futurity Chair, who will tabulate the votes and provide a tally report to the BMDCA Board. The Futurity Chair may not vote but may submit a judge nominee with an eligible litter nomination. The nominee receiving the highest number of points (a vote of first choice receives 5 points, second receives 4 points, etc.) will be offered the judging assignment for the Futurity. If that nominee is not available, the second choice will be contacted, and so on until a judge nominee accepts.
E. The Futurity Chair will notify the BMDCA National Specialty Chair of the elected Futurity judge as soon as the nominee has verbally accepted the assignment.
F. The BMDCA National Specialty Chair will contract (written) with the Futurity judge. A copy of the contract will be sent to the Futurity Chair as soon as all signatures are secured.
G. The BMDCA Futurity Fund will pay for the Futurity judge: travel (not to exceed economy airfare); two nights of accommodations (night before and night after the judging); meals, beginning with dinner the night before judging and ending with breakfast the day after judging; the Judges Dinner (provided the judge speaks at said dinner regarding the judging assignment). Specifically, traveling companions of the judge will not be compensated.
1. Exact expenses that are reimbursable.
2. The Futurity judge is not paid a judging fee.
5. The Futurity judge is restricted from judging Bernese Mountain Dogs within a six (6) month period prior to the BMDCA National Specialty.
4. The expenses are submitted to the BMDCA Treasurer for reimbursement.
3. The Futurity judge is subject to all AKC and BMDCA rules, including restriction against showing any dogs in the BMDCA National Specialty. The exact rules will be those in current AKC regulations.
6. The contract is contingent upon the Futurity Judge being in full compliance with all rules, regulations, codes of conduct, and codes of ethics promulgated by AKC and BMDCA from the time
H. The contract should include, but is not limited to the following:
I. The Futurity judge shall not have judged the Futurity within the past five years.
VII. Class Divisions and Sequence of Judging
1. 6-9 Months (at least 6 months and under 9 months old)
2. 9-12 Months (at least 9 months and under 12 months old)
See Section II, General, item G for exception to age requirements.
4. 15-18 Months (at least 15 months and up to 18 months old)
3. 12-15 Months (at least 12 months and under 15 months old)
A. The Futurity competition is divided into four age divisions based on age at April 1 of the given Futurity year:
B. Each age division is further divided by sex.
C. Four placements are made in the judging of each class.
D. The eight class winners will compete for Best in Futurity and Best of Opposite Sex to Best in Futurity.
E. An exception to the age requirements will be implemented if the BMDCA National Specialty Show for a given year will be held earlier than April 1. In this case, any nominated puppies under 6 months on the date of judging will be deferred to the following Futurity year, and will be allowed to compete in the 15 to 18 Months class.
VIII. Prize Money
1. 10 percent - Best in Futurity
2. 20 percent - Breeder of Best in Futurity
5. 60 percent - Allocated to the Classes
4. 5 percent - Breeder of Best of Opposite Sex
3. 5 percent - Best of Opposite Sex
Prize money shall be presented to the handlers of the dogs at the end of each class. All reasonable attempts will be made to deliver the money to the breeders of Best in Futurity and Best of Opposite Sex in Futurity, but the Futurity Chair, BMDCA, and host club assume no responsibility to assure such delivery to the breeders.
A. All nomination money shall be pooled in the BMDCA Futurity Fund. The BMDCA shall retain 25 percent for administrative and judge’s expenses. Any unused expense money will be rolled over into the next year’s prize money. The remaining 75 percent shall be divided as follows:
C. The prize money shall be assembled by the Futurity Chair, unless other arrangements are made with the BMDCA Treasurer, and will be delivered to the ring steward just prior to the beginning of Futurity judging.
1. One entry - all the class money
2. Two entries - first 60 percent, second 40 percent
4. Four or more entries - first 40 percent, second 30 percent, third 20 percent, fourth 10 percent
3. Three entries - first 50 percent, second 30 percent, third 20 percent
B. Prize money for each class shall be determined by dividing the amount allocated by the total entries, and then multiplying by the number of entries in the class. Class money is to be distributed as follows: