EXTERIORS

The scope for exterior searches is enormous and the degree of difficulty will be determined by the judge for that class.

It could be on the outside of a building and/or an area adjoining a building.  It could be a picnic setting or a park or school yard.  The hide could be on, under or in a part of the building or an item of furniture or prop or equipment (but not wheeled equipment) or it could be in a garden bed or in the grass.  Its height could be from low to the maximum height allowable for that class, and it could even be suspended (say from a building, piece of equipment, tree branch etc). 

In each class, there is a maximum height for each hide.

It is important that we expose our dogs to as many different scenarios as possible in training, so that they are not fazed by a different type of exterior;  and remember to pause at the start line so that you and your dog can take in the picture (and for the dog the odour) of the whole search area. 

In the table below, the duration range specified is the minimum and maximum timeframe that a judge can set for a search. 

Value	NOVICE	ADVANCED	EXCELLENT	MASTERS
AREA	15 - 35 sq. m	35 - 75 sq. m	75 -140  sq. m	140 - 200 sq. m
TIME (set by judge)	2 - 4 mins	2 -4 mins	3 - 5 mins	3 - 5 mins
HIDES	1 known	2 known	3 known	0 - 3 number unknown ​to handler
MAX. HEIGHT OF HIDES	​60 cm	90 cm	120 cm	150 cm
​ACCESSIBILITY	​Accessible only	​Accessible only	1 hide may be ​ inaccessible	​All hides may be inaccessible
​DISTRACTIONS	None	1 non-food	2 non-food or food	3 non-food, food, human or mimic
​REQUIRED CALLS	Alert only	2 Alert calls ​ and Finish	3 Alert calls  ​and Finish	Alert(s) for each find ​ and Finish