The American Beagler Forum

Ok, I been itching to get this post started.. WHat makes an akc FC so much different than a GRHBCH or arha GRCH? You need more wins to get a grand and each step up you have presumably harder competition... Yes you need three wins in akc but even in akc it is somewhat known to have fc's that can't find a rbbit if you gave it a month but they can run line pretty.. I don't think thats making a better breed but to be fair I have owned akc dogs that could pop up a bunny,..

In ukc that I have been to (not much) almost everydog there hunts and does an ok on the but seems faster than my akc dogs...


I guess I don't see where so many people get off saying akc is so much harder or better than other competitions but lets hear the reasons why u all think that...

Does UKC ever run hare? I'm just askin,I know noyhing about UKC.

they can run what ever game is NATURAL to the area they hunt in be it jack rabbit cotton tail, hare, etc...

It's all personal preference. Guys that run a certain format are going to say it is the best, no matter what.

My reason to give the akc the nod is simple.
less trails
and what john said.
one reason i like the better beagling magazine is it will feature a dog and show its trail record,where it ran,where it placed.

Best advice I could give you is go to an akc trial. I gaurantee after one trial you will see why!!!! From what I can gather about UKC is that the handling is the most important part. I've never been to one, but I have been told this from several people that trial ukc hard, and not just club hunts. Not knockin UKC run what you like dont matter to me. But I cant tell you this, the competition is VERY tough in the akc midwest period!!! Try em both and see which one is the hardest to champion out in!

It may be harder to do but that don't make the dogs any better or worse imo, but then again I don't know thats why i asked

and if there is less trials in akc its not really fair then because if they held lots of trials it would be easier only because you would have more chances to win but that doesn't make your dog worse or better right? If ukc said your club can only trial say twice a year then of course the number of FC's would go down but is that really the way you wanna attract beaglers.

I totally agree about the handling thing though. I have lost twice now because I said the wrong thing I was supposed to but in the casts everyone knew i shoulda won because i had the better dog that day.... oh well, its fun i like it still

A dog that finishes in ANY format is a good dog I prefer AKC SPO

As far as trials go, I know some local ukc clubs barely have enough dogs show up to have a trial. In akc as far as big females and big males you will be running against 25-40 other dogs in the same class. The little ones usually have around 10-25 per class so I would say that makes it a little harder also. Just run what you like man and enjoy it. I use to run arha and had fun doing it, but midwest runs more my style of dog so thats why I like it.

Im going to guess that at least 75% (probably more)of the dogs running in UKC are also AKC registered. So in alot of cases they are the same dogs. I think what most people say is that it is harder to FC a dog in AKC because in AKC it takes 3 wins and 120 points to become a FC. You get the points in AKC according to how many dogs are entered in that class(1st= # of dogs entered, 2nd= 1/2 of the # dogs entered, 3rd= 1/3 of the dogs entered and so on).
In UKC to become a CH all you need is 1 win and 100 points and this is the class that you have to beat the biggest number of dogs. Once you get into the Chanps and Grands your usually only competing against a few dogs per hunt(in alot of the smaller club hunts you may only have to beat one dog).
There are good dogs in all formats and there are lots of dogs out there that have done well in several formats. Run what you like but I will agree with those that say AKC FC is harder to accomplish.

mo beagler come up to the AKC trail in illinois this weekend. I'm running in the 13" bitch class. come on up and watch the dogs go. See how you like AKC trials.

AKC OR UKC dogs are the same, the formats are what is different. Your gonna have some crap eatters in both registeries. I believe judges in the Midwest Format really put a tough group of dogs in the final casts. I have seen final rounds in UKC PP look horrible. So in my opinion there are tons of good things and bad things that come out of each format.

I will say this, any tough Akc FC in large pack or akc midwest spo champion hound should and probably will make a champion in any kind of UKC format. I also believe that any UKC Champ can run in the akc midwest spo trials and probably do good and even champion out of that as well, might take a little longer but it can happen. I also feel after experiencing the trials this weekend that Midwest is the hardest that I've seen to compete in, not just champion....but to compete...


No expert here, just my personal opinion....

Run AKC Midwest for a year or so and get back with us on how it works out for ya.....get your wallet ready cause you are going to be in for some traveling EVERY weekend.

I had recently had a guy who called me about our club and then asked what it takes for a dog to be considered a FC....I told him 3 Wins and 120pts...he laughed and said..."that's it, man I thought it was harder than that". I will tell you I have been at it for more years than I care to mention and have dropped several thousand dollars....I still don't have a FC in my kennel. Keep in mind I run several hours a week all year around....as does everyone else I run against week in and week out.

I say give it a chance and keep an open mind....I am sure there are UKC and ARHA dogs that would be great dogs in AKC (and vise-versa) but their owners just prefer to run what they like, and that is great. Very few guys have the time and money to run all formats.....

I think the reason you see better quality dogs in the midwest than others is because if there is 25 dogs in a class you can bet that each one of those dogs had 4 or more days of individual or pack time one them the week before. Most usually look like fc material where in other formats I have ran against dogs that were just adopted from the pound.

Also, some casts that go out on the midwest or large pack will go for a few hours when UKC PP will go on for one hour. Plus you get to see who the judges are in advance before the trial begins...