CARO’s comprehensive judge certification program ensures qualified, knowledgeable officials for rally and working trials. Our structured process includes training, mentorship, and ongoing education requirements.
Certification categories
- NAE – Certified to judge Novice, Intermediate, Advanced, and Excellent levels
- V/VX – Certified to judge Versatility and Versatility Excellent levels
- Working – Certified to judge all Working levels
The link to the application can be found in your menu options when you are logged into your account.
Application Requirements
All judge candidates must hold a current professional membership.
- NAE judge eligibility: Must have achieved an Excellent title with at least one dog registered to you
- Working judge eligibility: Must hold an Elite title
- V/VX judge eligibility: Must first earn NAE certification, then meet additional requirements
Certification Process
The certification process consists of the following steps. By completing the application to become a judge, you understand that you have one year to complete the entire process:
- NAE Exam & Interview
- Attend a CARO Approved Judges’ Clinic & Design Clinic
- Course Design
- Shadow Judging
- Final Review by CARO Board
Continuing Education Requirements
- Maintain a current Professional Membership
- Attend a minimum of one judges’ clinic every 2 years for each sport (Rally, Working) for which they are certified
- Attend a design clinic at least once
- Judge at trial, in-person or virtually, at least once every 2 years in each sport for which they are certified
To enable a judge to meet the requirements to maintain their judging status, CARO will aim to offer the following throughout the year:
- 2 clinics in each of Rally and Working
- 1 Design clinic
- 2 Virtual Trials which will include both Rally and Working rounds
General Notes
- Requests for exceptions to the order of the process will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
- Upon completion of a judge’s clinic, candidates will be added to the judges’ mailing list to receive clinic and judges’ chats invites, and to the CARO Judges FB community page for those on Facebook.
Judges Certification Process (NAE)
Judges Certification Process (V/VX)
Judges Certification Process (Working)