(This information was updated on 1/15/20)

As we have finished an amazing Nationals Championships, we have already started planning for an even bigger and better year for 2020.

It is very difficult or NADD to plan every detail as the AKC and Royal Canin do not meet to discuss changes until June or July. We are asking for more room but will not know until summer.

We made some good changes this year and are planning to continue that trend for 2020. We want everyone to please understand, there may be changes to the schedule for each day from it has been in the past. (meaning, we may change around events and which days they occur.) If you are planning on attending Nationals, we strongly suggest you just plan on attending ALL 3 days.

This year we will likely be putting a cap on the overall number of dogs in the Open Distance and AR events. When we reach the end of the season, we will have different tiers of who can accept invites first. Each tier will only have a few days (3-5) to accept their invites. After that point, it goes to the next tier and so on. All dogs in Tiers 1 & 2 are guaranteed to be able to accept their invites.

UPDATE 1/14/20: If a dog enters a Qualifier AND currently has Advanced (Tier 3) or Excellent (Tier 2) title invite for the current season, AND they win one of the Top Qualifier spots, the invite for the Qualifier will override the title invite and their invite will be changed to a Tier 1. If a dog enters a qualifier and already has a Tier 1 invite, then that invite will roll down to the next qualifying dog.

1. Tier 1: Dogs who earned their invites by:
   1. Finishing in the Top 3 in their division at the 2019 Nationals.
   2. Dogs earning invites at and 2020 Qualifier.
   3. Dogs earning invites by finishing Best in their Breed at end of the 2020 Season
   4. Dog earning invites by finishing the season in the top 10 in their division, both Distance and AR at the end of the 2020 season. (This will include Open, Veteran and Lap)
2. Tier 2: Dogs who earn their invites by:
   1. All Open dogs who earned their invites by an Excellent title or higher.
   2. All Lap and Veteran dogs who earned their invites by title, Advanced or Excellent.
   3. NOTE: If a dog earns invites by a title, and earns multiple higher titles within a season, like both and Advanced and Excellent, the tier will be based on the higher title earned.
3. Tier 3: Dogs who earn their invite by:
   1. All dogs who earned their invite by an Advanced title.

We will be able to post closer to mid-season the TOTAL amount for Open Distance and Open AR. Once those caps have been hit, that will end the ability to accept. We are fully planning on keeping the numbers as close to the same the numbers we had this year, but it will depend on many factors. Our best advice is do not count 100% on just an Advanced title earning an invite, and if you do, then be ready to accept your invite as soon as your tier opens because it will be first come, first serve.

The Santa Splashes will NOT open until AFTER all tiers have accepted their invites. It will be open only for dogs ENTERED in the Nationals. You will be allowed to register for 2 Distance and 1 AR only. We are also planning on starting AR earlier each day to allow for more dogs to enter.

Please understand, as soon as we know more about the possibility of more room or any other factors, we will share that info and make changes as needed. Just a point of information, there will be scheduled construction on our end of the building next year that may create other issues.