Just to check my reading of the rules, for stud band E, Graduate is NOT a qualifier, correct?

The following are qualifiers for any band in which dogs have CC's.
Minor Puppy, Puppy, Junior, Yearling, Post Grad, Limit, Open and Veteran. 1st - 3rd places.
http://www.crufts.org.uk/crufts-2011-qualification

Yes, I thought I was reading it right - just wanted to double check. Thanks!

I thought yearling wass restricted to certain bands.

Not for Crufts this year Sunshine, we did all go through that a while back and read and re-read it and its not band restricted :-)

> Not for Crufts this year Sunshine, we did all go through that a while back and read and re-read it and its not band restricted :-)

I think the KC have changed that so more people have a chance of qualifying........with entries falling & falling I doubt the KC will want Crufts to be the same

Think i might have qualified this year then. woo hoo.  No wonder the yearling classes have been full.

Glad the post went up, i wouldn't have known.  Thanks Lucydogs.

Not that it affected me but that is good news for a lot of people :)

i am wondering if this will mean the end to champ show's having a grad class now that yearling gets you to crufts will they still put on the grad class or will a 2 year old dog have no choice but to be put in to post grad or be left at home ?

Think this will depend on the number of dogs entered and therefore the number of classes classified, my breed does not get a Yearling or a Graduate except at the club Championship show. With breeds that always get huge numbers they will probably get Yearling at some shows, Graduate at others and both at some.

Did Graduate ever carry qualification?

> i am wondering if this will mean the end to champ show's having a grad class now that yearling gets you to crufts will they still put on the grad class or will a 2 year old dog have no choice but to be put in to post grad or be left at home ?

I wouldn't think that grad will go, my breed has had yearling qualify for about 3 or 4 years(possibly more) and still have grad at nearly all the champ shows...3 counties is the only one that just has qualifying classes.

I hope they keep Grad class, its the suitable one for my girl and no longer able to in Yearling.  Postgrade is too old for her.

Wish they would make grad a qualifying class also.

One year about 15 years ago they made only 1st and 2nd places as qualifying, because there were too many entries the year before. I can't see them ever increasing the number of qualifying classes further.

Graduate has never been a qualifying class for Gordons so its always been from 18m up into post grad at champ shows as we rarely get yearling classes or graduate classes but perhaps we may get a few more yearling classes and be nice if its a qualifying class too!

I had to go straight from Junior to Limit with Henry (not many Yearling classes around back then) as he'd won a ticket at 14 months. Not that I'm complaining, but he did look a little out of place against the 3 year olds!! :-)

I can't see them ever increasing the number of qualifying classes further.

It's only a few years since they increased veteran to qualify with 1st, 2nd, 3rd, before then it was only 1st and before then not at all. They do seem to increase the ways to qualify regularly, just look at the introduction of the premier open shows for instance.