Member Clubs
Each year, clubs across the U.S. pay an annual fee to be a member club in the Master National Retriever Club (MNRC). When a dog passes or qualifies at a weekend Master hunt test held by an MNRC member club, that qualifying score counts towards qualifying the dog to run in the annual Master National event. Only Master hunt tests held by MNRC member clubs in good standing count towards qualifying for the annual MN event. For a list of member clubs who have paid their annual dues, click here.

Qualifying Scores
To qualify for the Master National event, a dog (with the exception below) must have a total of 5 qualifications in its first 7 attempts each year in the Master category from a MN member club(s). In addition, every dog running in the MN event must also have an MH title from the AKC. If a dog does not earn 5 qualifications in its first 7 attempts it can still qualify by passing 8 master tests during the qualifying period.

Note: If a dog did not get his Senior title (SH) from the AKC, then the dog now needs 6 qualifications in the Master category to get his MH title, and thus qualify for the MN event (AKC rule). However, even though 5 of the 6 qualifications must come from a MN member club, the 6th qualification can come from a non-member club. Also, in this instance, a dog still must earn its first 5 passes in its first 7 attempts. Once the dog has gone 5 for 7 it can take as many attempts as needed to earn its 6th pass.

Time Frame
Qualifying scores for the upcoming Master National event are counted from August 1st of the year before the event through July 31st of the year of the event.

Qualifying Scores - Exception
Any dog that ran and qualified at the previous year's Master National event needs only 3 qualifications during the next year to qualify to run the upcoming MN event. A dog that passes the previous year’s Master National is credited with 2 passes in 2 attempts. A failure at the previous year’s Master National does not count as an attempt towards the next Master National event

Each year our friends at Retriever Field Trial News (RFTN) track and keep count of every dog that has passed a Master hunt test that was held from a MN member club during the year. The MN secretary will start to post these qualifiers in late May. In mid summer, the MN Secretary starts sending out the premiums to the annual event to those dogs who have already reached the required number of qualifications. It is a very good idea, however, to keep track of this information yourself. If you think your dog has qualified and you do not see it listed on this website when qualifiers begin to be posted, please contact the MN Secretary. Please do this before August, especially if your count does not agree with what the RFTN has reported to the MNRC. In the past, there have been clubs that neglected to send RFTN a marked catalog, or had not paid their annual dues, and therefore the scores did not count.

Additional Questions and Answers

Can I still run tests after I qualify without jeopardizing my qualification status?

Yes, once the dog is qualified we stop tracking passes and failures.

Is it the first 7 attempts that count or is it a series of 7 attempts?

The 5 of 7 begins with the first seven attempts. After January 1, 2007 we will start tracking attempts.

How does my dog, that does not possess a SH title, qualify?

This dog must still qualify using the 5 of 7 format. If it earns the 5 passes in seven attempts, it still must pass a 6th test in order to earn the MH title from AKC. It can take as many attempts as needed to earn the 6th pass. Of course, it can also qualify by passing a total of 8 tests.

If I run in the Master National, and fail, does that count as an attempt?

No, it does not. The Master National will only count in the formula if you pass it. A pass at the Master National will count as two passes in two attempts.

What if my dog becomes injured after it has started a test?

If the dog became injured after the test began, it would be proper to list the dog as a scratch, provided that the hunt test secretary and/or committee was satisfied of the legitimacy of the scratch. A handler attempting to scratch a dog after the test begins, because they did not think they could complete the test, and feigned an injury to the dog could face possible misconduct charges. It will VERY important now for the hunt test secretary to mark all scratches in the catalog. This is something that has not been required in the past.

What if I do not see my dog on the qualified list, but I know it is qualified?

Contact Master National Secretary, Frank Barton. Give him the clubs and dates where the passes occurred. He in turn will contact Retriever Field Trial News that does our tracking, and will find out what happened. In most cases a catalog was not marked correctly or was not received at all by RFTN.

For any further questions or clarifications, please contact MNRC secretary, Frank Barton.