AKC Scent Work Numeric Elite Title Computation (Argh!)

A Scent Work results data collection project (Demo Dog Database) has recently caused many of us to look much more closely at how AKC Scent Work title acquisition works with regard to the "Numeric Elite" titles.  Spoilers: it wasn't the way a lot of us thought they worked.  This post is an effort to explain the situation once, so we can link to it from social media when somebody says "What do you mean by "Excluded"?

Background:  AKC Scent Work debuted in September of 2017.  The titles identified at that time remain the only ones in the rulebook, in Chapter 10, beginning on page 62 of the .pdf     They included the level element titles (ex. Scent Work Buried Excellent or SBE), overall level titles (ex. Scent Work Novice or SWN) , level element Elite titles (ex. Scent Work Buried Excellent Elite or SBEE) and overall level Elite titles (ex. Scent Work Novice Elite or SWNE) along with titles for Detective and a Handler Discrimination level (ex. Scent Work Handler Discrimination Excellent or SHDE) and Elite (ex. Scent Work handler Discrimination Novice Elite or SHDNE) progression.  

Digression:  One "interesting" thing competitors have discovered is that, even though higher level Elite titles are not dependent on earning lower level Elite titles first, the higher level titles currently supersede the lower level titles on the AKC display of the dog's registered name.   So although a team may have earned all four level Elite titles (SWNE, SWNA, SWEE and SWME), the title display will show only SWME -- the same as for a team that has earned the SWME title but not the other three.  The rulebook does not say anything about this.  It really seems like only "dependent" titles should replace those that had to be earned previously; you can't earn an SWN without an SCN, so replacing the SCN makes sense.  But you can earn an SWAE without an SWNE, so both should rightfully be shown as earned, one would think.  

Back to Numeric Elites: in June of 2022, AKC Board members approved the addition of "Numeric Elite" titles with rules to go into effect on October 3, 2022.  You can find the official communication here but here are the words to be included in the next reprint of the official rulebook:

The Scent Work world was pretty excited by the news.  Many competitors had continued to enter classes past the 10 Qs required to earn an element or overall Elite title with the hope that someday those Qs would count toward something more like an SWNE2 or SWME3, similar to the way that Agility or Obedience and Rally competitors can earn titles repeatedly -- MACH3, RACH4, OM2, etc.  

<Ominous Music>  This would turn out to indeed be the case... but only partly.  The acquisition of the Numeric Elite titles in Scent Work turned out to work differently than most people expected.  Eighteen months after they debuted, many still don't understand how they work.  I learned how they work last week!  So I wanted to create an example to walk YOU through how a Numeric Elite is earned, according to our data, and to people who have earned numeric Elite titles.

Example: Here are the Scent Work trial entries for a hypothetical team that is just entering a Level -- maybe it's Novice.  Their first trial at this level was on March 20, and this was their progression.  

On June 13, after 3 Qs, the team earned their Container element title.  At the next trial a few days later, they earned Interior and Exterior Elements and then in a few months, got that 3rd buried Q for their Buried Element title and their OVERALL level Title.  

YAY!

In the meantime, they had continued to enter at the same level.  Maybe they also "moved up" and entered at the next level after they got the Element title, but maybe they wanted more practice at this level or wanted to be eligible for a High in Trial award that was offered to the fastest team that qualified in all four elements.  But they acquired five Qs on top of the ones needed for their Element titles, the ones shown in aqua below:

And (important point) those Qs count toward their Level Element Elite Title!!!  So, with that great start, they keep going in this Level, working on the Elite Elements, which they earn, along with their Level Elite title on April 12 of the year following their level debut.

                                                                        SUPER YAY!

As before, they had continued to enter the same level, for practice, for HIT eligibility, or (this is the bad part) they may have thought those Qs would simply accumulate toward their level Elite2 title.  Because that's how it had worked after their overall level title. 

However, if you re-visit the rules, it says 

So here is what actually happens -- the legs earned BEFORE THE OVERALL ELITE TITLE IS EARNED do not count toward the next level Elite.  In our data collection project, we are calling those "Excluded."  To be extra clear -- the team absolutely qualified in that class.  They may have placed, they may have earned High in Trial for the Level during one of those 4Q days.  Nothing is being excluded from those achievements.

The Qs shown in gray below just don't count toward the Elite2.  Only the legs at the trial after the Overall Elite is earned count: 

And that's it.  That's what we are hoping to help everyone understand in order to make the best economic and strategic entry decisions.   

Does it perhaps suck?  Arguably, yes, and I would love to see the AKC Scent Work competitor community, which seems to be knowledgeable and well-connected on social media, figure out how to influence change with regard to The Sport at the AKC, both with regard to this particular irritation but also progress, in general.  The AKC has more than 99 problems and we don't need to be another one, which I think is why email, petitions, letters even phone calls make no difference, not least because, as they keep reminding us, the AKC is a "Club of Clubs" -- we, as individuals, are not their constituents.  

We need a way to work within the existing system.  Maybe that's by presenting a compelling argument that states both problem and proposed solution (how DO you 'fix' something like this retroactively?) through the existing Delegates (has anyone ever mobilized the Delegates before?) or the time-honored American system of encouraging folks with personal connection within the organization to take up the cause (you know who you are... WE know who you are!)   That's what I think, anyway..  

Note about a possible inconsistency:  After the "first" Elite title, the AKC does not recognize numeric Element Elite titles -- so there's no "Scent Work Novice Container Elite2" title, for example.  Some clubs do choose to reward this, so asking is always a good idea

(and if that is bugging Clubs, perhaps you'd want to include the plan for ribbons, pins, etc. in their Premiums; I know Clubs firmly believe NO competitor ever reads their Premium but you could always put the relevant page in a plastic sleeve and post it by your ribbons)

And perhaps because they don't recognize the numeric element Elites, they do not break those out in their Titles and Points Progression Report, instead showing only "SWNE2" (for example) and a number.  In the above example, I would expect that number to be 3, that this team has, as of that trial, earned toward the Elite2.  

In some cases, it seems like the number shown in the free Title and Points Progression report is something other than 3.  However, if those handlers order the "full" AKC report, which I think costs $18, the information in that report agrees with the example.   

I don't know what to tell you about that except that, when in doubt, before you get into discussion with the AKC, I would strongly advise ordering your official AKC report.  It's their data and only whatever they officially have matters.