News and updates

Regulation Update

The full amended Regulations can be found here.

Part II-Show

The following amendments to DOGS NSW Regulations Part II-Show where approved by the Board:-

Clause 14.10

Currently reads:-

14.10    (Revised 12/12)

(c) If the incident causes serious damage to the victim who, subsequently, requires immediate medical attention, the local council must be informed.  If it occurs out of council hours the police must be informed. (08/25)

Be amended to read:-

(c)       If the incident causes serious damage to the victim a person or another dog who, subsequently, requires immediate medical attention, the local council must be informed.  If it occurs out of council hours the police must be informed. (03/26)

(i)         It is the responsibility of either the President or the Secretary of the club to contact the council or police. (03/26)

(ii)       If the local council and or police are called the offending dog must automatically be declared aggressive. (03/26)

(a)       if the dog has been tested by the Department of Local Government, the owner must provide a copy of the report to DOGS NSW within eight (8) weeks, failure to do so would render the dog to remain on suspension until the report is provided. (03/26)

(iii)      Where the council or police declare the dog a Dangerous Dog in line with NSW legislation DOGS NSW must ban the dog for life. (03/26)

(iv)      An Aggressive Dog Hearing is still required to be held to gather all relevant paperwork, witness statements and videos, if available, and must be submitted to DOGS NSW within 48 hours. (03/26)

(v)        Upon receipt of the Aggressive Dog Report the Office within 48 hours must notify the owner/s by email and registered post that the dog has been declared a Dangerous Dog in line with NSW legislation and the dog has been banned for life. (03/26)

(i)         Within 2 calendar months of receipt of the report referred to in (g) the Board of Directors shall consider the report and if satisfied that the dog is likely to constitute a danger to persons, other dogs or property at any Show, taking into consideration the responsibility of the handler or of any individual involved, may for such period as the Board of Directors consider appropriate (08/25):-

New Clause

(viii)    where a dog is reported to the Council or Police in accordance with Clause 14.10(c) as an aggressive dog, however, is not declared to be a Dangerous Dog, the dog will automatically receive a six (6) month suspension, OR, at the discretion of the Board, may be banned for life. (03/26)

• It is the obligation of each owner, exhibitor and handler at a show to take all such steps as may be necessary to ensure that any dog under that person’s care or control or for which that person is responsible does not behave in an aggressive manner.

1^st Offence:     Reprimand Letter

2^nd Offence:    $100.00 $200.00 (03/26)

3^rd Offence:    Matter referred to Inquiry (10/18) **

**and consideration that dog be banned for life (03/26)

**Renumber original Clause (i)(viii) to (i)(ix)

Clause 10.2(d) be deleted in its entirety

New “paragraph” added to Clause 19.1.2(f), as follows:-

SprintDog^TM Trials must be cancelled if the forecast temperature available at 10.00am from the closest Bureau of Meteorology station to the venue (www.bom.gov.au) two days prior exceeds 32 degrees Celsius, or in the alternative, rescheduled to a cooler period for the Trial (eg, early morning) at the discretion of the Affiliate. (03/26)

Part III-Conformation Judges Education Program

At its recent meeting, the Board resolved to amend DOGS NSW Regulations Part III-Conformation Judges Education Program Clause 10.15, as follows:-

Currently reads:-

10.15    Should a Trainee not achieve a pass result in a Practical Examination, then to qualify to take a further Group Practical Examination a Trainee Judge must enrol as a Continuing Trainee, judge a further fifty (50) dogs at Field Events, Open Shows and Sweepstakes or personally with a MENTOR and examine and critique a further twenty five (25) dogs concurrent with the training program in progress, in accordance with Clause 6.1.2, above, and submit the approved enrolment form, accompanied by the requirements of this Clause.  They may then attempt the next available Practical Examination in that training Program. (08/25)

Be amended to read:-

 10.15   Should a Trainee not achieve a pass result in a Practical Examination, then to qualify to take a further Group Practical Examination a Trainee Judge must enrol as a Continuing Trainee, judge a further fifty (50) dogs at Field Events, Open Shows and Sweepstakes or personally with a MENTOR.

A Trainee must also examine and critique a further twenty five (25) dogs, and submit the approved enrolment form, accompanied by the requirements of this Clause.  They may then attempt the next available Practical Examination in that training Program. (03/26)

Part VI-Judges Performance Disciplines

The Board, at its Electronic Motion of 13 March 2026 resolved to rescind the following Clause in DOGS NSW Regulations Part VI-Judges, Performance Disciplines:-

4.2A(vi)                A Judge shall not:- Act as a handler of an exhibit or exhibit a dog in a Lure Coursing Meet or SprintDog™ Trial at which he officiates as a Judge (08/25)

Part XIII-Code of Ethics

At its recent meetings, the Board resolved to amend the DOGS NSW Part XIII-Code of Ethics. 

The amendments are:-

New Clauses

• 2(e)(ii)
• 10
• 12
• 13

with the subsequent clauses being re-numbered.

Part XVI-Scent Work & Judges Training

At its recent meetings, the Board resolved to amend the DOGS NSW Regulations Part XVI-Scent Work & Judges Training.

New Clause

2.2.13  Trial Entries

1. In accordance with DOGS NSW Regulations Part II-Show, a dog must be entered with the correct details and dog ownership in the catalogue to be eligible for qualification or awards at a DOGS NSW sanctioned Scent Work Trial.
2. Should a dog not be entered correctly by their owner or co-owner or not entered in the catalogue, then they will not be eligible for qualification cards or awards.
3. Any qualification cards or awards issued to a dog who is not entered in the catalogue at a Trial will be rescinded, and the competitor may face disciplinary action.
4. Affiliates retain the right to manage Trial entries to ensure the smooth running of a Trial.  In this regard, an Affiliate may provide guaranteed or priority entries to a limited number of volunteers and/or Judges with the following conditions:-
5. The majority of Trial entries remain available at the official opening of entries.
6. Systems must be in place to ensure priority entries are made available to designated positions, the Trial Manager and Trial Secretary and/or Judges.

iii.       Affiliates should ensure procedures are in place to prevent potential unintended misuse of the system, for example, not allocating to a greater number of volunteers than necessary to successfully run each Trial

This a reminder to all Clubs that the Pre-Event Safety Checklist, becomes mandatory for all events from 1 April 2026. 

The checklist is intended to be a simple, high-level prompt to help Clubs undertake a common-sense assessment of the venue and facilities on the day of the event. It is not a technical risk assessment, and Clubs are not expected to be experts in safety or risk management.

The purpose of the checklist is simply to demonstrate that reasonable and practical steps have been taken to review the conditions of the grounds and facilities and to identify anything that may potentially be unsafe or could cause injury. The checklist is designed to prompt Clubs to look at obvious matters such as ground conditions, hazards, weather, access and equipment prior to the commencement of the event.

Unfortunately, a number of incidents reported in recent times may likely have been prevented if basic checks of the grounds and event setup had been undertaken before the event commenced. The checklist is intended to prompt exactly that process — a practical review of conditions on the day to ensure that obvious issues are identified and addressed where possible.

Importantly, completion of the checklist does not create personal legal responsibility for volunteers or Committee Members. In fact, having a written record that the venue and event setup were reviewed is far more protective than having no documentation at all. It demonstrates that the Club has exercised reasonable care when conducting the event.

Who should complete the checklist

The checklist should be completed by a member of the Club’s Committee as part of the event setup process or during the final preparations prior to the event.

The checklist should not be completed by the Show Representative, as the responsibility for reviewing the venue and event setup sits with the Club conducting the event.

Where multiple clubs are using the same venue

Where several Clubs are conducting events at the same venue on the same day, or where combined shows are held across multiple days, only one checklist needs to be completed for the venue for each day.

However, a copy of that completed checklist must still be submitted with the Representative’s Report for each show conducted that day.

This ensures that the same documented inspection applies to all events while avoiding unnecessary duplication.

The checklist is designed to be quick and practical to complete and to formalise the common-sense checks that most Clubs already undertake when setting up for their events.

DOGS NSW acknowledges and appreciates the ongoing commitment of volunteers who conduct events across NSW. This initiative is intended to support Clubs, strengthen practical risk management practices, and help protect both Clubs and the organisation in the event of an incident or insurance claim.

For Instructions on completing the Checklist, please click here.

To view and download the Checklist click here.

• Would you like to be paid to teach children about responsible pet ownership and behaving safely around dogs?
• Do you own a happy, healthy, sociable dog between 18 months - 8 years?

The Responsible Pet Ownership education program is now recruiting Pet Educators in:

NSW - Sutherland Shire, Northern Beaches, Ryde, Waverley, Canterbury Bankstown, Canada Bay, Parramatta, Cumberland, Fairfield, Georges River, Inner West, Lane Cove, Mosman, North Sydney, Shellharbour, Shoalhaven, Kiama, Strathfield, Hunters Hill, Hornsby, Willoughby, Woollahra

The program's Pet Educators visit kindergartens and schools with their dog to give a short presentation to children about dog safety.

To be eligible to apply, you must own a happy, healthy dog that is 18months to 8 years old, that resides with you for at least 1 year, and enjoys socialising with children. Your dog will need to pass our suitability test.

The Responsible Pet Ownership education program is provided by the Victorian Government and NSW Government. Successful candidates will be employed in their residing state, by the program's contracted staffing and payroll Providor, Randstad Recruitment as temporary labour hire. Training will be provided (for you and your dog), support and learning opportunities. Hours are during the school terms and are flexible.

More information about the program can be found on the Responsible Pet Ownership education program website.

To obtain a Pet Educator Information Pack and details about how to apply, please email: [email protected]

Applications Close 11.59pm on Tuesday 7 April 2026.

Suitable applicants will be invited to dog suitability testing and interview on Thursday 23 April 2026 at The Bill Spilstead Complex for Canine Affairs (DOGS NSW grounds) in Orchard Hills NSW.

Please click here to view the confirmed Meeting Summary of the Dogs Australia February 2026 Special Board meeting.

Dogs Australia has requested for the following links relating to the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation to be circulated to the Member Bodies for their information.

Explosive detection dog Flo Joe posthumously awarded for military service in Afghanistan - ABC News. Click here to view.

New website for the Australian War Animal Memorial Organisation (AWAMO) where information can be downloaded.

Application form for nomination of 2027 awards: Nominate An Animal Hero - AWAMO

• Australian Government’s Department of Agriculture: Review details on Canine Ehrlichiosis guidelines for dog owners and guidelines for veterinarians. 
• Ehrlichia canis information for veterinarians | Business Queensland - updated 4.11.25.

•   Your digital card can be accessed at any time from your phone wallet once added.

•   Address details can be viewed via the pass details / menu option on the card.

•   At present, the card content is not dynamic. If your details change (for example, an address update), a replacement card will be issued and you will need to remove the previous card before adding the new one.

•    Dynamic, automatically updating functionality is planned for a future enhancement.

•   Traditional plastic membership cards remain available for members who prefer them. The digital card is simply an additional option — not a replacement.

Director Tracy Hofman would like to extend her thanks to all those who applied for the Judicial Panels – the response was very encouraging, and proof we have some well qualified and keen members to lean into to support DOGS NSW in one of its key functions.

All Expressions of Interest are now being reviewed and recommendations for inclusion (or otherwise) will be made by early next week.  Every applicant will be advised of the outcome of their application.

Once again – heartfelt thanks for those willing to put their hands up!

2.3(a) All Breeds Judges or Judges with a minimum of six (6) Groups at Championship Level may judge General Specials at All Breeds Championship Shows . Those Judges that are not All Breeds Judges must also be currently listed as a Trainee Judge within their State.

The temporary closure of Luddenham Road, between Mamre Road and Elizabeth Drive has been rescheduled to take place from 8.00pm, Friday 20 February, until 5.00am, Monday 23 February, weather permitting.

The temporary closure will allow us to build new road surfaces at the Luddenham Road and Mamre Road intersection.

Detours will be in place during the temporary closure of Luddenham Road via The Northern Road, M4 Motorway, Elizabeth Drive and Mamre Road.

Please observe speed limits, follow the directions of traffic controllers and signs, plan ahead and allow extra travel time. 

We thank you for your patience during this time.

Please click here to read the Luddenham Road closure notification below for more information.