Welcome to Dog Events

A simple way to run a dog event and take entries. Create a show, add your classes, and take card payments. Enter with your dogs, upload your music, and follow the results on a optional live scoreboard. Made for HTM but can work for any dog event.

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Red Border Collie performing a twist at a park event
Hi there, please read this message before doing anything

This site is going through a testing stage

That means you may run into issues, errors or bugs, and things may change at unexpected times. Please bear with us. If something looks wrong, tell us about it, because that is exactly what this stage is for.

Why this site exists

Dog Events was built to give event creators and competitors a simple interface to create, run and enter events with minimal hassle. The hope is that this encourages event hosting and HTM in general + any other discipline that uses it.

Running a show has I think traditionally meant collecting entries by post, email, or online form, asking entrants to write out the same details every time, taking payment by bank transfer, sending emails manually, building the running order/directions as a PDF and emailing it out, checking the running order/helpers/judges and class order, then scoring on paper and adding it all into a spreadsheet/PDF which then has to be printed out for everyone to see.

All of that can still work. However this site can do all or some of that for you.

Nothing here is compulsory. You can choose what to use, and you can always step in and change anything the site has done automatically.

What you get instead

  • Entrants enter their details once. Dogs, handlers and contact details are saved to their account and reused for every future entry, so nobody re-types the same form for each show.
  • Entries arrive complete. Entries land in the event already filled in and validated, so there is no inbox to sort through and nothing to transcribe by hand.
  • Card payment is taken at the point of entry. The money goes into the event creators own Stripe account automatically, so there are no bank transfers to reconcile and no unpaid entries to chase.
  • Catalogues/running orders generate themselves. Produced as a PDF straight from live entry data, so they are never out of date and never assembled by hand.
  • Results are produced for you. A scoreboard everyone can access, (optionally live during the class) and/or a printable results PDF is generated and downloadable.
  • Running orders are drag-and-drop. Arrange and re-arrange the order in a few clicks, with clashes flagged for event creators e.g. a judge in one class competing at the start of another.
  • Scoring adds itself up. Scores are entered on the day and totalled automatically, so there is no paper needed and no spreadsheet.
  • Judges can enter scores directly. Each judge can enter their scores in their judging panel, or the event owner can enter the scores for them.
  • Music arrives with the entry. Routine music is uploaded as part of the entry, CD's aren't needed. Music can be played by event creator from a playlist on the site and downloaded as a zip file to play on any device.
  • Next year's event is a few clicks. Once a show has run, you can re-create it from the previous one and make only any changes that differ for that year.
  • Event creators can email everyone easily. An event creator can email everyone from an event or just the judges, or just the people in one class.

Payments

Payments are handled by Stripe, currently the largest online payments provider. Event creators create a stripe account via a button on the site, this is then linked to their account here automatically. That means entry payments are filtered straight into the organiser's own account, so there are no bank transfers needed at all.

The fee you pay to enter an event will vary. Dog Events takes a flat rate (£1.25 per event entered, whether entering 10 classes or 1), but the Stripe card processing fee varies depending on how much you are spending and what card you are using. The 'Dog Events'' fee you will see is a combination of that flat fee + the fees for processing the card and is variable because of this.

Event creators receive the entire fee for entering an event from the competitor, the Dog Events fee is charged on top clearly. We aren't though allowed to visibly split our fee and the card processing fee so you can see how it breaks down, hence it's all grouped into the 'Dog Events' fee.

The hope is that the site can support its own hosting costs via HTM fees. If it ever does anything more than that e.g. another discipline uses the site or HTM grows exponentially more popular, great.

Some more detailed info for event creators

Live results are optional

You decide whether the scoreboard is visible at all, and when. Show it live so competitors and spectators can follow a class as it happens, or keep it closed until the event is over and publish the results at the end. Either way the results PDF is generated for you automatically, so you always have something to hand out or send round without keeping a spreadsheet.

Overspill is yours to switch on

If you enable it, a class that fills up will split automatically and competitors are shared between the classes for you. Split classes are separate competitions with their own podiums. You can still move people between classes yourself at any point: the automatic split is a starting point, not a decision you are stuck with.

The running order warns you about clashes

When you build a running order, the site checks the classes either side and flags anyone who is cutting it fine. If someone is competing near the end of the previous class, or is due to help or judge in the next one, you get told, along with whether they should be moved earlier or later. You still make the choice where they are ordered. It's just an clear alert.

Judges score directly, or you do it for them

Judges can be given an account and enter their own scores from the ring, and they will only see the classes they are judging. If a judge would rather stay on paper, that is fine: you can enter their scores for them exactly as you do now. It works the same either way, and you can mix the two within one event.

No more burning blank CDs

Music is uploaded with the entry, so there are no discs to burn, label, chase or replace when one will not play. On the day you can play the routines straight from the site in running order, or download the whole class as a single zip and play it yourself from your own laptop, however you prefer to run your ring (always download as a backup in case you have no internet).

Built for Heelwork to Music, but not limited to it

The site was built primarily with Heelwork to Music in mind, but nothing in it is locked to HTM. It can be used for any other discipline/class and customised accordingly, because classes, scoring and categories can all be adapted to how your discipline actually runs. If that is of interest, please open a support ticket and we'll sort something out.

We're looking for a couple of event organisers to test this properly

We need a couple of people who actually run events to give things a try. We'll help you through the whole process, from setting the event up to getting results out. If interested please open a support ticket. Once your event is up and running, re-creating it next time should only a few clicks.

Where things stand right now

  • Emailing is currently locked during testing for obvious reasons.
  • The site is hosted on a server with limited capacity for the time being. It can be expanded if and when it's needed.

The plan

The goal is for the site to support itself after a year. Provided it does, it will be kept up and maintained. If it supports itself well, we can add facilities where needed.

Thank you for your feedback. If you have any thoughts, or you hit any issues at all, please open a support ticket. The whole idea is for this to be genuinely useful, and to help promote Heelwork to Music, and potentially other dog events too.

There is help if you get stuck

There is a Help button at the top right of the page (on a narrow screen it is just the question-mark icon). Click it at any time and it will show you the help for the page you are actually on, or go to the How It Works page in the sidebar.

Heelwork to Music competition

Heelwork to Music

Enter with your music file included

Spaniel competing in agility

Any Type of Competition

Agility, obedience, rally, scentwork and more

Whippet competing in flyball

All Breeds Welcome

Dogs are lovely

What it does

Everything a dog event needs, from taking the first entry to publishing the final scores.

Find and enter events

Browse upcoming events, pick your classes, and enter with the dogs on your account. Pay by card at checkout. Your entries and past results stay in one place.

Host and get paid

Create an event, add your classes, and set the fees. Card payments are taken at checkout and go straight to your own connected Stripe account. Add complimentary or manual entries yourself any time.

Score and show results live

Judges enter their scores as they go and confirm each competitor — the owner can enter them too. Switch on an optional live scoreboard per class that anyone with an account can follow, and download printable results and a catalogue as PDFs.

Belgian Malinois competing in heelwork at a competition hall

Not just competitions

An "event" can be anything you charge for or take bookings on. A championship, a weekly training class, a breed meetup, or a fun day. If people need to sign up and pay, you can run it here.

  • Training classes: run a regular class and let people book in and pay online
  • Meetups and fun days: organise a group walk, a breed meet, or a casual get-together
  • Formal competitions: full entry management, class structure, and card payments handled automatically
  • Paid entries built in: set your entry fees and get paid directly. Organisers can always add complimentary entries manually

How It Works

Dog Events is designed to be straightforward for everyone involved.

For Organisers

  1. 1

    Create your event

    Set the date, location, and description for your show or competition.

  2. 2

    Add classes & sub-events

    Define the disciplines, heights, and entry fees for each class.

  3. 3

    Publish and open entries

    Go live when you're ready. Competitors can find and enter your event immediately.

  4. 4

    Manage entries, email and print

    See every entry and payment in one place, set the running order, and email any entrant or a whole class. Download a printable event PDF with the schedule, running order, and your instructions.

  5. 5

    Score and publish results

    Add judges who log in and score their own classes as they go, or enter scores yourself. Switch on an optional live scoreboard per class, and download results and a catalogue as PDFs.

See it step by step, with screenshots

For Competitors

  1. 1

    Create your account & add your dogs

    Register once and add your dogs' details. They'll be ready to enter any event straight away.

  2. 2

    Find an event

    Browse upcoming shows filtered by discipline, location, or date.

  3. 3

    Select your classes & enter

    Pick the classes you want to enter. For HTM and freestyle, upload your music file with the entry.

  4. 4

    Pay securely online

    Entry fees are paid by card at checkout. No bank transfers, no cheques, no chasing.

  5. 5

    Follow the scores and your history

    Watch the live scoreboard on the day, and keep all your current and past entries and results in one place.

See it step by step, with screenshots

Get started

Free to join. Create an event or enter one in a few minutes. Whether it's a weekly training class or a full championship, the steps are the same.

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