ECSCA National Performance Challenge (NPC)
Revised: 02-25-2026
What is the NPC and How is it Determined?
The ECSCA National Performance Challenge (NPC) recognizes dog/handler teams with the top cumulative performance scores at the National Specialty each year. One team will be selected as the overall winner, along with four runners-up.
NPC scores are assigned based on a pre-determined point system established by the ECSCA. To be considered, a team must enter at least 3 events and qualify in at least 2 of them.
Each event is counted only once toward the NPC. When an event is offered multiple times or has multiple classes, the qualifying score with the highest NPC point value is used. Bonus points are awarded to teams qualifying in 3 to 7 events.
Which Events Count Towards NPC?
✔ Qualifying Events
- Hunt
- Working Dog
- Tracking
- Obedience
- Rally
- Scentwork
- Agility
✗ Do NOT Qualify
- FETCH
- FASTCAT
- Coursing Ability
- Barn Hunt
- Dock Diving
- CGC
- Trick
- Farm Dog
Note: Future inclusions and exclusions in NPC qualifying events will be reviewed as necessary.
General Point Schedule
Specific events offered at each National Specialty will vary.
Obedience
| Class | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beg. Novice | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Novice (incl. Pref & Vets) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Open (incl. Pref) | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Utility (incl. Pref & Versatility) | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
Graduate Novice & Graduate Open: use the base level class points + 2. | Pre-titling classes (Pre-Open, Pre-Utility): TBD if offered.
Rally
| Class | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Intermediate | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 |
| Advanced | 5 | 4.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Excellent / Masters / Choice | 6 | 5.5 | 5 | 4.5 | 4 |
Agility
| Class | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard, JWW, FAST | |||||
| Novice (regular & preferred) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Open (regular & preferred) | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 |
| Excellent (regular & preferred) | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Masters (regular & preferred) | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| Standard, JWW only | |||||
| Premier (regular & preferred) | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 |
| T2B (regular & preferred) | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Scentwork
| Class | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Q |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Novice | 3 | 2.5 | 2 | 1.5 | 1 |
| Advanced | 4 | 3.5 | 3 | 2.5 | 2 |
| Excellent | 5 | 4.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3 |
| Masters | 8 | 7.5 | 7 | 6.5 | 6 |
| Detective | 10 | 9.5 | 9 | 8.5 | 8 |
Handler Discrimination: points TBD if offered.
Tracking
| Class / Title | NPC Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TD | 5 | ||||
| TDU | 5 | ||||
| TDX | 10 | ||||
| VST | 10 | ||||
Hunt Tests / Working Dog
| Class / Title | NPC Points | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WD | 1 | ||||
| WDX | 2 | ||||
| Junior Hunter (JH) | 5 | ||||
| Senior Hunter (SH) | 8 | ||||
| Master Hunter (MH) | 10 | ||||
Bonus Points
Bonus points are awarded based on the number of unique events in which the team qualifies:
Note: If more than 7 events are offered in the future, the minimum (3 events) remains at 2 bonus points and the maximum number of events remains at 10 bonus points, with points for the number of qualifying events allocated evenly in between.