Start Here — IRO Area and Rubble Tests

Scope and rule version

This reference covers RH-FL (area) and RH-T (rubble), V/A/B, including their shared obedience/dexterity programme. Some pages retain explicitly labelled F, MT, L or W comparisons; they do not constitute complete guides to those disciplines. A trial qualification is not operational mission readiness.

Based on the FCI/IRO rules effective 1 January 2025 and the binding IRO guideline approved 25 August 2026. The German rules govern translation disputes. Read the applicable discipline and level before applying a general rule.

Entry and participation

Requirement	V	A	B — FL/T
Minimum age on test day	15 months	18 months	20 months
Prior qualification	No IPO-R prerequisite; national requirements apply	V in the same discipline	Two A passes in the same discipline, each at least Good

• Tattoo/microchip identification, recognised scorebook, liability insurance and required vaccination evidence are needed. Submit the scorebook before the test.
• One handler may show at most two dogs at an event and enter only one event per day. One dog: at most two tests per event, one per day, one handler per event. Finish one test before starting another.
• After a failed test, wait five days before retrying the same discipline. Eligible dogs may move from A to B the next day. Ranked events require the highest level already achieved in that discipline.
• Bitches in heat are permitted, kept separate and shown last where practical. Pregnancy: through day 21; after birth: not before day 75. Sick, contagious or injured dogs are excluded.
• Complete remaining phases even after failing one, unless disqualified or excused for a reported valid reason. Unjustified withdrawal means disqualification.

Passing and scoring

V: 100 nosework + 100 UO/GW. A/B: 200 nosework + 100 UO/GW. Each phase needs at least 70%; a strong score in one cannot compensate for failure in the other. Missing any required victim prevents a nosework pass. One-phase tests earn a recorded result but no complete-test title.

See Outcomes and Scoring for warnings, termination, disqualification and score bands.

V/A/B obedience and dexterity

Numbers below are the official level-specific programme numbers, not the old website catalogue numbers. Each column totals 100 points.

No.	V — fixed order	A — programme	B — programme
1	Reporting/social behaviour — 10	Reporting/social behaviour — 5	Reporting/social behaviour — 5
2	On-leash heeling — 15	Off-leash heeling — 10	Off-leash heeling — 10
3	Sit and recall — 10	Distance control — 15	Distance control — 15
4	Change of position — 15	Retrieve — 10	Retrieve — 10
5	Down under distraction — 10	Carry/hand-over — 10	Carry/hand-over — 10
6	Carry/hand-over — 10	Directability — 15	Directability — 15
7	Directability — 10	Unstable plank — 10	Swing — 10
8	Tunnel — 10	Ladder — 10	Ladder — 10
9	Rigid board — 10	Tunnel — 5	Tunnel — 5
10	—	Down under distraction — 10	Down under distraction — 10

V: no draw. A/B: reporting and heeling first; draw distance control, retrieve, carry, directability and the dexterity block. The judge orders the three obstacles within that block. Down is the last listed exercise but runs alongside the other team’s work, not after both teams have finished. References to the other dog’s exercises in the down rules use the applicable level programme and the event’s execution order.

Reading order

1. General rules, then the individual UO/GW exercises.
2. Nosework procedure and alerts.
3. Your discipline: area or rubble.
4. Judge reference: procedure, structure, UO observations, nosework observations, leashes, praise/contact, quick deductions, abbreviations.

Objections

An objection concerns a rule violation, not disagreement with the judge’s assessment. Submit it in writing to the test coordinator on the same day, within 30 minutes after the end of the last work with a dog, with a €300 deposit. See §2.7 for the procedure.

Sources

FCI/IRO 2025, §1–3.3.3. Binding IRO guideline, approved 25 August 2026.