Dogs

Dog Exhibitors – Dog Agility is Sunday, September 21st

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The Junior Fair Dog Agility Contest will be held prior to the fair on the same day as the Dog Skillathon: Sunday, September 21st at the Fairgrounds from 1:00-3:00 p.m. (Outdoor Show Arena). You must have made a fair entry for Agility when making ALL fair entries online to compete in this class prior to the fair (deadline was August 29th). Exhibitors should plan to attend agility within this time frame before/after their scheduled Skillathon appointment time on this day.

Dog Exhibitors – Read this to prepare for Skillathon!

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It’s hard to believe, but the fair will be here before we know it- and that means Skillathon is right around the corner! If you haven’t done so already, please be sure to schedule an appointment for your Skillathon at this link: http://go.osu.edu/signup4skillathon.

This information was previously emailed to 4-H families enrolled in Dog Projects. Here are some helpful study tips and directions to help you prepare.

A quick reminder:

All Junior Fair Exhibitors must complete both a Skillathon (county or state level) and a 4-H/FFA project record book in order to be eligible to show at the Fairfield County Fair. Project book rubrics are available on our county website for your reference.

This year’s Dog Skillathon will include four stations:

  1. Interview & Project Book Review- A brief conversation about your project and a check of your completed book.
  2. Breeds- Match breed names to their correct images (similar to previous years).
  3. Diseases- New this year! Exhibitors will identify diseases based on written or visual descriptions.
  4. Ear & Tail Types- Match the correct name of the ear and tail type to a corresponding picture. Like in previous years

While Ohio 4-H does not have it’s own Poultry Resource Handbook, we will be utilizing the Colorado Poultry Resource Handbook for materials this year. Please find it attached to this email. Any of the below page numbers, are from that book.

Skillathon study materials can be found in your Dog Resource Handbook (DRH) and are also outlined below:

If you don’t have your species Resource Handbook, a limited number are available for purchase at the Extension Office. Your 4-H/FFA advisor may also have one you can reference.

If you have any questions or need help preparing for Skillathon, please don’t hesitate to reach out! And if you’ve decided to not take your livestock project this year, please let me know as soon as possible.

We are looking forward to seeing all of your hard work and studying pay off!

An exhibitor must complete an in-person Skillathon for each specie they plan to compete for Premier Exhibitor

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An exhibitor must complete an in-person Skillathon for each specie they plan to compete for Premier Exhibitor. If an exhibitor does not participate in the Fairfield County Skillathon for that specie, they will be ineligible for Premier Exhibitor in that specie.

The objective of the Premier Exhibitor Contest is to encourage youth exhibitors to explore multiple aspects of the livestock specie project they are enrolled in, and to reward those youth that participate at the highest level. While some exhibitors may choose to only participate in a single aspect of an animal project, the reality is that all the various opportunities available for any given project are interrelated and participation can enhance the knowledge, skills, and enjoyment gained from the project.

  • Exhibitors will learn that market animals originate from breeding stock.
  • Performance is vital to the profitability of livestock production.
  • Efficient record keeping allows the owner to determine if the project was profitable.
  • Livestock evaluation is the foundation for selecting both breeding and market livestock.
  • Knowing breeds, body parts and muscle names and locations complements one’s ability to evaluate livestock.

It’s all interrelated and encouraging youth to expand their knowledge of their project by participating in a variety of opportunities while also in a competitive environment will enhance the learning experience.

Requirements

  • Exhibitors must be enrolled in a 4-H/FFA project in that species in their respective 4-H Club/FFA Chapter.
  • FairEntry is made in the respective species by August FairEntry deadline.
  • The exhibitor must complete the Fairfield County Skillathon for the species they plan to compete in Premier Exhibitor. Those exhibitors who participate in the alternative Skillathon options will not be eligible for Premier Exhibitor (i.e., Ohio State Fair VIRTUAL Skillathon, Ohio State Fair IN-PERSON Skillathon, and/or Fairfield County Make-Up Skillathon). Project books will be reviewed as part of the county Skillathon event.
  • The exhibitor must complete and turn in their project record book at the species’ scheduled Fairfield County Skillathon to participate in Premier Exhibitor for each respective species. Books will not be accepted on any other date for Premier Exhibitor participants.
  • An exhibitor must complete a Skillathon for each specie they plan to compete for Premier Exhibitor. If an exhibitor does not participate in the Fairfield County Skillathon for that specie, they will be ineligible for Premier Exhibitor in that species.
  • Exhibitors must show their own animal(s).

Eligible Species

  • Dairy Cattle
  • Beef
  • Swine
  • Sheep
  • Dairy Goats
  • Meat/Market Goats
  • Pygmy Goats
  • Poultry
  • Rabbits
  • Dogs
  • Alpacas/Llamas
  • Horses

Scoring

The Premier Exhibitor for each species will be the exhibitor with the highest point total from the activities listed for each specie (dropping the scores as mentioned below).

The goal is to encourage exhibitors to explore various opportunities available to them within their species and allow for lowest scores to be dropped when sufficient experiences can be offered (for example, Beef Exhibitors have far more project opportunities available to them than Pygmy Goats). The objective would be to encourage exhibitors to earn points for exhibiting animals in at least two ways at the Fairfield County Fair in addition to participating in Skillathon, showmanship, rate of gain (if applicable), and judging contests (if applicable). If exhibiting more than one animal in an activity, the highest placing animal will be used for the Premier Exhibitor scoring.

  • Dairy Cattle: The Dairy Cattle Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 6 of the 7 following Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Dairy Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Dairy Judging Contest, and Breeding Class, Market Class, Feeder Class, and Rate of Gain.
  • Beef: The Beef Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 5 of the 8 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Beef Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Beef Judging Contest, Breeding Class, Feeder Class, Market Class, Carcass Class, and Rate of Gain.
  • Swine: The Swine Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Swine Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Swine Judging Contest, Market/MQP Class 1, and Market/MQP Class 2.
  • Sheep: The Sheep Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from 5 of the 6 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Sheep Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Sheep Judging Contest, Breeding Class, Market/MQP Class 1, and Market/MQP Class 2.
  • Dairy Goats: The Dairy Goat Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from all 4 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Dairy Goat Skillathon*, Showmanship, Breeding Animal 1, and Breeding Animal 2.
  • Meat/Market Goats: The Meat/Market Goat Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from 5 of the 6Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Meat/Market Goat Skillathon*, Showmanship, Fairfield County Meat Goat Judging Contest, Breeding (Meat Doe) Class, Market/MQP Class 1, and Market/MQP Class 2.
  • Pygmy Goats: The Pygmy Goat Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from all 4 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Pygmy Goat Skillathon*, Showmanship, Wether Class, and Doe Class.
  • Poultry: The Poultry Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from 4 of the 5 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Poultry Skillathon*, Showmanship, Breeding Class, Layers Class, and Market Class.
  • Rabbits: The Rabbit Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from all 4 of the 6 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Rabbit Skillathon*, Showmanship, Breeding Class 1, Breeding Class 2, Market Class 1, Market Class 2.
  • Dogs: The Dog Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Dog Skillathon*, You & Your Dog Interview, Showmanship, Obedience Class, and Agility.
  • Alpacas/Llamas: The Alpaca & Llama Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 following Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Alpaca/Llama Skillathon*, Showmanship, Public Relations Class, Trail Pack Class, and Obstacle/Agility Class
  • Horses: The Horse Premier Exhibitor will be the highest point total from up to 4 of the 5 following Fairfield County Junior Fair activities: Horse Skillathon*, Showmanship, Pleasure Class, Pattern Class, and Contesting Class.

The *Fairfield County Skillathon will be a mandatory activity for participation in the respective species’ Premier Exhibitor Contest. A Skillathon is an activity to test knowledge of specific subject matter in a hands-on experiential learning model. Skillathons will take place on the assigned day and times in September, and this will be the only opportunity for participants to complete the Skillathon for their respective species and be eligible to participate in the respective Premier Exhibitor Contest. Exhibitors will earn corresponding Premier Exhibitor points based off of their raw score (out of 100 points). Skillathons will be comprised of four stations. A completed project book is required at Skillathon.

The Fairfield County Livestock Judging Contest will take place on Sunday of the Fairfield County Fair for swine, beef, sheep, and goats. Exhibitors will earn corresponding Livestock Judging Contest points based off of their raw score. Total points possible will be determined on the day of the contest. The Fairfield County Dairy Judging Contest will take place on Monday of the Fairfield County Fair for dairy cattle.

Rate of Gain will be available to all market beef, dairy steer, and dairy feeder exhibitors.

Breeding/Market/Showmanship/Rate of Gain class/heat points will be assigned according to class rankings (placing 1st through 5th, followed by participation points).

Livestock Sale: If the Premier Exhibitor has a market animal in that respective species, they will sell third in the market sale for that species following the Overall Grand and Reserve Grand Champion Market Animals. If an exhibitor chooses to take home and earns Premier Exhibitor, they will lose their sale slot. (In that case second place Premier Exhibitor will not move into that sale slot).

Ties: Exhibitors will complete a tiebreaker station at Skillathon for their respective species. Scoring from the tiebreaker station will only be used to help break ties for the overall rankings of each specie’s Premier Exhibitor.

Awards will be given for 1st place winners of each age group (Age 8/9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18), from which, overall 1st through 3rd place winners will be chosen for the Premier Exhibitor Program for each specie.

  • 1st Place Awards for each age group (Age 8/9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18) will receive a rosette and coupon to be used at the fair for a free sandwich at the Fairfield County Cattlemen’s Food Booth.
  • 1st Place Award Overall for each specie will receive a vinyl banner and $100 cash award.
  • 2nd Place Award Overall for each specie will receive a vinyl banner and $75 cash award.
  • 3rd Place Award Overall for each specie will receive a vinyl banner and $50 cash award.

As printed in the 2025 Fairfield County Junior Fair Book.

Attention Dog Exhibitors: Skillathon and Agility Reminders for September 21st

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Dog exhibitors, this post serves as a reminder of some upcoming events that are important for you to be eligible to show at the 2025 Fairfield County Fair.

  1. The Dog Project Identification Form and Vaccination Certificate (signed by a licensed veterinarian) was due by June 1, 2025, in order to be eligible to compete at the Fairfield County Fair. If you are unsure of the status of this form, feel free to contact Haley Black (black.768@osu.edu) and she will let you know. If we did not have these forms from you, you should have received an email from her on Tuesday, August 19th, with details regarding this form.
  2. The Agility Contest will be held prior to the fair on the same day as the Dog Skillathon: Sunday, September 21st at the Fairgrounds from 1:00-3:00 p.m. (Outdoor Show Arena). You must make a fair entry for Agility when making ALL fair entries online to compete in this class prior to the fair. Exhibitors should plan to their schedule to attend agility around their scheduled Skillathon appointment time on this day.
  3. Exhibitors will need to complete Skillathon on Sunday, September 21, 2025. The Skillathon stations are Breeds, Parasites/Diseases, and Ear/Tail Types. If you are unable to attend the Skillathon at the fairgrounds, please see page 24 of the Fairfield County Junior Fair Book for alternative options (#2 and 4), or email me. As a reminder, all exhibitors must complete at least one Skillathon, and if you are planning on competing for Premier Exhibitor, you must complete Skillathons in all species that you plan to compete in.
  4. You and Your Dog Interviews and PetPALS Judging will be completed during the Junior Fair Dog Show on Sunday, October 5, 2025.
  5. Please bring your completed Project Record Book to both Skillathon (in September) and Fair Judging ( in October).
  6. Fair entries are required by 4-H exhibitors to be eligible to compete at the Fairfield County Junior Fair. FairEntry opened August 11, 2025, and you have until August 29, 2025, at 11:59 CST, to complete FairEntry. All entries will be made online in the FairEntry Program using this link: http://go.osu.edu/fairfieldfairentry
    • Please see the attached instructions for making fair entries.
    • Please note that Showmanship ages are as of January 1, 2025.
    • Please select ALL dog classes you wish to participate in for fair (including You and Your Dog Interview Judging, Showmanship, Agility, Obedience, PetPALS). If you do not have respective entries, you will not be able to participate or be eligible for awards.

Scheduling for Skillathon is OPEN!

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To exhibit at the Fairfield County Fair, all exhibitors must participate in at least one Skillathon.

Who Must Participate: Dairy Cattle, Beef Cattle, Swine, Sheep, Horse, Goat (Pygmy, Dairy, Meat/Market), Alpaca/Llama, Poultry, Rabbit (Market & Breeding) and Dog Exhibitors who are in 4-H or FFA, or both.

In Person Skillathon Dates:

  • Saturday, September 6, 2025, 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.: Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Dairy Beef Feeders and Steers, Meat Goats, Sheep & Swine
  • Sunday, September 21, 2025, 11:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.: Rabbits, Poultry, Horses, Alpacas/Llamas, Pygmy & Dairy Goats, Dogs

Additional Information:

  • See page 24 of the 2025 Junior Fair Book for Skillathon rules and alternate participation options if the in-person dates do not work.
  • Premier Exhibitor Participants
    • Must schedule a Skillathon for each species they wish to participate in the Premier Exhibitor Contest for. See page 25 of the Fair Book for details.
    • Additionally, the exhibitor must complete and turn in their project record book at the species’ scheduled Fairfield County Skillathon to participate in Premier Exhibitor for each respective species.
  • Complete the Ohio State Fair Skillathon or Virtual Skillathons? This satisfies the county Skillathon requirement for exhibition; however, if you wish to compete in Premier Exhibitor for any species, you must also take the Fairfield County in-person Skillathon for that species.
  • Even if your Skillathon requirement is complete, project record books must be turned in by September 19, 2025, to fulfill the project book requirement.
  • We still need adult volunteers to help run Skillathons. If available, please email Leslie Cooksey at cooksey.25@osu.edu.

Sign-Up Here:http://go.osu.edu/signup4skillathon

2025 Ohio State Fair Dog Skillathon Results

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Congratulations to Fairfield County 4-H/FFA members completing the Ohio State Fair In-Person Skillathon for Dogs.

For a complete list of Ohio State Fair Skillathon Results, visit: https://ohio4h.org/animalsciences/ohio-4-h-skillathons

2025 Ohio State Fair In-Person Dog Skillathon Results:

  • 13 year olds:
    • 2nd Place – Gracie Weber

All 2025 Ohio 4-H Dog Skillathon Results

Summer Judging Results – Available Online!

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All results from this past week are/will be posted online. Click here for all results.

Congrats to all 4-H members who completed their projects and participated in judging this week! You all did a great job… keep up the great work!

All award winners will be invited to attend Summerfest to receive their awards. Summerfest will be held on Sunday, August 17th at 6:00 p.m. at the Old General Sherman Building. Emailed invitations will be sent to county award winners in a few weeks.

4-H Dog Exhibitors – Items due June 1st

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Hello Dog Project Exhibitors – This post serves as a reminder for all 201D You and Your Dog Exhibitors about upcoming dates regarding your project. Information was also emailed to those enrolled in the 4-H Dog Project on May 14th via 4-HOnline. 

The 2025 Ohio Dog Project Identification Form and Vaccination Certificate is due June 1, 2025, to the OSU Extension Office (831 College Avenue, Suite D, Lancaster, OH 43130). As we know that this deadline is on a weekend, we will be accepting paperwork through the end of day on Monday, June 2, 2025. Our business hours are Monday-Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. If you are unable to make it during business hours, we do have a drop box on the right side of our building, this box is by the door and will have the 4-H logo on it. The 2025 Ohio Dog Project Identification Forma and Vaccination Certificate can be found here: 2025 Ohio Dog Project Identification Form and Vaccination Certificate

 Additionally, we are urging members and families to view the State Ohio 4-H Dog website for more information regarding rules, resources, and the 2025 Showmanship and You and Your Dog questions. This website will also have the links to the rules and scoresheets that we utilize at the Fairfield County Fair. The link to the State 4-H Dog Website is: https://ohio4h.org/animalsciences/dog/dog-resources.

 Please let us know if you have any questions regarding this information.

 

Dog Exhibitors: Ohio State Fair Entries are due May 21st at 1:00 p.m.

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Entries for the Ohio State Fair Dog Show close May 21 at 1:00 pm. There are no late entries.

The 2025 Ohio State Fair Dog Show JUNE 16-18 is open for entries. Please go to the Ohio State Fair website to enter the dog show: https://www.ohiostatefair.com/…/livestock-competitions

The 2025 Ohio State Fair Agility Trial JULY 23 is open for entries. Please follow this link to enter the agility trial: https://go.osu.edu/2025osfagility

Adult Opportunity – Do you have a background in the 4-H Dog Program? Consider the Ohio 4-H Dog Judges Seminar

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The biannual Ohio 4-H Dog Judges Seminar is open for registration. The attached document is detailed information about the event. Participants can register at: http://go.osu.edu/2025dogjudgesseminar

 

The goals and objectives of this seminar are to:

  • ∼ Educate participants about the purpose and philosophy of Ohio 4-H and the 4-H dog program;
  • ∼ Review and practice general judging guidelines for junior fair dog shows in Ohio;
  • ∼ Review 4-H dog rules, including obedience, showmanship, and rally, and You & Your Dog;
  • ∼ Review judging procedures;
  • ∼ Provide demonstrations and hands-on judging experience;
  • ∼ Bring consistency to judging 4-H dog show classes; and
  • ∼ Develop a list of potential 4-H dog show judges for county 4-H dog shows and the Ohio State Fair Dog Show.

Please pass this information to the 4-H dog volunteers in your county. The next 4-H Dog Judges Seminar will be offered winter of 2027.

2025 Dog Judges Seminar Event Final