For us, the nearest test is once a year, two hours away, in Indianapolis. There is a chain of clubs giving draft tests yearly. Some wealthy or retired folks make a vacation of entering all the tests and driving the circuit. Entrants are selected via a lottery system. Receiving more than the limit of entries by a certain date, clubs draw entries out of a barrel, then draw a list of alternates.
Most entrants are lucky to make it into one or two tests a year.
All parts of the test are off- lead, and a team shall not qualify during any section if the dog refuses to accompany the handler, urine marks, upsets the draft apparatus, or is guided by handler holding the draft apparatus. The team does not qualify if the handler physically touches or guides the dog or moves in front of dog to enforce a halt command. At some point during the moving exercises, an intriguing distraction appears in front of the dog. This is usually staged in addition to any natural distractions such as squirrels , rabbits, hikers, joggers, etc., that may appear. When the distraction appears, the dog may stop what it is doing or shift its position to watch but is not allowed to divert from the course it is following.