Backing - protocols.

[DesO'Neile]

How much credit do you give a dog for a back to command? At what stage do you, as a judge, tell the backing handler to put their dog on the lead if they are interfering with the pointing dog having to repeatedly tell their dog to stay? Do you consider this a "rules" issue or a "sportsmanship" issue?
For what it's worth my own views are, 1, very little, 2, the first time they make a sound or distract the pointing dog in any way, 3, sportsmanship.
Quite often I have let my dog go over the hill rather than even try to stop or turn him while another dog is on point.