Dog agility worldwide

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Dog agility is now an international dog sport with many different sanctioning organizations and competitions worldwide.

1 Agility in the United Kingdom
2 Agility in the United States
3 List of sanctioning organizations
4 See also

[edit] Agility in the United Kingdom

[edit] Eligibility for competition

Dogs of all sizes and origins are eligible to compete at agility shows in the UK, provided that they are:

Registered with the show's organising body, where required
A minimum of 18 months of age (16 months in UKA nursery classes)
Not a bitch in season
Not suffering from any infectious or contagious disease
Not of such a temperament as to be a danger to the safety of any person or other animal
Not in a physical condition that would cause suffering when competing

[edit] Kennel Club shows

Agility shows run by clubs that are affiliated to the Kennel Club continue to dominate the British agility scene. They host qualifiers for the most prestigious competitions at Crufts dog show near Birmingham each March, and Olympia in London each December. They also provide a route for winning the three Championship classes needed to gain an agility dog the coveted 'Agility Champion' title.

Progression at KC shows is primarily via a win-based system, in classes that can number anything up to 450 dogs, though generally averaging about 200. From January 2007, the KC has adopted a new grading system. Dogs with new handlers start in Grade 1 Elementary, and if they gain the wins required move up through Starters, Graduate, Novice, Intermediate and Senior to Grade 7 Advanced level. By the time a dog reaches Advanced (at which point it becomes eligible for Championship classes), it will have won many classes. The new grading system also provides the option to progress as far as Grade 5 Intermediate via a points system, run in conjunction with the Kennel Club's Agility Warrant (AW) agility titles.

The Kennel Club introduced its International Festival of Agility in 2005, a weekend event that hosts a range of national team and individual competitions and finals, including the British Open. The KC also funds the British agility team that is sent to the FCI world championships each year.

[edit] Other UK agility shows

UK Agility (UKA), launched in 2004, provides two separate progression programmes leading to agility titles. The Performance programme requires points to be gained in a range of Agility, Jumping and Games classes such as Gamblers and Snooker. This titling system has many similarities with that of the USDAA in the United States. The Steeplechase programme is based on Steeplechase classes consisting only of jumps and tunnels. UKA shows are run by both the main UKA team and affiliated independent clubs. UKA runs a weeklong show with its national championships in August each year, and also sends a team to the IFCS world championships.

Agility Addicts, launched in 2004, provides its own progression system, allowing dogs to progress on wins gained at Agility Addicts shows. There is also an agility titling system, with separate titles available at three levels in Agility, Jumping and Games classes, leading to an overall title. Agility Addicts hosts its first 3-day show and finals in May 2007.

The British Agility Association (BAA) was launched in 2006 by EMDAC. It provides its own progression system, with dogs being promoted via a ranking system based on performance at BAA shows. BAA shows are run both by the main EMDAC team and affiliated independent clubs. EMDAC host the BAA National Finals, a 3-day event in August each year.

It Barks (and associated clubs Oswestry and Dashin Dogs) provide a range of classes that are broadly similar to Kennel Club ones, though with differences in the progression system. In addition, a number of independent clubs and groups around the United Kingdom hold one-off shows or short series of shows that are not affiliated with any of the above organisations.

[edit] Agility in the United States

The first agility competition in the United States took place around 1986 under the rules of the newly-formed United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA).

[edit] Qualification for competition

For all organizations, dogs can compete provided that they are:

Registered with the specific organization
Physically sound (blindness, deafness AKC Regulations, and physical impairments interfering with functional movement may disqualify a dog from eligibility; consult each organization for more specific information)
At least the minimum age (for example, 15 months in AKC[1] and CPE, 18 months in USDAA and NADAC)
Not a female in heat
Well-behaved enough to be off leash around other dogs and people; for example, dogs who attack the judge, other people, or other dogs may be expelled from the trial site and may eventually be banned from competing

Dogs of any size, ancestry, or nationality can compete, with the exceptions of the AKC, which limits dogs to those who are eligible for registry with the AKC, and the TDAA, which limits dogs to those of no more than 17" at the withers.

[edit] Agility titles and championships

For most sanctioning organizations, there are a variety of titles that a dog and handler can earn by accruing sufficient qualifying runs—also called legs—that is, runs that have no more than a certain number of faults (typically none) and are faster than the maximum standard course time (SCT).

For example, under USDAA rules, a dog can earn novice-level titles in Standard, Jumpers, Gamblers, Snooker, and Pairs Relay classes by earning 3 qualifying runs in each of the classes; the dog can also earn intermediate-level titles and masters-level titles in the same classes. After earning all of the masters-level titles—five qualifying runs in each, with some that must be in the top 15% of dogs competing at each trial—the dog earns its Championship. Other organizations have similar schemes; in AKC, to earn the Championship, the dog's qualifying runs must be earned two at a time on the same day; in NADAC, the quantity of qualifying runs is much larger; and so on. Most champion titles have "CH" in the title: NATCH (NADAC Agility Trial Champion), ADCH (Agility Dog Champion for USDAA), CATCH (CPE Agility Trial Champion), MACH (Master Agility Champion for AKC), TACH (Teacup Agility Champion), ATCH (ASCA Agility Trial Champion) and so on.

[edit] National championships

In addition, each sanctioning organization holds its national championships each year. Dogs must meet certain minimum scoring requirements to qualify to compete in the annual championship; for example, the dog must earn qualifying scores in at least 50% of the runs at each of at least 3 trials during the year; or must place in the top certain percentage of dogs at certain trials; or must have a qualifying run in special regional qualifying events; and so on.

As with any agility competition, there are national champions in each height category because it is not possible for dogs of greatly different sizes to compete equally.

[edit] USDAA national championships

USDAA has 12", 16", 22", and 26" (30, 40, 55, and 66 cm) jump-height categories; it crowns four national Grand Prix champions each year, as well as four Veterans and four Performance (lower-level performance) Grand Prix champions. It also holds championships for its Dog Agility Steeplechase and its Dog Agility Masters Three-Dog Team tournament series.

[edit] AKC national championships

To qualify for the AKC Dog Agility Nationals, dogs must obtain double Qs and points during the preceding year. (The exact number of each has been increasing each year - for 2008 it is 6 double Qs and 400 MACH points.) A double Q means that the dog has earned qualifying scores in both runs of a single day of competition. Points are earned by the number of seconds under the standard course time that the dog takes to run a course, and are multiplied by various factors based on placement. At Nationals, dogs compete against their height division of 8", 12", 16", 20", 24", or 26". The AKC Nationals are often televised.

The AKC also runs an annual breed invitational to represent the best dogs from each breed. The invitational qualification and competition are similar to those of the Nationals.

[edit] List of sanctioning organizations

[edit] North America

Agility Association of Canada (AAC). External link: [2]
Canadian Kennel Club (CKC). External link: [3]
North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC). External link: [4]
United States Dog Agility Association, Inc. (USDAA). External link: [5]
United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA). External link: [6]
United Kennel Club (UKC). Started as NCDA, which in 1995 became the UKC agility program. External link: [7]
North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC). External link: [8]
American Kennel Club (AKC). External link: [9]
Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA). External link: [10]
Canine Performance Events (CPE). External link: [11]
Teacup Dogs Agility Association (TDAA). External link: [12]
Dogs On Course North America (DOCNA). External link: [13]