Dog agility
Dog agility is a sport in which a dog moves through an obstacle course with the
guidance of his handler. Dogs run off leash, so the handler's only controls are voice and body language, requiring exceptional obedience training of the animal. In competition, both accuracy and speed are important.
A competition agility field showing (clockwise from lower left) a tunnel, the dogwalk, the judge standing in front of a winged jump, two additional winged jumps, dog executing the teeter-totter with his handler guiding, and the tire jump.
The right side of the same agility field showing (clockwise from foreground) the weave poles, the pause table, the A-frame, two winged jumps, the collapsed tunnel (or chute), and a wingless jump. Numbered orange plastic cones next to obstacles indicate the order in which the dog must perform them.
In its simplest form, an agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles, laid out by an agility judge in a design of his own choosing on a roughly 100-foot by 100-foot area, with numbers indicating the order in which the dog must complete the obstacles.
Because each course is different, handlers are allowed a short walk-through before the competition starts. During this time, all handlers competing in a particular class can walk or run around the course without their dogs, determining how best they can position themselves and guide their dogs to get the most accurate and rapid path around the numbered obstacles.
The walk-through is critical for success because the course's path can make sharp turns, even U-turns or 270-degree turns, can cross back and forth across the field, can use the same obstacle more than once, can have two obstacles so close to each other that the dog and handler must be able to clearly discriminate which to take, and can be arranged so that the handler must work with obstacles between himself and the dog or at a great distance from the dog.
Each dog and handler team gets exactly one opportunity together to attempt to complete the course successfully. The dog starts behind a starting line and then, when instructed by his handler, proceeds around the course. The handler typically runs near the dog, directing the dog with spoken commands and with the position of arms, shoulders, and feet.
Because speed counts as much as accuracy, especially at higher levels of competition, this all takes place at a full-out run on the dog's part and, in places, on the handler's part as well.
When all dogs have run, scoring is based on how many faults the dog incurred, including time faults (usually a one-to-one correspondence between points and seconds over the calculated standard course time).
Agility obstacles
Although different organizations specify somewhat different rules for the construction of obstacles, the basic form of the obstacles is the same whereever they are used. Obstacles include the following:
Contact obstacles
;A-frame: Two platforms, usually about 3 feet wide by 8 feet long, hinged together and raised so that the hinged connection is between five and six-and-a-half feet above the ground (depending on the organization), forming roughly an A shape. The bottom 30 to 40 inches of both sides of the A-frame are painted a light color, usually yellow, forming the contact zone, into which the dog must place at least one paw while ascending or descending.
;Dogwalk: Three eight- or ten-foot planks, 9 to 12 inches wide, connected at the ends. The center plank is raised to about 4 feet high, so that the two end planks form ramps leading up to and down from the center plank. This obstacle also has contact zones.
;Teeter-totter (or seesaw): Yup, that's what it is. This also has contact zones.
;Crossover: Picture a 4-foot-high table (see "Miscellaneous") obstacle with dogwalk ramps coming down from the center of all four sides. This has not been a commonly used obstacle and not all organizations have allowed it.
Tunnels
;Tunnel (or chute): A solid tube, 10 to 20 feet long and about 2 feet in diameter, through which the dog runs. The tunnel is constructed of flexible vinyl and wire so that it can be configured in a straight line or curved.
;Collapsed tunnel (also called chute): A barrel-like cylinder with a tube of fabric attached around one end. The fabric extends about 8 to 12 feet and lies closed until the dog runs into the open end of the chute and pushes his way out through the fabric tube.
;Tunnel maze: A new obstacle (as of 2004) consisting of several interconnected tunnels through which the handler must guide the dog by voice commands. In the United States, only CPE currently allows this obstacle.
Jumps
;Jump (or hurdle): Two upright bars supporting a horizontal bar over which the dog jumps. The height is adjusted for dogs of different heights. The uprights can be simple bars or can have wings of various shapes, sizes, and colors.
;Double and triple jumps: Two or three sets of uprights, each with horizontal poles. The Double can have parallel or ascending horizontal bars; the triple always has ascending bars. The spread between the horizontal bars is sometimes adjusted for the height of the dog.
;Panel jump: Instead of horizontal bars, the jump is a solid panel from the ground up to the jump height. This is usually constructed of several short panels that can be removed to adjust the height for different dog heights.
;Broad jump: A set of four or five slightly raised platforms that form a broad area over which the dog must jump without setting feet on any of the platforms. Length is adjusted for dog's height.
;Tire jump: Just what it sounds like: A tire suspended in a frame. The dog must jump through the opening of the tire. The height is adjusted for dogs of different heights.
Miscellaneous
;Table (or pause table): An elevated square platform about 3 feet across onto which the dog must jump and pause, either sitting or in a down position, for a certain period, usually about 5 seconds. The height ranges from about 8 inches to 30 inches depending on the dog's height.
;Weave poles: Similar to a slalom, this is a series of upright poles, each about 30 inches tall and spaced about 20 inches apart, through which the dog weaves. Varies from 5 to 12 poles at one time.
Agility scoring
Each organization has its own rules about what constitutes faults and whether you can earn credit toward agility titles with faulted runs. In most cases, you must have a clean run (no faults) to earn credit.
Completing a run that earns title credit is referred to as a qualifying run.
Faults can include the following:
Time faults
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Going over the maximum time alloted by the judge to complete a course (the standard course time (SCT).
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Missed contact
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When the dog fails to place a foot in the contact zone when performing a contact obstacle. In popular jargon, a flyoff is when the dog misses the contact zone because he leaps from the obstacle a long way above the zone, often in a spectacular flying manner.
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Knocked or dropped bar
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Displacing a bar (or panel) when going over a jump.
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Weave pole fault
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The dog must enter with the first pole to his left and proceed through the weaves without skipping any. Entering incorrectly, skipping poles, or backweaving when attempting to correct missed poles can all be faults.
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Off course
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Dog takes the wrong obstacle on a course in which the obstacles are numbered sequentially.
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Refusal
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The dog makes an approach towards the correct obstacle, but then turns away or hesitates significantly.
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Runout
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The dog doesn't directly approach the next obstacle, instead running past it.
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Other faults
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Can include dog biting the judge or the handler (or the handler biting the dog, I suppose, as well as other unsportsmanlike behavior), the dog eliminating in the ring, the dog running with his collar on (they're supposed to be naked in most organizations), the dog leaving the ring and not coming back within a reasonable amount of time, and others.
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Different organizations place different values on these faults.
Agility games
Given the available set of obstacles and possible faults, there are many permutations of games that one can play on the agility field. A typical course is laid out within a 100x100-foot area, with roughly 10 to 20 feet between obstacles.
Judges design their own courses using the rules of the sanctioning organization. Each organization decides which games are valid for achieving titles and how each must be performed, but there are many similarities.
Some of the common games are
- Standard (or Regular): This is a numbered course consisting of (usually) at least one of each of the three contact obstacles plus jumps, tunnels, and weave poles of various flavors. A novice course might consist of as few as 15 obstacles; a higher-level course might have 22. The dog must negotiate the obstacles in the correct order within the standard course time (SCT).
- Strategy and entertainment value: Because the handler is on the course with the dog (in all games), she must find a way to move herself efficiently around the course while providing the dog with clear, rapid, unambiguous directions. The goal is to enable the dog to move around the course at his fastest safe speed, which can be considerably faster than most handlers, so handlers demonstrate their own agility by crossing behind or in front of the dog's path at opportune moments. At more advanced levels, the judge designs a course with more calloffs, obstacle discriminations, and other challenges.
- Jumpers: This numbered course consists of only jumps of various types and, depending on the organization, also weave poles and tunnels. The dog must negotiate the obstacles in the correct order within the standard course time (SCT).
- Strategy and entertainment value: The dogs achieve their fastest speed on these courses because there are no contact obstacles to slow them down. The handler must be especially nimble and clear in her directions to the dog. Judges often design the ends of their Jumpers courses with a straight line of jumps leading to the finish line, which excites both dog and audience as the dog reaches his top speed.
- Gamblers (or Jackpot or Joker): An unnumbered course. The game typically consists of two parts, an opening sequence and the closing sequence, also known as the gamble, joker, or jackpot. In the opening sequence, the dog has a certain amount of time in which to do whatever obstacles the handler deems appropriate and accrues points based on the obstacles completed. At the end of the opening time period, a whistle blows. At that point, the dog has a certain small amount of time (about 15 seconds) in which to complete a sequence of obstacles designated by the judge ahead of time. The trick is that there is a line on the ground past which the handler must not step, typically parallelling the gamble obstacles 10 to 20 feet away.
- Strategy and entertainment value: The handler must choose an opening sequence that flows comfortably for her dog's skills and experience. She must also plan the sequence so that, when the first whistle blows, the dog is in a good position to immediately begin the gamble (because loitering is a fault). The greatest challenge is the distance handling--getting the dog to move or even turn away from you; most handler/dog teams find this to be among the hardest agility challenges.
- Snooker: Loosely based on the tabletop game of Snooker. The course has at least three red jumps, each numbered 1, and six other obstacles numbered 2 through 7. The dog accumulates points based on the obstacle's number. In the snooker opening, the dog must complete a 1, then any obstacle numbered 2-7, a different 1 and any 2-7 obstacle (including the one already performed), and yet another different 1 and another 2-7 obstacle. For example, the dog could perform the red on the left for 1 point, the 7-point obstacle, the red in the middle for 1 point and then the 7-pointer again, then the red on the far side of the course and the 7-pointer one more time, for a total of 24 points. After this, the dog must complete the obstacles 2-7, in order, for an additional possible 27 points. Failure to follow these rules exactly (such as knocking a bar or taking 2 reds in a row) results in the dog and handler being whistled off the course.
- Strategy and entertainment value: The interesting part of the game is in seeing how people structure their opening sequence to gain more points and to be in a good position to flow into the closing sequence and still remain within the fairly short standard course time.
- Steeplechase: Usually a standard course without a pause table to give the dog a good, fast run.
Fairness among dogs
Although each organization has its own rules, all divide dogs into smaller groups that are close to each other in size and experience for purposes of calculating winners. This means that there will be winners in each group for each class (or game) over the course of a trial.
Dogs are measured in height at the peak of their withers (shoulders). They are then divided into height groups; for example, dogs measuring between 12 and 16 inches might compete together with the jumps set at a height of 12 inches. This ensures that dogs who might have an advantage on a particular course because of their size (larger or smaller) keep the advantage to a minimum.
Dogs are further divided into their experience levels. So, for example, you might have the 12-inch Novice dogs competing, the 12-inch Intermediate dogs competing, and the 12-inch Masters dogs competing. Dogs typically have to have certain numbers of successes at lower levels before they can move up to compete with more advanced dogs.
Some organizations even further divide dogs into special categories because the dogs are older (usually over 7 years) or have junior handlers (usually under 18) or the like.
History of dog agility
Dog agility is a fairly new sport, created in the early 1980s in the United Kingdom. It has spread rapidly around the world. Its first appearance was as entertainment at the Crufts dog show in 1978. Its creators, including John Rogerson and others, started with basic jumps and obstacles from horse steeplechase races and added obstacles that dogs could perform, such as a teeter-totter and a tunnel. It combined existing elements from sheepdog trials and from the training of police dogs.
The demonstration was so popular that it grew into local, then international, competitions with standardized equipment.
Agility in the United States
The first agility competition in the United States took place around 1986 under the rules of the fledgling United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA).
As of January, 2004, the following organizations have rules for agility performance, titles, and equipment in the United States. These organizations sanction clubs to allow them to host agility competitions ("trials" or "matches").
International championships
Some competitions invite qualified entrants from multiple countries, thereby making them International Championships. Examples:
- FCI, the oldest and best-known, usually held in Europe
- USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility World Championship, so far held in the U.S., but work is underway for a European version
Links
In addition to the sanctioning organizations listed previously, general information is available at the following:
Referenced By
Dog sports | List of dog sports
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