Clean Run Magazine -May 2010 - 7

Everything you always wanted to know about agility
By Brenna Fender I just heard that the AKC is now allowing mixed breeds in the same agility classes as purebreds—no special mixed-breed placements or titles. Is it true and how did it happen?
At the meeting on January 11, 2010, the AKC Board decided to enhance the AKC Canine Partners (mixed-breed) program. While the choice to include mixed breeds in agility, obedience, and rally events is still at the discretion of the trial-giving clubs, any mixes entered “will compete in the same classes and earn the same titles as their purebred counterparts” according to AKC’s January 15 announcement. The move is somewhat surprising considering the change was made before the program even began. The announcement, also available at www.akc.org/pdfs/mixedBreed/CPLetter.pdf states in part, “After taking into consideration staff recommendations; compelling feedback from dog owners, clubs and fanciers; and the long lead time for event applications, AKC decided it was best to move quickly and change the program format so a majority of clubs would have the option to take advantage of the opportunity to allow mixed breeds to compete in existing Agility, Obedience, and Rally events beginning April 1, 2010.” Assistant Vice President, AKC Canine Partners, Doug Ljungren, said that this change came about as a result of both internal discussions and feedback: “The Board decided on their own initiative that they wanted to revisit the conditions under which mixed breeds would be allowed to participate. The staff involved felt strongly the changes were the right thing to do. The Canine Partners Department feels these changes will further open the world of agility, obedience, and rally to many more mixed breed dog owners. This is good for hosting clubs, good for the sport, and good for the dogs and their owners.”
Do you have a question about agility rules or anything else agility related? Mail your questions to Brenna Fender: brennafender@gmail.com Brenna collects the questions and forwards them to us so we never see the names.

Tournament rules are updated each year with necessary qualification requirements to attend the annual championship event. The current regulations for all tournament events are at www.usdaa. com/gen_formDoc.cfm. The USDAA Grand Prix of Dog Agility World Championships and Performance Grand Prix are individual competitions that run on a standard agility course. Placements are based on the competitors with the fewest penalties; if there is a tie, the team with the fastest time is the winner. Winners in each jump height of the two tournaments at the Cynosport World Games are named champions. The $10,000 Dog Agility Steeplechase and Performance Speed Jumping Championships have a different course design and scoring system. In these tournaments, competitors can actually win money. The courses involve only jumps, tunnels, the A-frame, and weave poles and are judged on a time plus faults basis. The tournament is conducted as a two-round event at both the local and championship levels. Top seeds from the first round advance to the second where winners are awarded cash prizes, which range from a few dollars to several hundred dollars at the local and regional levels (award amounts are based on the number of entries). Prize money at the finals at the Cynosport World Games is more than $10,000. In the Dog Agility Masters Three-Dog Team Championships and Performance Versatility Pairs, each team member runs in Standard, Snooker, Jumpers, Gamblers Choice, and Team (or Pairs for Performance) Relay. Teams accumulate points based on each individual performance in the competition. Members of the highest scoring team at the finals at the Cynosport Games are named champions in their respective tournaments. USDAA has restarted its Spring Festival of Dog Agility in 2010 as a multi-location simulcast event with prize money for winners at each location. USDAA president Kenneth Tatsch expects this tournament to grow dramatically in future years. D

What are “tournament classes” in USDAA? Can you really win money?
USDAA offers six annual tournaments: the Grand Prix of Dog Agility World Championships, the $10,000 Dog Agility Steeplechase Championships, and the Dog Agility Masters Three-Dog Team Championships are offered on the Championship track; and the Performance Grand Prix, the Performance Speed Jumping Championships, and the Performance Versatility Pairs Championships are the Performance counterparts. Tournament classes are offered on a local level; qualifying there can lead to regional, national, and international competitions. Events are open to all competitors (there are no required titles to enter) and are held in designated cities across North America and other parts of the world. Each tournament culminates in a finals round at the Cynosport World Games.

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http://www.akc.org/pdfs/mixedBreed/CPLetter.pdf http://www.usdaa.com/gen_formDoc.cfm http://www.usdaa.com/gen_formDoc.cfm

Clean Run Magazine -May 2010

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