Clean Run Magazine - June 2007 - 7

Everything you always wanted to know about agility but were to ask afraid By Brenna Fender ? Which agility organization has the most trials? Which has the most entries? According to an AKC agility representative, the number of trials last year (2006) was 1,956—an increase of 10% over the previous year. The number of entries was 745,852, which was also a 10% increase over the number of entries in 2005. Neither NADAC nor USDAA have the number of entries readily available, nor do they keep exact statistics on numbers of trials held. NADAC representatives estimate that more than 400 trials were held in 2006. Approximately 553 USDAA trials were held in the same year. How old does my dog have to be to be eligible for entry in an agility trial? 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. semifinalists of the Grand Prix and Performance National Standard Championships. Look for details in the 2007 Cynosport World Games test schedule. More changes will be implemented at a later date, mostly likely including a course design policy statement. Check www.usdaa. com for formal wording of these changes and new updates as they occur. How many agility abbreviations are there? Some are easy to figure out, like DW and AF. But 1RTO, RFP, 2o/2o—how can I figure out what all these mean? Each agility organization lists in its rules and regulations a minimum age for dogs to compete. For AKC, CPE, and DOCNA trials, dogs must be at least 15 months old. USDAA and NADAC require dogs to be a minimum of 18 months of age. UKC requires a dog to be only 6 months old to compete. Keep in mind that these age minimums are just that— minimums. It might not be appropriate for your dog to begin competing, or even training at full height, at these ages. You should take into account whether the dog’s growth plates have closed (usually determined by your veterinarian) and whether the dog is physically and mentally ready for this active sport. Many trainers don’t advocate weaving or jumping young dogs, particularly members of large breeds. Consult your veterinarian and experienced trainers to help you determine whether your dog is ready to compete. Under the new USDAA rules, how tall is the A-frame for my 11.5" dog? Are there other rule changes that might affect my dog or me? Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be an available list of every abbreviation that is used in agility. New abbreviations are added often as the sport evolves. The glossary of terms that Clean Run had on their website is temporarily unavailable while the Magazine Forum page is under development. Of the terms you mentioned, 1RTO refers to “one rear toe on,” a method of teaching the down contact popularized by competitor Linda Mecklenburg. In this method, the dog is expected to descend the contact obstacle and stop with at least one rear toe in the contact zone. Two-on/two-off (or 2o/2o) is another method of training contact performance, referring to having a dog stop at the end of the contact obstacle with his two front feet on the ground and two hind feet in the contact zone. RFP refers to the reverse flow pivot, defined in Clean Run’s glossary as “A handling maneuver used to shorten the dog’s stride and pull the dog quickly into the handler as an aid in making a tight turn or grabbing the dog’s attention before negotiating a challenge, such as an obstacle discrimination problem. The handler performs two pivots in quick succession, first turning into the dog (counter-rotation) and then turning back to the original direction.” D The A-frame for small dogs and for all dogs in the Performance program is now set between 5'5" and 5'7". Other changes that might affect your dog include a new way to qualify for the IFCS World Championships in 2008. Also, in the Championship program Gamblers classes, the time standards for the gamble or joker have been changed to read twelve (12) seconds to twenty (20) seconds. Another change is the elimination of the Veteran’s Grand Prix, which is currently part of the Cynosport World Games. It will be replaced by a Veterans Showcase, featuring both past NOTE: While it is not permissible to make copies of Clean Run magazine, we wish to give readers permission to make copies of this particular column for personal use. This means you are free to share copies of this column with students, friends, or club members. The information may also be included in not-for-proﬁt newsletters as long as credit is given to Clean Run. June 07 | Clean Run 7

Clean Run Magazine - June 2007

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run Magazine - June 2007