Clean Run - June 2017 - 28

Throughout my time in the sport of dog agility, I have taken a passionate and competitive approach
to training and competing with my dogs. Lessons in mental attitude and mental game have since
followed, and continue to greet me at both expected and unexpected moments. Often these are lessons in failure,
frustration, success, mental toughness, and mental vulnerability.

Sense of Self
US vs. UK Agility
By Tori Self

In 2015 I moved from the United States
to Wales. Like myself in 2014, you may
not know where Wales is in the world, or
you may only have a faint idea. Wales is
part of the United Kingdom (UK), along
with England, Scotland, and Northern
Ireland (all of which are part of the island
of Great Britain, along with the Republic
of Ireland; relax, there's no quiz at the end
of this article). They speak both English
and Welsh here, the countryside is gorgeous, the people are lovely, and, yes,
there is dog agility.
When I moved to Wales nearly two years
ago I had the opportunity to bring along
my dogs as well. Naturally while here I
have done a bit of agility training and
competing and as a result I've had the opportunity to see first hand how dog agility exists in the UK. As with any global
sport or activity, dog agility can look
rather different across the world: handling styles vary, training protocols vary,
expenses vary, competition size and event
locations vary, and each factor listed
here (plus numerous others) affects the
development of every other factor. This
article will aim to pull out some of the
most potent and useful differences I have
observed in UK agility, with the intent to
challenge some of the norms we have on
the US agility scene.

Geography
There is an inherent difference in
geography and size between the US
and the UK. In total the UK is 94,060
square miles while the US is 3.797 million square miles. Obviously our two
regions vary massively in size, but to
give you a bit more perspective on this,
the UK is actually slightly smaller than
the entire state of Oregon, which measures 98,466.1 square miles. Meanwhile,
California alone is 163,696 square miles,
and if we want to get into Texas, well,
it is nearly triple the size of the UK at
268,497 square miles. What does that
mean for dog agility exactly? It means
that the development of the sport from
a geographic standpoint is more comparable between the UK and one to five
US states (depending on size) than it is
between the UK and the entire US.
In the UK, the growth of dog agility
as a national sport has benefited from
the tight proximity of the country. Put
simply, when you are closer to necessary
resources it is not only easier to access
them, it's more likely that you will. Both
the UK and the US are full of top-notch
dog trainers and handlers. Moreover, various locations in both countries have the
ability to bring in instructors from other
parts of the world, as well as host numerous competitions at local, regional, and

national levels. However, travel distance
in the UK is limited by the country's size.
Cross-country flights for regional or national events are non-existent, and since
living here the most I've ever had to travel to an event or training day was four
hours. Typically my travel time averages
30 minutes to two hours in one direction,
with a fair number of events within an
hour of my location.
Conversely, I grew up and began my
agility career in Florida. Back in the day
(i.e., 2004) there were maybe three local
trials in a year that were 45 minutes to an
hour drive away. Most events I attended
were two to three hours one direction,
and if I wanted to attend a seminar, that
was guaranteed to be at least a two-hour
drive. This meant either entering just one
day of a show or opting to pay accommodation expenses as well. The show climate
has since changed alongside the growth
of agility within Florida, a phenomenon
that seems to be happening around the
US. As dog agility grows within a state,
the number of trials increase and the
locations broaden. However, while year
after year more local trials are popping
up, as soon as you move into regional or
national competition everything changes.
In the UK national events are relatively
accessible to anyone and everyone who
can prove they have the skills needed to
Clean Run | June 17

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - June 2017