Clean Run - August 2012 - 7

Everything you always wanted to know about agility
By Brenna Fender

Is AKC ever going to roll FAST and T2B into the MACH requirements, or is the intent for them to remain stand-alone classes?
According to AKC Director of Agility Carrie DeYoung, the FAST (Fifteen and Send Time) and T2B (Time 2 Beat) classes will not be added to the MACH requirements.
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.

In AKC agility events is a dog allowed to have painted toenails? Also, is there any restriction on the type of haircut a dog can wear to compete?
DeYoung reports that painted toenails are not allowed. You may very well have seen dogs with painted toenails running at an AKC trial or maybe you’ve even done it yourself; certainly it might be hard for a judge to see painted nails when your dog is running at top speed! But technically, polish is a no-no. With haircuts, almost anything is allowed. DeYoung reports that dogs have run wearing mohawks, with pumpkins carved into their coats, and more. And Chapter 4, Section 11 of the Regulations Applying to Agility Trials states that any dog that has hair over his eyes that interferes with his vision, or whose hair on his ears interferes with the safe performance of the obstacles, may have his hair tied back with rubber bands—so those are okay, too. But since the Rules Applying to Dog Shows states that a dog that has been altered cannot be shown, no hair dye or paint may be applied to the dog’s fur.

Certainly, it’s embarrassing when your dog relieves himself in the ring, but it is a problem that happens to many competitors over a long agility career. Dogs have peed on tunnels and even defecated on the dogwalk, so you should realize that this is a common occurrence at trials. You should also make sure to exercise your dogs thoroughly before your runs in the future to attempt to avoid a repeat performance!

Clean Run now offers videos on demand. How does this work? I’ve heard that the people who make DVDs don’t get any payment for rented DVDs and VODs, which doesn’t sound fair at all.
You are right, that isn’t fair! In fact, Clean Run started offering videos on demand in order to provide customers with a rental option while ensuring that authors get compensated. The other DVD rental services do not compensate the DVD authors in any way. To rent a video from Clean Run, visit the web store at www.cleanrun.com/index.cfm and Select Video On Demand from the Books & DVDs menu. Then select from one of the many titles available. Your purchase allows you access to the online video for 14 days after you begin to play the program for the first time. You will not be allowed to download the video but you can play it from the website and you can pause, fast forward, rewind, and stop and start it. The first time you view a Clean Run VOD program, you will create a user name and password to open a VOD account. You can use this account information to log in and play the VOD you rented at any time during the 14-day rental period. After you finish viewing your VOD, if you decide you’d like to purchase the DVD version, you will receive a $5 or $10 credit (depending on the DVD price) toward the purchase. D

Can you enter the same dog in both the USDAA Dog Agility Masters Team championship and the Performance Grand Prix at the same regional event?
At Regionals and at the Cynosport World Games (USDAA’s national event), a competitor must enter all Championship or Performance classes; she cannot mix and match. For local events, a competitor may enter Championship and Performance classes in any combination.

What is the protocol if your dog relieves himself in the ring?
Each club may have a slightly different plan for handling this problem. The important thing is to minimize the mess by keeping your dog in one place until he is finished eliminating. Generally, you should wait in the area of the waste (so that you can easily find it again) until someone brings cleaning supplies (those are often kept ringside for just such an occasion). Then you should help with the clean-up as best as you can while still holding your dog’s leash. After eliminating in the ring a dog receives an elimination for the run, meaning that you will not be able to finish the course. But your dog starts over with a clean slate on his next run.

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Clean Run - August 2012

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