Clean Run - January 2016 - 7

Everything you
always wanted to know
about agility

By Brenna Fender

I am new to agility competition and struggling to understand the differences between organizations. I've gotten advice about certain organizations having more intense competitors and others being more friendly
and about having fun with your dogs. I would love an overview of the
skills each organization emphasizes and the difficulty levels of each.
It is hard to make statements about organizations in terms of level of
difficulty because what is challenging to one competitor may be easy
to another. And, many competitors compete in more than one organization's trials so you encounter the same "intense" or "friendly"
people in different venues. Competitiveness may vary more by location than by organization. In some areas, one organization may be
considered the most intense and in others, that title falls to another.
Here are overviews of some of the agility organizations:
* American Kennel Club (AKC) agility is designed to be accessible
to most breeds. Standard and Jumpers with Weaves, requiring
typical agility skills, are the focus of most trials. Two games may
be offered, one of which requires distance skills. AKC is the most
popular organization in terms of number of trials and competitors.
* Canine Performance Events (CPE) offers a variety of classes and
games that require distance, close work, and strategy. It offers
classes without the teeter for novice dogs and "For Exhibition
Only" runs. In CPE, dogs can qualify with faulted runs, like a
dropped bar, in many levels and classes.
* Dogs on Course in North America (DOCNA) has a variety of
classes and games that test many skills, including distance work
and course planning strategy. Courses are open and flowing.
Training in the ring is allowed.
* North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC) has more distance challenges available (although only a class called Chances
actually requires distance work). It uses fewer obstacles (no teeter,
chute, tire, or table) and has some different obstacles like hoops
and barrels. It also has lower jump height options than many of the
other organizations. Very limited training in the ring is allowed.
* United Kingdom International (UKI) has international-style
courses that test handling skills as well as a wide-open Speedstakes class. This is one of the newest agility organizations in the
US. Training in the ring is allowed.
* United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) agility "promotes international standards for dog agility" and "competitive
excellence." It has some of the highest jump height requirements
of any organization. USDAA offers standard agility as well as
games and special tournament events.

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.

A casual poll of competitors regarding their impressions of agility
organizations yielded the following opinions:
* AKC tends to have more intense competitors than some of the
other venues. (That perception may come from the need at the
upper levels for QQs-qualifying scores in both Standard and
Jumpers with Weaves in the same day-for championship titles.)
* CPE is a "friendly" venue, one that offers challenges but that is
good for novice competitors. It is "forgiving." One of the competitors polled says, "Instead of emphasizing perfection, a C-ATCH
[CPE championship] recognizes consistency and versatility."
* DOCNA trials seem more relaxed than some of the others. Courses may have fewer challenges at the upper levels than those in
some other venues.
* NADAC competitors are usually considered to be laid back and
supportive of each other. Some competitors aren't interested in
trying NADAC because they don't want to train the barrel and the
hoop, which you don't see in other organizations.
* UKI competitors are described as laidback and friendly (due in
part to the small trials) by some but competitive and intense by
others. It's possible these are regional differences.
* USDAA is considered to be very competitive in terms of skills
required and difficulty of winning, but competitors are known to
be somewhat laid back.
If you really want to know what organization's trials suit you best,
you should attend the different trials in the area in which you will
be trialing. D

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January 16 | Clean Run

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - January 2016