Clean Run - June 2011 - 7

Everything you always wanted to know about agility
By Brenna Fender

How does the AKC wait-list entry system work? Chapter 1, Section 16, page 12 of the American Kennel Club (AKC) Regulations for Agility Trials explains how wait lists work. The system was created to allow clubs to fill openings that occur when a handler withdraws a dog that is already entered in a trial. The club sets a date before which entries can be withdrawn and wait-listed dogs can fill in the empty spots. This date may be after the closing date (for an “extended wait list”), but it has to be at least three days before the first trial date of the set of trials (meaning if the trial runs Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, the wait-list deadline must be before Wednesday of the trial week). To be on the wait list and therefore eligible to fill any vacant spots, a dog’s entry must be received before the trial closing date (not the wait-list deadline). The club must determine in advance the maximum number of entries that can be accepted on the wait list and publish that information in the trial premium. According to the regulations, “Whether a club is offering a wait list, how many entries are being accepted on the wait list, and the closing date/ time of the wait list must be published in the trial’s premium list. A full refund is to be reimbursed to any entrant whose entry is replaced by a wait-listed entry.” Competitors on the wait list that do not get into the trial receive a full refund as well. If you enter a trial and are told that you are on the wait list, you must withdraw your entry before the event closing date, or before gaining entry into the trial after the closing date when an extended wait list is offered if you decide you no longer want to compete. AKC director of agility Carrie DeYoung says, “The regulations do not require the trial secretary to contact exhibitors to see if they still want to enter the event when they are next on the wait list. If the exhibitor does not wish to remain on a wait list… they should withdraw their entry prior to the initial closing date of the trial.” Competitors cannot go on the wait list with the expectation of declining a spot in the trial should one become available.

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.

Do AKC agility judges adjust course difficulty based on where they are going to judge? Since I want to compete at the AKC Agility Nationals with people from all over the country, I want to make sure I have the same experiences as all other competitors in the U.S. There is no directive from the AKC telling judges to adjust course difficulty based on the city or state in which a trial is taking place. AKC director of agility Carrie DeYoung says, “In the AKC judges guidelines, the course design [procedures] are clearly stated for each class level. These are the same throughout the country. They were originally developed so that when a dog got an MX in California, it was the same as getting an MX in New York, for example.” Judges from different areas of the country tend to use different elements within the courses they design because handling styles and course design styles naturally vary across the U.S. When judges work trials within their own areas, competitors tend to see the same challenges and styles that are popular in their area at the moment. When a judge comes in from elsewhere, competitors may see more of elements common to another area of the country. If the clubs that host most of the trials in your area only hire local judges, you might not see a wide variety of course design styles. But all the courses will be of the same level of difficulty as dictated by the AKC course design guidelines. While many agility competitors know that they should read the AKC rules before they start trialing, few know that the AKC judges guidelines are also available online at www.akc.org/pdfs/rulebooks/REAJG1.pdf. Reading these guidelines (as well as the rules) helps you to understand exactly what challenges you can expect to see at each level.

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http://www.akc.org/pdfs/rulebooks/REAJG1.pdf

Clean Run - June 2011

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