Clean Run Magazine - October 2007 - 7

Everything you always wanted to know about agility but were to ask afraid By Brenna Fender ? At a recent AKC trial, I blew in my dog’s face to get his attention so that he would sit on the table. The judge told me I wasn’t allowed to do that, and if I did it again I’d be whistled off. I can’t find any rule saying that I’m not allowed to blow on my dog. Why did the judge tell me to stop? Rule books can rarely address every potential scenario. That’s why trained judges are hired to interpret the rules in trial situations. An AKC representative says that there is no specific rule prohibiting blowing on a dog on the table to make the dog assume the position required. But the representative states that if, in the opinion of the judge, the person is training in the ring, the handler may be excused. Apparently in this situation, the judge felt that blowing on the dog amounted to training in the ring. Other registries have similar views on this subject. USDAA representative Heather Smith says, “The judge at his or her discretion and interpretation of the rules could construe the breath to be physical contact.” Even representatives of some organizations that rarely or never use the table might say “No” to handlers blowing on their dogs. NADAC representative Becky Woodruff says that behavior is not encouraged at the start line or on course at a NADAC trial. She says, “Dogs do funny things (and not-so-funny things) when blown on. One of the not-so-funny things is to snap at the face that blows. NADAC doesn’t have a specific ‘can’t blow on your dog’ rule, but I should think that it would fall under ‘excessive commands,’ ‘training,’ or ‘excessive aid to the dog.’” Not everyone disapproves of this tactic. AAC representative Jim Willis says that his organization would not fault a handler for blowing on the dog. “We haven’t thought to cover this in our rules but as long as there is no physical contact it wouldn’t be a problem. The handler is allowed to do just about anything to get the dog to lie down, which is required at all AAC trials.” Jim Mills from DOCNA says, “This is a tough one as DOCNA has no table and we do not have a problem with people saying cookie, treat, and so on. As long as the handler works in a positive manner and does not touch the dog, we encourage handlers to have fun and to motivate in a positive, fun manner.” ASCA has a similar take on the subject. “ASCA doesn’t have a specific rule for blowing on a dog. However, it was discussed and the general opinion is if the dog and handler haven’t started their run yet, it is the same as scratching your dog on the head or patting him to rev him up—not faulted. But, if it’s done on course and influences the dog’s performance, it could be assessed 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. either a 5-point fault per the guidelines of ‘handler touching the dog’ or receive an elimination for ‘training in the ring’.” Some organizations don’t have a particular stand on this issue. But situations in which poor sportsmanship is being exhibited will likely be faulted in any venue. An old agility adage says, “Don’t make the judge think.” By blowing on your dog, you are forcing the judge to consider your intentions and your dog’s perception of your behavior. All this for the judge to consider in a matter of a few seconds—it is easy to see how blowing on your dog, particularly in the context of trying to get him to perform a specific behavior, could get you eliminated from competition. What’s up with NADAC? The rules have been taken off the website since March. I ran my three dogs in a trial in April and earned several titles. My dogs’ scores have not been posted to date, so I am unable to print their title certificates. NADAC representative Becky Woodruff says that the Exhibitors Handbook, which should now be available for download from www.nadac.com, was revised based on competitor suggestions. She says, “The Handbook has been cleaned up, thanks to those exhibitors who caught minor errors and punctuation! Upon request, NADAC will mail a hard copy free of charge to current Associates. There is a $5.00 printing/mailing fee if you are not an Associate.” Woodruff also says, “Qualifying points can be viewed via the files section of the NADACAgility@yahoogroups.com list. Once a club submits trial results, they are checked for format and completeness and then uploaded to the file section. This way, exhibitors can review the results and contact the individual clubs should there be any discrepancies in the reporting of points.” According to Woodruff, “The point history files are updated a minimum of twice a year. Once the files are uploaded, exhibitors can submit a request for their certificates to be printed by NADAC or print them themselves. The electronic form is available at http://nadac.com/afrm/newtitles.asp.” D 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. October 07 | Clean Run 7

http://nadac.com/afrm/newtitles.asp

Clean Run Magazine - October 2007

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