Clean Run - October 2013 - 7

Everything you
always wanted to know
about agility

By Brenna Fender

Imagine this scenario: a dog runs over the dogwalk and hits the down
contact before leaving, but fails to perform his two-on/two-off. The
handler looks back at the dog (just checking in, not forcing the dog to do
anything, not talking) and the dog puts his back feet onto the dogwalk
and waits for release. What penalties, if any, would be assessed?
If the judge of any organization thinks the handler has cued the
dog to return to the obstacle, has corrected the dog in the process
using harsh verbal cues or body language, or is training in the
ring, there would likely be a different outcome than if the judge
can easily tell the dog offered the behavior on his own. This is,
of course, a judgment call and the judge has the right to make
whatever determination he or she feels is appropriate. If training
in the ring is called or harsh corrections are used, the dog may be
eliminated or even whistled off the course.
With that in mind, following are the calls that would be made
if the judge felt that it was clear that the dog made the decision
on his own to put his feet back up on the obstacle:
• American Kennel Club (AKC): A wrong course would
be assessed.
• Canine Performance Events (CPE): An off-course would
be assessed.
• Dogs on Course in North America (DOCNA): An off-course
would be assessed.
• Teacup Dog Agility Association (TDAA): This would not be
called a wrong course because all four paws are required to
touch the obstacle to earn that fault. Unless it’s determined
to be training in the ring, no fault would be assessed.
• United Kennel Club (UKC): Faults made while the dog
is moving between two obstacles or while returning to an
obstacle for a repeat attempt are not deducted from the
score of any obstacle, but are computed in the ﬁnal score
of the performance under “Additional Deductions.” The
performance described should fall under this section of the
rules because the dog is technically between obstacles. The
amount of the deduction would be determined by the judge
based on his or her opinion of the performance witnessed.
• United States Dog Agility Association: A wrong course
would be called. At the Masters level, a wrong course is
an elimination, in Advanced it is a 20-point penalty, and in
Starters, there is no penalty because a four-paw rule applies
in establishing whether the dog is running the wrong course.

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.

Agility equipment for practice (except for a warm-up jump) is not
allowed at most trials. Can a handler be disqualified if she has her dog
weave between her legs as she walks or holds her arm down for the
dog to jump while in the ring and waiting for the other handler to
leash their dog?
While most organizations have no rules that prohibit these activities on the grounds of a trial, there may be reasons why a judge
may penalize a dog that is weaving between a handler’s legs or
jumping over a handler’s arm inside the ring while waiting to
run. Most of the time, when a handler enters the ring with her
dog, she is supposed to proceed to the start line and be prepared
to run. These activities may prohibit that, causing a delay at the
start line which, in many venues, can be penalized with a fault.
In addition, they may also distract the dog that is working on
course, which is poor agility etiquette. And if the dog leaves the
course or the ﬁnish line area where he is being leashed to investigate these activities, this may also cause a delay at the start line
and, potentially, a scufﬂe between dogs that can lead to injury
and/or disciplinary action.
In addition, some judges may consider these activities to be
“training in the ring” and, in organizations that penalize this,
a fault will be assessed. Also, if the judge sees the handler issuing corrections during this process that could be considered
harsh and there may be penalties for that as well.
Finally, in most venues, dogs waiting to start must be on leash.
Can these activities be performed on leash? If the leash is removed, the dog may be faulted as well.
In my opinion, these may be good warm-up activities, but
they aren’t well-suited for performing in the ring while another handler is ﬁnishing a run. Even in cases where no fault
might be awarded, the behaviors may be discourteous and disrespectful to other competitors. D

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Clean Run - October 2013

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