Dog agility is a sport for just about any healthy dog, and it’s open to most dog breeds and even mixed breeds. While many people set up agility equipment just for backyard fun and exercise, if you want to compete, here are a few facts you need to know about the different dog agility organizations.
Dog agility has been a sport for more than 40 years, and many organizations host dog agility events, including the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA), the North Americans Dog Agility Council (NADAC), the United Kennel Club (UKC), American Kennel Club (AKC), Canine Performance Events (CPE), the Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA), and several other small organizations. Let’s take a look at each of these groups.
USDAA Events
USDAA has been around since 1986 and was one of the first dog agility groups in the United States. USDAA is a very inclusive organization, allowing just about any breed and mixed breeds to participate in dog agility competitions. Dogs must be at least 14 months old to participate and must be registered with USDAA.
Every organization also will include its own selection of obstacles. With USDAA, you should expect to find contact obstacles (an agility A-frame, dog walk and teeter), a tunnel, weave poles, a pause table and tire jump. In addition to the tire jump, there will be several other hurdles that your dog will need to jump over. To learn more about USDAA agility, go to www.USDAA.com.
As with most organizations, dogs are separated into various classes and then, within those classes, separated by size. For instance, with USDAA, classes include Starters, Advanced and Masters. There also are competitions specifically for junior handlers and for senior dogs, as well as special types of agility contests such as Snooker, Relay, Gamblers and Jumpers. Many other organizations also include these extra competitions, and they can be fun options to consider once you’ve been competing for a while and have learned the ropes.
With Snooker, a dog and handler work to accumulate as many points as possible during a set amount of time. Obstacles are organized by color and given point values ranging from 1 to 7, and the goal is to acquire as many points as possible. Gamblers is somewhat similar in that dogs attempt to earn as many points as possible, but you usually cannot repeat the same obstacle more than twice.
Jumpers is just what it sounds like – a competition ideal for dogs that love to jump. This course will have many types of jumps and hurdles, and maybe tunnels and weaves, but no contact obstacles. Relay is a team agility option where several dog/handler teams work together. In some cases, each dog might run the entire course, while in other instances, one dog might run a portion and then pass off to the next dog.
NADAC Agility
As with USDAA (and most other dog agility organizations), a dog must be registered with NADAC to participate in agility competitions, although you don’t have to be a full member. Pure-breed and mixed-breed dogs are allowed to compete, and the minimum age for competition is 18 months.
NADAC agility dogs are separated into specific jump height categories, just as with USDAA and other organizations. After all, it would hardly be fair for a Pekingese to handle the same jump height as a German shepherd. The typical NADAC course obstacles include the dog walk, A-frame, weave poles, a tunnel, hoops, barrels and a selection of jumps.
NADAC events also are separated into many other categories. For instance, there are several levels, including Intro, Novice, Open and Elite. In addition to the Standard Division, there is a special division for junior handlers, as well as a Veterans division. This latter division is open to senior dogs, senior handlers or handlers with a disability.
You’ll also find special classes, such as Gamblers and Jumpers, which are common across many dog agility groups. NADAC also has classes for dogs that excel at a specific skill, such as the Tunnelers, Weavers and Hoopers classes. To learn more about NADAC agility, go to www.NADAC.com.
UKC Agility
The United Kennel Club allows pure breeds and mixed breeds 15 months or older to compete, and has several basic agility classes – Beginner, Intermediate and Excellent, and, of course, these classes include multiple height divisions to accommodate a myriad of dogs. UKC also has a variety of special classes, such as the Hoopers class, Barrelers Class and Gamblers. There also are special divisions for junior handlers, which is anyone 17 or younger.
UKC is unique, however, in that it uses a few pieces of agility equipment that you won’t find on other organizations’ courses. UKC includes the usual A-frame, dog walk, teeter-totter, open tunnel, hoops, an agility tire jump, a pause table and sometimes a barrel. However, UKC’s additional jumps also might include hurdles such as a picket fence hurdle or perhaps a window jump. We have several of these UKC jumps available on our website, so if you decide to compete with UKC, we should have most of the items you need for training. You can learn more about UKC’s agility programs at www.UKCDogs.com.
AKC Agility
While the American Kennel Club has the reputation for being quite particular about purebred dogs, they do allow mixed breeds to participate in agility. Your dog must be at least 15 months old to compete and must be registered with AKC. There are several registration classes, depending on the breed and lineage of your dog.
AKC divides agility dogs into several Standard classes, running from Novice levels to Open, Excellent, Master and Premier, each of which includes height divisions. They also offer some special events including Jumpers with Weaves, Time 2 Beat and Fifteen and Send Time (FAST).
The AKC obstacles are similar to the other organizations and include the A-frame, dog walk, teeter (they call it a seesaw), pause table, open tunnel, weaves, tire jumps and a variety of other jumps, such as a panel jump and wall jump. To learn more, visit www.AKC.org.
CPE Agility
With Canine Performance Events the focus is always on having a good time with your furry companion. Dogs of all breeds and mixed breeds can participate in CPE agility, as long as they are in good health and at least 15 months old. You also will need to register your dog with CPE.
CPE offers several different participation classes including Regular, Veterans, Enthusiast and Specialist classes, all with different jump heigh tables. CPE has a larger jump height table than some of the other organizations, accommodating dogs 8” inches or less as well as several additional height classes going all the way up to 24” or above. Many other organizations simply have a 12” and smaller category or a 20” and above, but CPE breaks it down a bit more than other groups.
CPE dog agility equipment includes the A-frame, agility dog walk, weaves, teeter and tunnel as well as a selection of jumps, which might include a tire jump or double bar jump. CPE also offers some additional competition classes such as Jumpers, Snooker, Gamblers, Jackpot and more. You can learn more about these offerings at www.K9CPE.com.
ASCA Agility
Despite its name (Australian Shepherd Club of America), this group’s dog agility competitions are open to most breeds and mixed breeds. This group is similar to others as it offers several classes – Regular, Jumpers and Gamblers and three divisions within those classes – Novice, Open and Elite. There’s also a Championship program that includes a Standard division as well as a Veterans division and one for Junior Handlers. They also have divisions set aside for senior dogs. To learn more about ASCA, go to www.ASCA.org.
As with other organizations, you will find contact obstacles (the A-frame, dog walk and teeter), a tunnel or tunnels, weaves and a mix of jumps, which may or may include a tire jump. The number of articles depends upon the class where your dog is placed, and this is true for just about all agility organizations. Beginner or novice classes, as well as senior classes, tend to have fewer obstacles and less challenging jumps, with the more advanced groupings will have more obstacles and harder jumps.
Which Organization Is Best?
Should you choose NADAC? USDAA? CPE? UKC vs AKC? In all honesty, there isn’t necessarily one organization that is the “best.” It often really comes down to where you feel comfortable and which organizations host events in your area. You can attend different events as a spectator to sort of gauge which option seems like the best fit for you and your furry friend. Some have a more relaxed atmosphere than others (such as CPE), but typically, with dog agility, the focus is always on having a great time with your furry companion.
Which Dogs Are Best For Agility?
While breeds such as Australian shepherds certainly seem to have an easy time zipping around an agility course, just about any healthy dog can be a good fit for agility. Dogs with short legs or dogs prone to breathing difficulties may not be a good fit, and your dog’s personality also might be the determining factor. After all, some dogs are simply content to rest upon a pillow and bask under a sunbeam, while others have a lot of energy and would enjoy running about an agility course.
Many agility organizations do prohibit dogs while in heat from participating in competitions, and many organizations also prohibit blind dogs from competition or dogs missing a limb. Aggressive dogs also sometimes are not allowed to compete, and while all dogs can be a bit snarly from time to time, if you have a pooch that doesn’t enjoy the companionship of other canines, perhaps it’s best to stick with some fun backyard agility.
How To Get Started
If you’d like to get started with dog agility, you simply need to purchase a few pieces of dog agility training equipment and set it up in your backyard. Agility is easier if your dog has mastered a few basic commands, such as sit, stay and recall. It is especially important that your dog also makes good eye contact with you as hand signals are a big part of dog agility.
While you can start with any piece of equipment, some obstacles are easier than others to teach. For instance, weaves tend to be the most difficult to teach and it can take time to teach the teeter-totter as some dogs are a bit intimidated by the movement of the totter. It can be fun to start with a few jumps, a tunnel and perhaps the pause table or dog walk.
Some of our clients also like to join local agility clubs, so that they can mix and mingle with other handlers and learn more about different teaching methods. Every dog is different, though, so what works with one furry friend might not be as successful with another dog. That said, all dogs respond to patience, praise and the enthusiasm of a handler, so keeping training sessions short and fun is always important.
If you need any type of agility equipment, we have it all here at Carlson Agility, including mini agility equipment for those smaller dogs. All of our items are handmade from the highest quality components and are just like the equipment you’ll find on competition courses across the country. If you have any questions about our agility equipment, just click the Contact tab on our homepage and fill out our quick contact form.
