As you progress with your dog training equipment and you see your dog zipping around handling obstacles with ease, you might be ready to move into the dog agility competition circuit. There are many organizations offer dog agility competitions, including the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA), United Kennel Club (UKC) and the American Kennel Club (AKC). Here’s a quick look at what the AKC has to offer your agility dog.
All Dogs Are Welcome
When you think of the AKC, you might think about pedigreed pooches prancing about Fifth Avenue or sitting on custom-designed tuffets as they are hand-fed Russian caviar. However, dogs of all breeds, including those scrappy mixed breeds, are eligible to participate in several types of AKC dog sports.
Through an AKC program known as AKC Canine Partners, dogs that are mixed breeds or those breeds that typically not eligible for the American Kennel Club registry can sign up. These dogs are then allowed to participate in events such as dog agility as well as obedience contests, rally, coursing ability and tracking contests.
While you probably know a lot about dog agility, you might be unfamiliar with these other events. Rally and obedience contests are somewhat similar in that both of these competitions focus on various obedience skills. Coursing or lure coursing is a skill test for sighthound breeds, such as greyhounds, whippets, Afghan hounds, Irish wolfhounds and several others. Tracking is a canine sport designed to showcase a dog’s natural ability to follow a specific scent.
AKC Agility Options
The AKC separates its agility offerings into several classes and within in each class, you will find three different levels. Novice is a level for the beginning agility dog. Open is the level for dogs with more experience and Master is the level for dogs that have completed the Open level with success. Within each of these levels, dogs will be separate based on their height. This keeps the competition as equal as possible and ensures safety for the smaller dogs.
There are several agility-style competitions available in AKC. Standard is probably the one where you are most likely to get your feet wet. These dog agility competitions will feature a variety of dog training equipment including many jumps as well as contact obstacles, weaves and a tunnel. Some dog owners also might want to consider the AKC’s Preferred class as this is a class with lower jump heights and a few additional seconds of time allowed for an agility run.
In addition to the Standard and Preferred agility classes, the AKC also offers a few unique options. This includes Jumpers with Weaves, which is a course that features jumps and weaves but no contact obstacles. Fifteen and Send Time (FAST) includes 15 obstacles and is a fun option for advanced agility dogs. Time 2 Beat is yet another competition especially suited to dogs that are very fast and accurate.
Dog Training Equipment
When you participate in an AKC dog agility contest, you generally will see the same variety of dog training equipment found at USDAA events. For the Standard class, the number of obstacles depends upon whether or not your dog is a Novice, Open or Master. Novices must complete 14 to 16 obstacles; Open participants will have 16 to 18 obstacles and Master will have 18 to 20 pieces of dog training equipment on the course. The courses tend to be a bit more complex and tighter as you move up through the levels.
You will find that every course will include a tunnel, teeter, A-frame, dog walk, pause table and weave poles. There will be a variety of jumps, including a tire jump and several bar or panel jumps. For a clean run, your dog must navigate all of the obstacles in the correct order and manner within a set amount of time.
To get started with the AKC, you will need either register as a regular AKC member or a Canine Partner member and receive an AKC number. Your dog must have current inoculations, as well, in order to participate. We recommend that you attend a few AKC events before you participate with your dog to become as familiar as possible with the way the AKC events are run.
If you need any type of dog training equipment, we have a full selection of contact obstacles, pause tables, tunnels, weaves and jumps that fit within AKC dog agility standards. Check out our selection, and don’t hesitate to send us an email if you have any questions.
