| Dog agility is a sport where the trainer is given a set amount of time to direct a dog through an obstacle course. Agility made its debut at the Van Buren County Youth Fair in 2000. There are several obstacles common to agility: |
| In competition, the obstacles are arranged in various course sequences. The sequences are changed for each competition so the dog and trainer do not memorize the course. The rules are fairly simple; trainers may give an unlimited number of commands or signals to their dogs, but may not touch either the equipment or the dog. Dogs are faulted for taking down jump bars, failing to put one or more feet in the contact zone, taking obstacles out of sequence, and running past or stopping before the next obstacle. The dog with the lowest number of faults and the fastest time wins the class or height division. |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
The Pause Table is a square platform with a painted circle in the middle. The dog is required to climb onto the table and stay there for a certain time. The Judge may require the dog to sit or lay on the pause table. |
| When the dog uses the weave poles, it must weave from one pole to the next. There are no points taken away if the dog touches the poles, only if the dog misses weaving in between the poles. |  |
 |
The Hoop Jump is often called the Tire Jump. People who practice agility at home often hang a tire and practice. The dog must clear the tire, touching is OK. |
| There are several jumps involved in the obstacle course. They include jumps of different height and a long jump. Dogs normally start practicing with jumps when they first begin agility. |  |
| In the judges briefing, the judge informs you of the length of the course, the standard course time (time in which you must complete the course without incurring time faults), the maximum course time (the maximum time you are allowed to run the course before the time-keeper blows a whistle and asks you to leave the ring), possible hazards, and any unusual rules that may apply. |
| After the judges briefing, you have the opportunity to become familiar with the course layout by walking the course. Since agility trials are designed to test how well your dog responds to your commands, your dog is NOT allowed to become familiar with the course before it's run. Since you cannot take your dog with you when you walk the course, you must confine your dog to a crate or arrange to have a spectator hold him/her for you. |
| One of the important things you can do to ensure your success is to treat the walking of the agility course with the seriousness it deserves. Many novice exhibitors walk the course blindly, giving little or no thought to handling strategy. Besides memorizing the course, you should decide where you will position your dog and yourself at the start, how you are going to handle your dog to get the smoothest transitions from one obstacle to the next and how you are going to avoid traps. |
| Make sure that your dog is entered in the right jump height. Ask what the jump height order will be. Watch those who go before you. Watch which strategies work and which ones do not. Then, if you haven't already done so, find a comfortable place to settle down with your dog. Start walking your dog at least 5-10 minutes before you enter the ring - or sooner if your dog is a slow starter. |
| Make sure to relieve your dog before going into the ring. If your dog does fowl in the ring, you will be disqualified! If you see a dog fowl in the ring and the offender's handler does not report it, say something to the ring steward. |
| If you enter the ring with the wrong equipment, you may be eliminated from the competition - you will need a buckle collar (no chokes) without ID tags. Make sure that the steward has straightened the weave poles, collapsible tunnel, and any jump bars that may have been displaced. It is your responsibility to check these items before you run and inform the judge of anything that needs attention. |
| The timekeeper will start clocking you when the dog's nose crosses the start line. If the dog crosses the line before the timekeeper tells you she is ready, you will hear a whistle and the timekeeper will tell you to reposition your dog behind the line. If the dog crosses the line after the timekeeper tells you he's ready, the clock will start and you will not be allowed to restart even if you were not ready. Do NOT touch your dog or the agility equipment after it crosses the start line. |
| If your dog makes a mistake, take it in stride. We all have good and bad days. Remember you are an ambassador of a wonderful sport, so do your best to maintain its reputation of fun and good sportsmanship. Reprimanding your dog at the show site is unthinkable, not to mention forbidden. Besides, most mistakes are the handler's fault. No matter how you and your dog fare, you are a team, so remember to give your teammate a hug and some kind of praise as soon as you finish the run. |
