Dog Agility Information for the Beginner
The sport of dog agility can be fun and exciting for both you and your pet, but learning about it can be a daunting and intimidating task. As you take steps to learn more, bear in mind this important guiding principal throughout - Dog agility is intended to be a fun sport that bonds you with your animal.
Before attempting any level of agility training, beginners should enlist the assistance of a trained instructor to avoid accidental injury due to inexperience or inadequate equipment.
Dog Agility Competition 101
Dog agility is a sport that was started in the last 1970s in England. In competition, the handler will use voice commands to guide their dog through an obstacle course. No physical contact is allowed during competition and it is a timed event, so speed is of the utmost importance.
Terms of the Sport
Here are a few of the most common terms you are likely to hear and what they mean:
* Crating Area: Also called a staging area, this is where you set up housekeeping during an event.
* Exhibitor: The exhibitors are the competitors in an event.
* Four Paw Rule: In some events, the dog's paws will touch a contact obstacle. In the event that all four paws touch the obstacle at the same time, your dog may be deemed not ready for that particular obstacle in which case your judge will ask you to move on to the next. This is a safety precaution.
* Fun Match: A practice event that follows the same format as a trial but with no judges or timing requirements.
* Games: Games may incorporate some or all of obstacles of standard agility competition, but the rules are different. Some popular games include Jumpers, Snooker & Pairs.
* Handler: The human who leads the dog through a course by commands.
* Q: Shortened version of the term "Qualifying Run", Q's are what you need to accumulate in order to qualify for a title.
* Title: Standard Agility Titles are won by accumulating a preset number of Q's, and they are awarded by all organizations involved in the sport at all levels of competition.
Common Obstacles
All obstacles used in competition are designed for animal safety first. Just as in the equestrian events they are patterned after, all jumps use bars that are easily displaced to reduce the risk of injury. In the different organizations, there are several obstacles that they share in common:
* A-frames
* Dog Walks
* See-saws
* Pipe Tunnels
* Collapsed/Collapsible Tunnels
* Pause Tables
* Weave Poles
* Hoop or Tire Jumps
Points are deducted for knocking a jump bar down, failure to complete an obstacle, taking obstacles out of order or any physical contact with their handler. Improper use of contact zones and exceeding SCT (Standard Course Time) can also lead to penalties.
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