Competition

Learning agility is fun.  Competition is FUN!!!!

You and your dog will enjoy learning and practicing agility together.  But there's nothing like the extra excitement of competition.  You get to test your handling skills and the speed and accuracy of your dog against the clock and against other dog/handler teams in your dog's size, age and experience class.

Several flavors of agility

There are several different organizations that sanction dog agility competitions in the Northwest.  They are:

• The North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC)
• The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)
• The American Kennel Club (AKC)

Each has somewhat different standards and requirements.  You can check them out at their web sites or look at the excellent side-by-side comparison prepared by our friends at the Willamette Agility Group (WAG).  Their events are judged by trained and qualified judges who design the courses and judge the performance of the competitors.

There is nothing stopping you (except time and money) from competing in all three kinds.  The other exception is that AKC does not yet allow "custom blends" (mixed breeds) in their competitions. 

Dog agility has even taken to the Internet.  The International Agility Link (IAL) brings competitors together from all over the world.  A standard course is designed and sent to clubs via the Internet.  Clubs set up and run that course and post their times on the Internet.

Big dogs, small dogs, young dogs, older dogs

Agility competition is for all sizes of dogs.  Jump heights are adjusted to suit the size and age of the dog as are the standard course times (the time standard for completing the course for a qualifying round -- more about that later).  There are some differences, depending on the sanctioning organization.  For example, for the North American Dog Agility Council , jump heights are:

NADAC Jump Heights

NADAC also allows a number of heavier breeds (any dog whose weight is equal to or greater than three times its height) to jump 4" less than its normal jump height.

In USDAA, the jump heights (effective 1999) are as follows:

USDAA Jump Heights

Dogs in the different height categories compete against other dogs in that category.

Different kinds of events

There are several different events or "classes" at each agility trial.  Again, these vary somewhat between sanctioning organizations.  Some of the typical events (again, NADAC style) include:  

• Regular agility -- This tests the ability of the dog and handler to negotiate a course with speed and accuracy.  A qualifying run requires the dog and handler to complete a course made up of jumps, tunnels, weave poles, contact obstacles and so on within the the standard course time with five or fewer faults (for example, knocking over a bar on the jump is five penalty points)
• Gamblers -- Gamblers tests the course handling strategy of the handler and the directional and distance control of the dog.  The dog and handler first accumulate as many points as possible in a set time by successfully completing obstacles of the handlers choice.  Different numbers of points are assigned to different obstacles.  For example, a regular jump is one point, a tunnel three and a dog-walk is five.  After that initial period, a whistle blows and the dog must take a  series of obstacles in order.  While taking these obstacles, the dog must be able to work a prescribed distance away from the handler -- this is what makes it a gamble.  Qualifying runs require making at least standard number of points on the first part of the course and complete the gamble.
• Jumpers -- A jumpers course is a course of, as the name implies, jumps and also tunnels.  Its purpose  is to test the ability of the dog and handler to function as a fast-moving, smooth functioning team.  To qualify, the dog and handler have to complete the course in the standard time with no faults.

In addition to these classes, USDAA also includes a game called "Snooker" and a Pairs Relay.

Different levels of competition

As you compete, you and your dog move up the ladder in difficulty.  Again, the standards for the different levels of competition vary slightly among the organizations.  For NADAC/USDAA, the levels are defined as follows:  

• Novice A (never titled a dog) or B/Starters or Novice-- primarily tests the ability of the dog to perform the obstacles safely at a moderate rate of speed.
• Open/Advanced-- the goal is to test the handler's and the dog's ability to perform the obstacles at a faster rate of speed while performing the obstacles with more directional and distance control and exhibiting obstacle discrimination.  The course should encourage handlers to work the dogs from both sides.
• Elite/Masters-- more complex handler strategies are tested with the dog moving at a brisker pace.  The course design should encourage the handler to work the dog from both sides of the handler.  The dog should be able to discriminate between obstacles and freely move away from the handler while performing the obstacles with greater distance and directional control.

Advancing between levels requires completing a sufficient number of qualifying points.  In NADAC, advancing in regular agility will, as of January 1, 1998, require accumulating 30 points under two different judges.  10 points are awarded for a clean run, 5 points for a qualifying run with five faults.  Qualifying in USDAA requires clean runs within the time standard. For gamblers and jumpers, 20 points under two different judges are required with 10 points awarded for a qualifying run.

There are national and international championships that you can qualify to compete in.

Columbia Agility Team does competition

CAT sponsors two NADAC and two USDAA competitions in the Portland area each year.  See the Calendar for the date and location and information for registering.  CAT also helps AKC put on a major agility meet each year a puts on some informal fun matches and IAL trials when time allows. 

If those aren't enough for you (they won't be), there are also meets sponsored by the Willamette Agility Group (WAG) in the Eugene/Corvallis/Salem area, Rogue Canine Agility (RCA) in southern Oregon, Rainier Agility Team (RAT) in the Seattle/Tacoma area, Sno-King in the Seattle/Everett area, Spokane Working Agility Team (SWAT), Chuckanut in the Bellingham, Washington area and Animotion in the Victoria, B.C. area.  Events and contacts are listed in the Calendar.

Columbia Agility Team Gallery -- results and pictures from past competitions

• The 1998 Northwest Cup USDAA Regional Grand Prix
• The April 1998 Rainier Agility Team USDAA Test
• The May 1,2 1998 Columbia Agility Team NADAC Trial
• The June 5,6 Spokane USDAA Regional Grand Prix
• June 21, 22 Canby AKC Trial
• Sept. 12, 13 1998 Columbia Cup
• October 1998 Spokane Dog Training Club and Rainier Agility Team USDAA Trials
• February 1999 Northwest Cup USDAA Trail and Regional Grand Prix
• May 1999 CAT NADAC Trial
• July 4 1999 RAT NADAC Trial
• 1999 Columbia Cup NADAC Trial
• 1999 Black CAT USDAA Trial
• Spring 2000 Northwest Cup USDAA Grand Prix
• 2000 WAG and CAT Summer Trials
• The 2000 Columbia Cup
• The 2000 Black CAT
• 2001 Northwest Cup
• 2003 Columbia Cup
• 2003 Black Cat