About Agility & Dog Sports
DOG AGILITY is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. While this is a standard definition for dog agility, there is so much more. In agility you learn to work as a team with your dog, learning how to correctly read each other as well as to trust each other and the road to get there should be filled with lots of play, love and treats. I love this sport and my dogs do as well. I do not think that we should ask ourselves or our dogs to commit to something that requires time to learn and perfect if it is not fun.
There are multiple venues that offer dog agility, but in Alaska we are limited to two, the AKC (American Kennel Club) and NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council). Both clubs are open to dogs of every kind whether pure bred or All-American (mixed) and handlers whether the occasional weekend warrior or the deeply committed. We have a few NADAC trials each year in Alaska and we have at least one AKC trial a month, most at Sirius Ranch in Palmer as it offers an indoor facility big enough to accommodate everyone in the winter. I have provided links below to both AKC and NADAC sites, so you can explore the differences.
American Kennel Club
http://www.akc.org/events/agility/resources/
North American Dog Agility Council
http://www.nadac.com/
It is also important to remember that dog agility is a sport and like all sports we must take care of our athletes. Foundation work can always be done early, but it is important to not allow repetitive motion or jumping on developing joints. It is recommended that young dogs work on the fundamentals of handling and building drive when they are young versus course work as their growth plates are still open. The age a dogs growth plates closes varies according to its size; smaller breeds generally close before one year and large over one year. Your breeder and/or your vet are a great resource to make sure you are not doing too much too fast. AKC does not allow dogs to compete until 15 months of age and NADAC does not until 18 months of age; this is to allow dogs time to grow, so they are not being pushed too early.
There are multiple venues that offer dog agility, but in Alaska we are limited to two, the AKC (American Kennel Club) and NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council). Both clubs are open to dogs of every kind whether pure bred or All-American (mixed) and handlers whether the occasional weekend warrior or the deeply committed. We have a few NADAC trials each year in Alaska and we have at least one AKC trial a month, most at Sirius Ranch in Palmer as it offers an indoor facility big enough to accommodate everyone in the winter. I have provided links below to both AKC and NADAC sites, so you can explore the differences.
American Kennel Club
http://www.akc.org/events/agility/resources/
North American Dog Agility Council
http://www.nadac.com/
It is also important to remember that dog agility is a sport and like all sports we must take care of our athletes. Foundation work can always be done early, but it is important to not allow repetitive motion or jumping on developing joints. It is recommended that young dogs work on the fundamentals of handling and building drive when they are young versus course work as their growth plates are still open. The age a dogs growth plates closes varies according to its size; smaller breeds generally close before one year and large over one year. Your breeder and/or your vet are a great resource to make sure you are not doing too much too fast. AKC does not allow dogs to compete until 15 months of age and NADAC does not until 18 months of age; this is to allow dogs time to grow, so they are not being pushed too early.
RALLY OBEDIENCE (also known as Rally or Rally-O) is a dog sport that is based on obedience. Unlike regular obedience, instead of waiting for the judge's orders, the competitors proceed around a course of designated stations with the dog in heel position. The course consists of 10 to 20 signs that instruct the team what to do. Unlike traditional obedience, handlers are allowed to encourage their dogs during the course.
In AKC Rally, which is open to AKC breeds and mixed breed dogs registered in the AKC Canine Partners program, the team starts with 100 points, and the judge deducts points for mistakes. After qualifying , with a minimum score of 70 points, three times under two different judges, the dog earns a title, which appears after the dog's registered name. Each qualifying trial earned is known as a "leg."
There are three levels in AKC Rally:
- Novice, the beginner's class. The dog is on leash and there are 10 to 15 stations, the title is RN.
- Advanced, for dogs who have completed their novice title. Dogs are judged off leash, and the title is RA.
- Excellent, the highest class, for dogs who have earned their advanced title. 15 to 20 stations, including 2 jumps, are used in this class and the title is RE.
Rally is a fun sport that can be done on its own or as a great start to your obedience career.
Listed below is a link to AKC Rally.
http://www.akc.org/events/rally/getting-started/
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DOG OBEDIENCE usually refers to the training of a dog and the term is most commonly used in that context. Obedience training ranges from very basic training, such as teaching the dog to reliably respond to basic commands such as "sit," "down," "come," and "stay," to high level competition within clubs such as the American Kennel Club, United Kennel Club and the Canadian Kennel Club, where additional commands, accuracy and performance are scored and judged.
Obedience implies compliance with the direction or command given by the handler. For a dog to be considered obedient rather than simply trained in obedience, it must respond reliably each time its handler gives a command. Training a dog in obedience can be an ongoing and lengthy process depending on the dog, the methods used, and the skill and understanding of both the trainer and the handler. The level of obedience the handler wishes to achieve with the dog is also a major factor in the time involved, as is the commitment to training by the handler.
Obedience training is often a prerequisite for or component of other training.
The actual training of the dog can be done by anyone, the trainer, owner, or a friend. Typically the individual who is caring for and living with the dog participates and trains the dog, as they will be the one who will be giving the commands. The relationship and trust between the dog and handler are important for success.
Below is a link to AKC obedience.
http://www.akc.org/events/obedience/getting-started/
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Scent Work
Scent work, or nose work as it is sometimes called, is a competitive dog sport where dogs are trained to sniff out and alert to the presence of specific odors. Unlike the scents that military, police, or search and rescue dogs might be looking for, in scent work dogs are searching for cotton swabs scented with essential oils.
Teams are judged on a qualify/non-qualify basis. Your dog must use his nose to search out the hidden odors, and then alert you when the odors are detected. Dogs may paw, bark, point with their nose or body, sit, lie down, or use any other behavior to communicate the location of the odor.
You and your dog don’t have to take classes to become ready to compete at trial as the situations mimic real-life situations with no special equipment involved. Training can be done at home or in the community, and there are many books and videos to help you get started.
Below is a link to AKC Scent Work.
AKC Scent Work – American Kennel Club
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The American Kennel Club does allow all dogs (including mixed) that are in good health to compete in AKC events such as agility, rally, obedience, barn hunt and tracking. If unsure how to get started in AKC please follow the link below.
http://www.akc.org/dog-owners/canine-partners/_
An additional bonus to competing in dog sports is amazing photographers who can capture the moment for you. My favorite dog sport photographer in Alaska is Sheri Walsh from Springwind Photography. You can check out more dog agility pictures as well as many other pictures on her site at springwindphotography.smugmug.com.
http://www.akc.org/dog-owners/canine-partners/_
An additional bonus to competing in dog sports is amazing photographers who can capture the moment for you. My favorite dog sport photographer in Alaska is Sheri Walsh from Springwind Photography. You can check out more dog agility pictures as well as many other pictures on her site at springwindphotography.smugmug.com.
Flyball
Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from the start to the finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their handlers while carrying the ball.
Flyball is run in teams of four dogs, as a relay. The course consists of four hurdles placed 10 feet apart from each other, with the starting line six feet from the first hurdle, and the flyball box 15 feet after the last one, making for a 51-foot length. The hurdle height is determined by the ulna's length or the smallest dog's shoulder height on the team.
You can literally feel the anticipation in the air as the dogs line up and wait for a Flyball relay race to begin. As soon as the gun fires, each dog dashes over a line of low hurdles to reach a box. Once there, they use their paws to push a spring-loaded pad and release a tennis ball into the air that they catch and bring back to their handlers. Once back to the starting line, the next dog takes his turn.
Below is a link to AKC obedience.
Flyball – American Kennel Club (akc.org)
