Fort Wayne Obedience Training Club ~ Agility

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Agility

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Agility Practice @ The Plex before our Trial!!!

Agility Fun Runs !!!!

Saturday October 10, 2009

Time: Small dog ( 4-12in walkthrough begins at 9:30am)

Large dogs will follow the completion of small dog runs.

Entries: First received until full

Reservations close Sept. 24, 2009.

Cost: Early bird special before Sept 10, 3 runs for $25.00

$10.00 per 2 1/2min. run (if payment is received after Sept. 10.) nonrefundable

Check made payable to Jane Bowman

Payment should be given or mailed to Jane

Bowman or Sharon, Natasha, or Nanette Kersjes

Please Click HERE for the entry form (with more detail) if you are interested.

Reasons to do Agility with your dog:

	Most dogs LOVE it!
	It is great exercise for you and your dog!
	It sharpens your dog's ability to think fast!
	It is great 'quality time' with your dog!
	Any dog, big or small, can do it!
	To enjoy exhibiting in Agility trials, to earn titles.

So what is agility

Simply put, agility is the most fun you can have with your canine companion!! Agility is like a visit to a doggy amusement park, providing an outlet for your dog's excess energy. It is a great way to spend quality time with your pooch. In its simplest form, Agility classes can be just for fun and enjoyment. In its competitive form, Agility trials are a race against the clock, where dogs jump hurdles, maneuver see-saws, scale A-frames, cross narrow 'dog walks,' jump through tires, race through tunnels, and zig-zag through upright 'weaving' poles. To say that agility is fun, is an understatement. While agility is not for all dogs, with obese, lame, or sight impaired dogs being the exceptions, most dogs love agility training and can benefit from it.

Spend quality time with your dog doing agility today!

More about Agility Trials:

Agility Trials test a dog's ability to perform a prescribed course of obstacles, on which it is scored and timed. Dogs can be faulted for knocking a bar off a jump, taking the obstacles in the wrong order, refusing to do an obstacle, not meeting specific safety requirements, or for not completing the course within the allowed course time. The dog must successfully complete each obstacle, and get a total score of at least 85 out of a possible 100 points, a 'qualifying score.' Each time a dog gets a qualifying score, he's gotten a 'leg' towards his title. Three legs and the dog has become an Agility Titled dog! There are 3 levels at which a dog can earn a title and each is more difficult than the one before it. You may see levels divided into 'A' and 'B' at a trial; 'A' classes are for beginners whose dogs have never received a title while 'B' classes are for more experienced handlers.

Novice: The first level, Novice, results in the dog earning a Novice Agility (NA) title. At the novice level, the dog must successfully complete a course of 12 to 13 obstacles, including the A-frame, See-saw, Dog Walk, Open Tunnel, Closed Tunnel, Pause Table, Tire/Circle or Window Jump, Broad Jump, Panel Jump, Double Bar Jump, and 2-3 additional jumps.

Open: The second level, Open, results in the dog earning an Open Agility (OA) title. He must do all of the Novice obstacles, plus the addition of the 'weave' poles and more jumps, in a more complicated course with a total of 15-17 obstacles.

Excellent: The final level results in an Agility Excellent (AX) title. These dogs are the cream of the crop. In addition to much more difficult courses, there are even more jumps added, for a total of 18-20 obstacles Allowed times to complete the course also get tighter in the higher levels.

MX: The best of the best can go on for another title. Agility Excellent dogs that continue to compete and earn legs in Excellent at 10 shows become Master Agility Excellent (MX).

There are also 'Jumpers' classes where the titles earned are NAJ, OAJ, AXJ, and MXJ, respectively. The titling requirements are the same, with the exception that the A-frame, Dog Walk, See-saw, and Table are not used. Allowed course times are much faster in the jumpers classes.

MACH: Those who have earned the MX and MXJ title and want to keep going have the challenge of going for the Master Agility Champion (MACH) title. (MACH is pronounced to rhyme with the composer Bach.) This title is extremely difficult to earn. Twenty times, the dog and handler must run cleanly in both the Excellent Standard and Jumpers with Weaves classes in the same day. In addition, they must earn 750 'speed' points. These are gained for every second that the dog is under the standard course time in each class. If the dog places 1st in their height division, the 'speed' points for that run are doubled. If they place 2nd, the 'speed' points are multiplied by a factor of 1.5. The MACH title can be earned multiple times, with the title being designated as MACH2, MACH3, etc.