AGILITY
This sport is a test of the communication skills between dog & handler—the aim is to negotiate an obstacle course at speed with increasing difficulty as the team progresses. Agility is much like showjumping for horses where there is a set time, and the team with the fastest time and lowest errors is the team that wins.
Agility has many variants, from jumping, which only has jumps (bar, winged, broad, and spread) and tunnels; to agility with a dog walk, a-frame, weave poles, and a seesaw as well as the jumps and tunnels; to strategic pairs (aka catastrophic pairs), which sees two teams doing different parts of the same course; to gamblers and snooker which are points based games.
Dogs compete at jump heights that are set according to their height at the withers (top of shoulders), to prevent injuries and to level the playing field. All other obstacles remain the same for all sizes.
Novice level has 14-16 obstacles, excellent has 16-20 obstacles, masters has 20-24 obstacles, elite has 22-28 obstacles, and open (which is open to all competitors of any level) has 16-20 obstacles. The average speed per metre that the dog is expected to cover increases through the levels, and the turns get more complex. Once you have your master title in agility and jumping, you go on to earn points towards an agility championship.
ANKC Agility and Games Rules
Where to Learn
A list of Qld ANKC clubs offering agility training can be found here
Where to Trial
Information on upcoming trials can be found in Dog World Magazine gazettes and K9 Entries. Entries are usually through K9 Entries.
Agility is a dog competition open to all dogs. The aim of this competition is for a Handler to direct his dog around a course of different obstacles to assess and enhance the ability of the dog and Handler to work as a team. It is an educational and sporting activity intended to improve the dog's integration into society. The sport requires a good rapport between dog and Handler, which results in perfect teamwork. Whilst speed of the dog is to be desired, steadiness of work is essential to a faultless performance of the course.