photo by Don Frost.Agility
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Thank you to Catherine Fuller for writing the information below on agility for us.
Aussies in Agility
The sport of Agility was first introduced to the public by Peter Meanwell in 1978 and the obstacles have not significantly changed since then. The sport has become more popular and the standard of dogs and handlers has improved. Agility is a control sport, in competition the handler is not allowed to touch the dog and no training aids such as treats or toys are allowed in the ring. The handler is only permitted to use their voice and body movements to negotiate their dog around a course set by the judge. Border Collies are the dominant breed but there are several other breeds showing that they can keep up with them such as Belgian Shepherds, Australian Kelpies and of course the Australian Shepherd.
Dogs can start obstacle training from around 1 year old but the basics such as sit, down, wait and turning left and right can begin as soon as the puppy comes home, they can start competing from 18 months old. It can take around a year to train a dog so that it is able to negotiate all obstacles and complete a course, it takes time and patience to produce a top winning dog! Aussies are a slow maturing breed and it can take them a bit longer to get to the desired standard, patience is required with a young Aussie to maintain enthusiasm.
There are classes for small (up to 15“), medium (15“-17”) and large dogs (over 17“), the jump heights differ depending on the size of the dog. There can be 800 dogs or more entered in some classes, these are split into parts with 200 - 300 dogs in each part. There are 7 grades in Agility with Grade 1 being the lowest grade; all new handlers with new dogs will start in this grade. Dogs can compete in classes just for their Grade and they can compete in combined or graded classes which are classes that include one or more of the higher grades. There are two types of classes, combined or graded; combined classes are open to more than one grade and there is only one set of results, graded classes may be open to one or more consecutive grades with separate result for each grade.
Grade progression up to Grade 5 can be achieved by winning one Agility class or three jumping classes (compulsory progression) or point’s accumulation (if a dog gains 75 points they can progress to the next level but it is not compulsory). Grade progression to Grade 6 can only be achieved by winning one Agility class or three jumping classes, progression cannot be achieved by point’s accumulation. To get to Grade 7 a dog must have four class wins with clear rounds and two of these wins must be in Agility classes as opposed to jumping classes. Dogs can compete to be an Agility Champion once they have reached Grade 7 status, they can then enter Championship classes in a bid to gain a CC (Challenge Certificate). Once a dog has gained 3 CC’s it is an Agility Champion (AG CH will come before their registered name). Once a dog, handler or owner has won out of Grade 1 and 2 they can never compete at this level again, all new dogs will start in Grade 3 and progress through to Grade 7. All wins from Grade 3 onwards are based on the dog rather than the handler.
The Agility Warrant is an award that is open to all dogs competing at Kennel Club Registered Agility shows. There are three levels to the Agility Warrant, Bronze (200 points) Silver (400 points) and Gold (800 points). Points are earned for clear-rounds and places from 10th upwards in standard Agility and jumping classes at Championship and Open shows (results for special classes such as ABC, Helter Skelter, etc will not count), at least 25% of points must be gained in Agility classes (as opposed to jumping). Once a dog has gained enough points they can have the letters AW and either a (B), (S) or (G) after their name depending on the level of warrant gained. This gives everyone something to aim for regardless of their level.
The number of Aussies competing in Agility is increasing each year, and the standard is rising but those who get an Aussie thinking that they are a tailless Collie soon realise that they aren‘t, the difference in attitude, style and build make them truly unique. The Aussie is a very agile dog, they can jump from a standstill and turn on a sixpence which makes them ideal for Agility, you often hear an Aussie doing an Agility round before you see one!
Agility is an addictive and very social sport. There are weekend shows and week long shows so throughout the summer you can find that you are not home much and the dogs love it. To find out your nearest Agility club contact the Kennel Club. To find schedules and other information look on the ‘agilitynet’ website.
Click here for Aussie Agility Photos
photo by Don Frost.