• 08Mar

    ribbonMany people have difficulty understanding their scoring, especially beginners to the sport. I’m going to go over the information here in an attempt to help everyone learn what their scoring actually tells them. This is an example from one of Ruger’s runs.

    Distance: 177 yards SCT: 67 seconds Excellent A Pref 20 inch Judge: Kurt Matushek
    Place Name Time TFlts RFlts WCFlts TblFlts E/F Score
    Ruger/L.Freed 60.21 0 1 0 0 2 Elim

    The Distance is the total yards the dog must run. This is measured by the judge prior to running the course. You will see the judge out there with a measuring wheel, checking the yardage.

    The SCT:67 seconds means that the course should be completed within 67 seconds. SCT = Standard Course Time.

    The rest of the information tells me that I was running in Excellent A Preferred at 20″ and my judge was Kurt Matushek.

    The second part of the scoring is where people often are clueless. So I’ll explain what it means. The top row is labelled with the headers: Place, Name, Time, TFlts, RFlts, WCFlts, TblFlts, E/F, and Score. Directly below these headers will be the information pertaining to your run. Place is if you ran a qualifying run and got a ribbon placement. You would have 1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th under Place. Obviously in this example Ruger did not Place. Name is self explanatory, the dogs name/owner name. Time is the amount of time it took your dog to run the course. TFlts =Time Faults, this indicates the amount of time you went over the SCT. RFlts = Refusal Faults, this will show any/every time you had a refusal on course. WCFlts = Wrong Course Faults, will show any/every time your dog went off course. TblFlts = Table Faults, which indicates any fault occuring at the table. E/F = Error/Fault indicates any errors or faults other than the previously listed ones. Things like dropped bars and missed contacts are indicated under the E/F heading. Score, will show if you were Elim (Eliminated) or if you Qualified (Q).
    I hope this helps to understand the scoring a little bit. And I hope that all of you have better runs than the one Ruger ran on this day!!

    ~ Thanks to Linda Freed at http://agilityteamair.wordpress.com/ for the above entry~

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  • 25Feb

    dog20tired20in20grass203After your run, let your dog relax. Give him a treat and put him in his crate and leave him alone until your next run.

    If it is hot at a trial DO NOT GIVE YOUR DOG ICE WATER OR ICE. Dogs have bloated from doing this (a serious medical condition that if not treated promptly can lead to death). Cool water is fine, but skip the ice. Most trial sites will have a hose or small pool to cool off your dog.

    The most important thing to remember is to have fun with your dog. This is a GAME, and we play it to enjoy ourselves, our dogs, and our fellow competitors.

    ~ Thanks to Linda Freed at http://agilityteamair.wordpress.com/ for the above entry~

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  • 23Feb

    agility-chute-1If, like many of us, you’re usually training your dog on your own, it can be hard to get them used to the chute.  They can’t see the end ! it’s scary! it’s dark! 

    To help your dog get used to chutes and tunnels, try putting another tunnel or barrel into the exit end of the chute to hold it open.  Your dog can see through! it’s a miracle!  Slowly faze it out after your dog gets the idea of running all the way through.

    This tip is especially good for very small dogs, and young dogs, or anybody doing agility on their own.

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  • 18Feb

    6-06nwregionals2When you are on course, remember the “four paw rule”. If your dog gets on an obstacle with all four paws, and he jumps off, you MAY NOT put him back on that obstacle, move on to the next one. If your dog drops a bar, continue to the next jump, etc. If your dog gets the zoomies, or you get hopelessly lost, just try to do some of the obstacles and finish the course (after all you paid your entry fee, you might as well get some practice time in). If things go really badly, you can kindly say “Thank you” to the judge and take your dog out of the ring.

    When exiting the ring (in AKC) you must have your dog ON LEASH before you leave the ring. This is vitally important and could cost you a Q if you fail to do it. Your leash will be by the exit gate. Get your dog under control quickly and leash him before you walk out of the ring!!

    Scores are usually posted on computers near the score keepers area. You are welcome to check your score there after your run to see how it went and if you Q’d or placed.

    (Part three here) (Part Five coming soon!)

    Thanks to Linda Freed at http://agilityteamair.wordpress.com/ for the above entry~

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  • 10Feb

    german_shepherd_dog_sitting_leashWhen it is close to your time to run, get your dog out and take him for a potty walk. Please do this. Your dog is nervous too, and if he pees or poops in the ring, you will be asked to leave the ring. Also, they will have a practice jump set up outside the rings. You may use this one jump to warm up your dog before your run. Take advantage of this jump!

    Once your class begins, be sure you are at the gate when it’s your turn to run. They will not wait on you to show up. (The gatekeeper will be yelling for you though, so be sure you are there!) You can have treats or toys near the gate, but not in the ring. Also, make sure you don’t have any tags or dangling things hanging from your dogs collar (AKC rules), or better yet, run your dog without a collar. When you enter the ring you must have your dog ON LEASH! Even if you have a small dog and carry it into the ring, you must have that leash on. Set your dog up at the start line, but do not look to the judge to tell you to go, look at the timer and scribes (they will be sitting by the start line). They will give you the okay to go (or it may be an electronic voice that tells you “Go”.). Just FYI, when you hear the “go” it does not mean you immediately must start, you can go anytime after that, your actual course time will start when your dog jumps or enters the first obstacle.

    (Part two here) (part four here)

    ~Thanks to Linda Freed at http://agilityteamair.wordpress.com/ for the above entry~

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