• 12Mar

  Leash Laws

  Dog Training (General) No Comments

  Keep an eye on local law regarding licensing and leashing your dog. Most municipalities stipulate that the dog must be on leash, and many rural areas just say ‘under your control’, which is good news for those of us whose dogs have good walking abilities and recalls. Don’t trust your dogs’ recall completely. The one time he really needs to come…

  But keep agility regulations in mind, too! You don’t want to miss a Q because of not slipping the leash back on after your dog completed the course, or you left a collar on during your dogs’ run. Check the rules of the venue before your enter the ring. Better yet, get in the habit of keep your dog leashed or crated at all times during a trial. That habit can spare you a lot of grief.

  Tags: agility beginners, dog safety & health

• 11Mar

  New Kid on the Block

  Dog Agility Competing No Comments
  

  What a lovely cup of tea! for me?

  And it looks like they’ll be fun to play with!

  UKI Agility has come across the pond!  This organization is a fun, lighthearted place to work with your dog and brings ‘european’ courses to America, with their tighter turns and big handling challenges without their being a huge equipment challenge- the A-frame tops off at 5′7”.  Dogs have angled entries to go through, and handlers have cross-over challenges.  Think of European courses as the Da Vinci’s of the Agility world- they’re real works of art, in a simplistic, understated way.  They require thought and preparation but in the end… it’s oil on canvas.  It’s you and your dog!

  While this may not be your cup of tea, there’s more!  You can bring toys’ on-course for ‘training runs’, which means you can take your trial-shy dog for fun runs with toys, and then do a real run later in the competition! Think of how much zoom you could avoid!  There’s also ‘nursery class’ for debuting dogs, which I know is a blessing.  You can also enter a trial online (that’s right, no postage!) and keep track of your scores online as well.

  The organization is still in the infant stage here in the U.S., but check here for a trial near you and try it out- you may just find that you love it!  (I know I’m going to try it once my dog is old enough!)

  Tags: agility beginners, agility organizations, Events & News

• 08Mar

  Understanding Scoring

  Dog Agility Competing No Comments

  Many 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~

  Tags: agility beginners, agility competing

• 25Feb

  How To Survive Your First Agility Trial. (Part Five- You Did It!)

  Dog Agility Competing 1 Comment

  After 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~

  Tags: agility beginners, agility competing

• 23Feb

  Light at the end of the…. chute?

  Dog Agility Equipment 1 Comment

  If, 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.

  Tags: agility beginners, agility obstacles

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