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Dog Agility

Amber negotiating the dogwalk

Background and History: The concept of Dog Agility was devised in 1977 when Peter Meanwell was asked to provide a dog training demonstration for the 1978 Crufts Dog Show. For this first demonstration two teams of four dogs competed against each other with such success that it was obvious from the crowd reaction that this innovation would be seen again. All the ingredients of crowd appeal were apparent. The way a dog was faulted, was easy for the spectator to understand and since each dog competed against the clock this injected a speed element and meant that spectators did not have to concentrate on a particular dog for long periods of time.

The aims of dog agility are not dissimilar to the aims of show jumping. That is, to compete on a course of equipment with the aim of traversing all the obstacles without fault in the shortest time possible. Needless to say there are different competitions depending on the height of the dog Mini (15 inches or under at the withers) Midi (over 15 inches but under 17 inches at the withers) and Standard. As with show jumping, the judge sets a different course for each and every competition, which the competitors are expected to walk and memorise before each event. A course normally consists of a maximum of 20 obstacles and each obstacle must be taken in the order it is numbered.

The Contact Equipment: There are three pieces of Contact Equipment which each contain an area that is painted a different colour at the beginning and end of the obstacle, the "contact area". Dogs have to climb and descend the contact equipment touching the contact area (with at least one paw) on the way on and off each contact obstacle. The contact equipment includes:

  • The A-frame which consists of two raised broad diagonal panels that dog has to go up and over.
  • The dog walk, the dog runs up a long plank continues along an even longer plank about 5 feet above ground before descending to the ground down a third plank.
  • The see-saw as its name suggests is a plank with a central pivot, so that it tips over as the dog passes the middle point. Again there are contact areas to negotiate, and the far end of the plank must touch the ground before the dog continues.

The Other Equipment:

  • The jumps these consist of two wings supporting a pole that the dog must jump over. Poles are set at different heights depending on the height of the dog with a usual height of 30 inches for Standard dogs
    • Trim tackles the weaves
  • The spread jump consists of two jumps placed closely together (up to a maximum of 2 and a half feet apart), with the rear pole at maximum height and the front pole lower.
  • The weave poles are wooden or plastic vertical poles about 3 to 4 feet high, spaced 18 to 24 inches apart, and supported by a metal frame. There are usually either 6 or 9 or 12 poles in a sequence, and the dog must enter from the right, with the first pole on his left, and weave in and out without making any mistakes or exiting before passing the last pole.
  • The long jump consists of several low wooden elements spaced a few inches apart with a gradual rise in height. For Standard dogs, the maximum length of the long jump is 5 feet.
  • The rigid or pipe tunnel is about 2 feet in diameter and can be extended to different lengths and/or twisted into a right angle, horseshoe or S-shapes.
  • The collapsible tunnel has a rigid entrance for about 2 feet that gives way to a fabric extension several feet long that the dog has to push its way through.
  • The tyre or hoop is a lifebuoy, supported by a frame, which the dog must jump through.
  • The wall looks like brick, but consists of easily dislodged plastic elements.
  • The wishing well consists of a broad, deep wooden or plastic base with a pole mounted above it, and with struts on either side supporting a roof. The dog must jump over the pole whole avoiding contact with the base.
  • The table this requires the dog to come to a full halt on a table after jumping onto it from a flat run. The dog must remain in one position, usually a down, for up to 5 seconds before continuing.

Some of the agility equipment described above is depicted in the fun agility animation shown below. The dog can be seen to tackle: jump, A-Frame, rigid tunnel, table, tyre, spread jump, dog walk, collapsible tunnel, weaves and see-saw.

agility animation
Agility Animation courtesy of Narcy.com and K9 Kartoons!

Scoring: In each Class, the winner is the dog that completes the course in the fastest time with the least faults. Faults can be awarded for a number of possible errors during the completion of a course: If a dog makes an error on any of the obstacles (e.g. knocking off a pole or coming out of the weave) it is awarded 5 faults per error. A dog is awarded 5 faults for each of the contact areas that it fails to touch on the contact equipment. If a dog refuses any of the obstacles then it is also awarded 5 faults, moreover if a dog has three refusals within one course it is eliminated. Finally taking any of the obstacles out of turn results in elimination.

As a dog wins competitions, it is promoted within the different levels of Agility. The Official Kennel Club levels are:

  1. Grade 1 (Elementary): For owners, handlers or dogs which have not gained a first place in an Agility class or 3 first places in Jumping classes. N.B. Owners, handlers or dogs previously qualified out of the old Elementary are not eligible for this class.
  2. Grade 2 (Starters): For owners, handlers or dogs which have qualified out of Grade 1 but have not gained a first place in an Agility class or 3 first places in Jumping classes at Grade 2, or elected to progress on points from grade 1. N.B. Owners, handlers or dogs previously qualified out of the old Starters are not eligible for this class.
  3. Grade 3 (Graduate): Open to dogs which are not eligible for Grade 1 or Grade 2 or have elected to progress on points from Grade 2 and dogs which are not eligible for Grade 4, 5, 6 or 7.
  4. Grade 4 (Novice): Open to dogs which have gained a first place in an Agility class or 3 first places in Jumping classes at Grade 3 or elected to progress on points from Grade 3 and are not eligible for Grades 3, 5, 6 or 7.
  5. Grade 5 (Intermediate): Open to dogs which have gained a first place in an Agility class or 3 first places in Jumping classes at Grade 4 or elected to progress on points from Grade 4 and are not eligible for Grades 3, 4, 6 or 7.
  6. Grade 6 (Senior): Open to dogs which have gained a first place in an Agility class or 3 first places in Jumping classes at grade 5 and are not eligible for Grades 3, 4, 5 or 7.
  7. Grade 7 (Advanced): Open to dogs which have gained a minimum of 4 first places at Grade 6. 2 first places must be gained in Agility (NOT jumping) classes.

An Agility class contains both Contact Equipment and the other equipment while a Jumping Class does not contain any of the Contact Equipment.