Dog agility is a highly popular sport and is fun for the dog, the handler and the spectators. There are quite a few different organizations around the country that host dog agility contests. While each group has their own course designs and scoring guidelines, here is some general information that might help you learn what to expect if you compete.
Generally, you will encounter the same basic obstacles everywhere. Your dog will be expect to navigate several different kinds of jumps, run through weave poles, sit and stay on the pause table, shuffle through tunnels and handle several contact obstacles. These contact apparatus include the a-frame, the dog walk and the teeter totter or see-saw. Practice makes perfect, so set up a dog agility course in your backyard to make it easy to practice every day. All of the dog agility equipment you need can be purchased at Carlson Agility, which sells pause tables, a-frames, tunnels, dog agility jumps, teeters and everything else you would ever need.
Each dog agility group separates dogs into different categories or competition classes, which are based on the size of the dogs, as well as the experience level or the age of the dogs. For each class, there is a specific amount of time allowed for completing the course, and each obstacle must be completed correctly in a certain order. The dog must complete the course without earning a fault. There are time faults given when a dog takes too long to complete the course, as well as many other faults.
In addition to time faults, there are many other faults you might incur. A missed contact fault indicates that the dog incorrectly navigated one of the contact obstacles. Sometimes a dog will get up to the obstacle, then pause or turn away, and this is called a refusal, which also is a fault. If the dog runs passed the obstacle they were supposed to navigate, this is another type of fault known as a runout. Dogs also receive a fault for completing obstacles out of order, and this is called an off course fault. Dogs can earn faults for knocking over a jump pole or for incorrectly going through the weave poles, which are one of the most difficult obstacles to learn.
However, it's not just the dog that has to do his best; the handler also must be following the rules. If the handler appears to be training the dog rather than guiding, sometimes this is consider a training-in-the-ring fault. This is a very subjective type of fault and not applicable for every organization. Bringing a treat or a special toy into the ring also can be penalized. If you touch an obstacle or touch your dog, even if it was by mistake, this is called a handling mistake and a fault is given.
Again, it is important to note that every organization is different and has different rules, a different selection of obstacles and different faults. Sometimes you are eliminated if you incur a fault, and sometimes not, it all depends. It's best to study all of the rules and regulations carefully and train according to the requirements of your organization to ensure the highest possible level of success.
Generally, you will encounter the same basic obstacles everywhere. Your dog will be expect to navigate several different kinds of jumps, run through weave poles, sit and stay on the pause table, shuffle through tunnels and handle several contact obstacles. These contact apparatus include the a-frame, the dog walk and the teeter totter or see-saw. Practice makes perfect, so set up a dog agility course in your backyard to make it easy to practice every day. All of the dog agility equipment you need can be purchased at Carlson Agility, which sells pause tables, a-frames, tunnels, dog agility jumps, teeters and everything else you would ever need.
Each dog agility group separates dogs into different categories or competition classes, which are based on the size of the dogs, as well as the experience level or the age of the dogs. For each class, there is a specific amount of time allowed for completing the course, and each obstacle must be completed correctly in a certain order. The dog must complete the course without earning a fault. There are time faults given when a dog takes too long to complete the course, as well as many other faults.
In addition to time faults, there are many other faults you might incur. A missed contact fault indicates that the dog incorrectly navigated one of the contact obstacles. Sometimes a dog will get up to the obstacle, then pause or turn away, and this is called a refusal, which also is a fault. If the dog runs passed the obstacle they were supposed to navigate, this is another type of fault known as a runout. Dogs also receive a fault for completing obstacles out of order, and this is called an off course fault. Dogs can earn faults for knocking over a jump pole or for incorrectly going through the weave poles, which are one of the most difficult obstacles to learn.
However, it's not just the dog that has to do his best; the handler also must be following the rules. If the handler appears to be training the dog rather than guiding, sometimes this is consider a training-in-the-ring fault. This is a very subjective type of fault and not applicable for every organization. Bringing a treat or a special toy into the ring also can be penalized. If you touch an obstacle or touch your dog, even if it was by mistake, this is called a handling mistake and a fault is given.
Again, it is important to note that every organization is different and has different rules, a different selection of obstacles and different faults. Sometimes you are eliminated if you incur a fault, and sometimes not, it all depends. It's best to study all of the rules and regulations carefully and train according to the requirements of your organization to ensure the highest possible level of success.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To find an agility equipment for dogs, or to find useful agility dog training equipment such as dog agility kit, please go to the Carlson-Agility site now.
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