Dog Agility

I compete at Agility events with my dogs. Agility was first introdcued to Crufts in the UK in 1978 and the format has not changed much since then.

Kennel Club events have Graded Classes from 1 (Begginers) to 7 (Advanced) Maya is now Grade 3 and Buzz is still too young to compete but is training already. To go up a grade then you have to win or have multiple 2nd places. Competition is tough.

Its a great sport to do with your dog and a great social gathering too. The competitions are held all over the country and I admire those that organise them. Its must be Chaos. There can be around 350 dogs in each class at beginners level alone in the Large classes.

The formal requirements for competing in a Kennel Club licensed Agility show are :

Your dog must be registered with the Kennel Club, either on the Breed Register or on the Activity Register.
Competitors taking part in any Kennel Club licensed event must familiarise themselves with the Kennel Club Rules and Regulations beforehand. The Agility Regulations can be found in the Agility and Flyball Regulations booklet.
Dogs can only enter Agility shows when they are 18 months of age or over and have been officially measured and placed in the correct height category.
You will need to have an Agility Record Book (available from the Kennel Club online shop) in which to record your dog’s height category and all your competition wins and clear rounds.

See more at: http://www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/agility/new-to-agility/#sthash.EcwBpGZ8.dpuf

There are a lot of Collies in the game but it is not restricted to working dogs. There is a great mix of breeds and sizes.

The heights are defined as follows. The Large classes tend to have the largest number of competitor in them.

Large:

For dogs measuring over 43 cm (1ft 5ins) at the wit

hers.

Medium:

For dogs measuring over 35 cm (1ft 1.75ins) and 43c

ms (1ft 5ins) or under at the

withers.

Small:

For dogs measuring 35cm (1ft 1.75ins) or under at the withers.

The shows are usually held over two or three days. Some people take the whole family and camp or caravan and make a weekend of it, others just do day visits.

Regular training is essential, I have a lesson each week with Jo Fraser and then I practice at home during the week. We have our first competiton this weekend.

Its not all hard work though. At Tuffley Caslte, Gloucestershire a few years ago, it was roasting hot and most of the dogs if not in the ring were playing in the river to cool off.