Clean Run - September 2012 - 7

Everything you always wanted to know about agility
By Brenna Fender

I rescued a dog that looks and acts like a Border Collie but only weighs 15 pounds. I want to register him with the AKC but I don’t know whether to do so as a Border Collie or as an All-American. I’d like the chance to go to the Invitational some day and I don’t want to feel like I’m doing something unethical by making the wrong choice. What should I do? Should I do a DNA test on my dog?
Penny Leigh, Program Manager for AKC Canine Partners (the AKC registry for mixed breeds), says, “Our advice for this owner would be to first submit an application for the Purebred Alternative Listing (PAL) number—formerly known as the ILP—and request that the dog be listed as a Border Collie. This process requires the submission of two photographs (a front and a side view) as well as specifying approximate height and weight on the application. If the PAL request is turned down, then the owner will be offered the option of listing the dog in the AKC Canine Partners program for All-American Dogs.” According to Leigh, “The AKC does not accept the results of DNA tests as proof of breed make-up for PAL or AKC Canine Partners.” If you are interested in DNA testing anyway, it may not tell you exactly what breeds make up your dog’s background, but it will most likely tell you if your dog is a purebred Border Collie or not. The Canine Heritage® Breed Test and similar breed testing options like the Wisdom Panel Insights test compare a dog’s DNA (generally submitted via a cheek swab) with a reference sample to determine what breeds match. The testing is precise, meaning that the results for dogs with similar DNA make-ups will come out the same. The accuracy depends on the number of breeds that make up the reference population. For example, if you believe your dog is a Catahoula Leopard Dog, but the test you use does not have Catahoulas in the reference population, the results will only show dogs that share DNA with the Catahoula. The Canine Heritage Breed Test website (www.canineheritage.com) states: “If the tested dog is made up of breeds outside of the 120 breeds of the Canine Heritage Breed Test, the test results may be minimal and will indicate the best fit or closely related breed ancestry. This may cause reporting of unexpected breeds in your pet’s genealogy. If your dog contains breeds not part of the Canine Heritage Breed Test, often the test finds the closest fit, either foundation breeds crossed to create your dog’s breed ancestry, or of breeds from similar geographic regions.”

Do you have a question about agility rules or anything else agility related? Mail your questions to Brenna Fender: brennafender@gmail.com Brenna collects the questions and forwards them to us so we never see the names.

In your case, since you believe the dog may be a Border Collie, you should check with the DNA testing company that you plan to use and make sure that Border Collies are in the database. And since working and show lines in breeds may have significantly different DNA, you may want to confirm that both types of BCs made up the sample used.

What is the new rule about AKC table performance?
There isn’t a new rule, but the March 2012 issue of the Agility Judges Newsletter included clarification of a refusal call at the table. The newsletter states: “If the dog is approaching the table (next correct obstacle), then alters its path within the last 1/3rd to avoid the front side, a refusal call must be called even if the dog ultimately jumps up on the table from the side.” The newsletter includes diagrams to further clarify this call. What this means is that, even if your dog does not pass the run-out line when getting on the table, if he is running toward the table, alters his path away from it, and then redirects back to the table, he will still earn a refusal fault. But if the dog approaches the table from an angle and gets on the side (but doesn’t pass the run-out line), as long as his path doesn’t include a portion where he appears to decide not to get on the table, it will not be considered a refusal. Check out the diagrams in the newsletter because they help clarify this rule (http://images.akc.org/pdf/events/agility/judges_newsletter/ March2012.pdf). This is not the only way a dog can be called for a refusal at the table. In the final one-third of the distance between any two obstacles, if a dog moves to avoid or stops in front of the next correct obstacle (the table included), it is considered a refusal. D

NOTE: While it is not permissible to make copies of Clean Run magazine, we wish to give readers permission to make copies of this particular column for personal use. This means you are free to share copies of this column with students, friends, or club members. The information may also be included in not-for-profit newsletters as long as credit is given to Clean Run. September 12 | Clean Run 7

http://www.canineheritage.com http://images.akc.org/pdf/events/agility/judges_newsletter/March2012.pdf http://images.akc.org/pdf/events/agility/judges_newsletter/March2012.pdf

Clean Run - September 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Clean Run - September 2012