Clean Run - November 2012 - 7

Everything you always wanted to know about agility
By Brenna Fender

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In AKC agility, if a dog goes down the teeter, steps in the contact zone, backs up, and then exits without touching the zone again, how is that judged? And what if the dog rides the teeter to the ground, and then exits as the board is bouncing back up again?
According to AKC Director of Agility Carrie DeYoung, as long as the board is on the ground when the dog touches the contact zone, it is fine for the dog to back up and then exit without touching the zone again. DeYoung says it is also fine if the dog rides the teeter to the ground and then exits as the board is bouncing back up again. In both cases, as long as the board touches the ground first, the actions described are not faulted performances.

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.

What is the AKC’s current policy on straightening the chute since it has been shortened? Can it still be straightened after each run?
“The straightening of the chute has always been at the judge’s discretion. We have recommended that it be checked after each dog. With the shorter chute, we are still leaving it to the judge’s discretion,” says DeYoung.

In a USDAA trial that is offering Intro classes, if a non-titling game is offered, can a registered dog under 18 months old enter the game? Can a dog younger than 18 months old enter a non-titling class at a trial that isn’t offering an Intro class?
In order to compete in an Intro class, a dog must be a minimum of 14 months old, but for all the rest of USDAA’s classes, a dog must be at least 18 months old. A dog 14 to 18 months old is only eligible for Intro classes. The “18-months-old” requirement applies to all other classes offered at trials as well as classes offered at a sanctioned match.

I heard that if your hat falls off while running in an AKC trial, if you don’t put it back on, you will be called for “training in the ring” and lose your qualifying score. Is this true? What about if you lose your sunglasses, wallet, shoe, empty poop scoop bags, or any other article of clothing or item from your pockets?
There is no “cut-and-dried” answer to this question. The simple act of an item falling off of a handler (like clothing) or something falling out of a handler’s pocket does not mean that a non-qualifying score will automatically be given. But if the judge determines that the way the item was lost constitutes possible “training in the ring,” then the dog and handler team might earn an NQ. There is an old agility saying that says, “Don’t make the judge think.” This is certainly one of those situations, so you may want to take care to avoid this scenario by emptying your pockets and securing or removing loose items.

My dog made it into the USDAA Masters classes when I had to pull him out of trialing due to injury. Upon his recovery, I entered him in USDAA’s Performance program classes so that he could jump lower heights while getting back into the swing of trialing. He earned some Performance level I titles and then I put him back in Masters. As his career winds down, I may wish to move him back to the Performance classes. Will I be able to move him to Performance level III (since we have all our Masters titles) or will he have to go back down and earn the PII titles first?
The rules explaining entry into the Level III classes state that you must have the proper qualifying scores in Level II (Performance program) or in the Advanced (Championship) classes. If you qualify to compete in a class at the Masters level, you qualify to compete in the equivalent class in the Performance program. You can find the eligibility requirements for both programs in tabular format here: http://usdaa. com/binary/files/rules_ebook_2011_appE.pdf. Please note that the reverse is not true. Even a dog that has earned a Performance Dog Champion title must begin the Championship program at the Starters level. D

In USDAA trials, do you need a qualifying score at a local trial in the Performance Versatility Pairs class (or Dog Agility Masters team class in the Championship program) in order to compete in PVP or Team at a regional?
No, Team or PVP does not require a dog to earn a local qualifying score in order to compete at a regional.

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http://usdaa.com/binary/files/rules_ebook_2011_appE.pdf http://usdaa.com/binary/files/rules_ebook_2011_appE.pdf
Clean Run - November 2012

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