If I wanted to start competing in agility.....

I'm just getting into it to.  I believe there's Novice, Open, and Excellent, so you'd start at Novice.  I believe the courses are a little easier, obstacles sometimes farther apart, and less weaves (?). I would go for it!!!  I've seen so many bad mess-ups, but no one cares, it's all in good fun.  From the shows I've gone to, it seems like agility is a LOT more hit-or-miss than the rally and obedience rings I've watched.  As long as your dog knows all the obstacles, why not?  I know CPE is really REALLY laid back.  I went to a trial this summer and the woman I was sitting next to just randomly decided to run a "game" she'd never done before.  She did the walk-through and the judge helped her with the rules. She didn't even know them and ran anyway, just for fun.  Everyone talked her into it and then cheered her on.  I plan on running CPE before AKC b/c the AKC trials around here are super-competitive compared to the CPE ones.  They are fun, but the intensity is a lot higher and I'd rather just play around with it for a while until I'm comfortable with the AKC ring.  Also, the CPE ones have all those "games" so there's a lot more choices and areas you can specialize.  I know some of the other venues have "games" too.

Ask your trainer if she is aware of any up-coming shows in your area.  If not, go to the UKC or AKC site and find a trial near your location there.  First, go and watch a trial so that you know what to expect.  You would probably get information on upcoming trials - when and where.  You live in Michigan so probably there are plenty of UKC sponsored trials in your area.  UKC is a great place to start because they are friendly, laid back and want you to succeed.  There are no weaves in UKC, the courses usually don't require any complicated handling and there are 13 obstacles.  Trials are usually held by local dog training clubs, but you don't have to be a member. Your dog just has to have a registration number at whatever organization is sanctioning the trial.   Many training clubs hold fun matches before a hosting a trial so people can do a mock run.  I would definitely take advantage of that if I were you. 

 When you feel confident about what to expect, get a premium from whatever club is hosting the trial (usually available on line), sign up for a run and just do it!  The first couple of times will be clutzy and it's always a lot easier if you've got someone to give you a little guidance but it can be done on your own. 

What part of Michigan do you live?

 

ok. I went to an agility match this summer and they had AKC and CPE (maybe UKC too? I can't remember). Anyway, the obstacles were different for each one and I do remember the CPE one being a game type. I didn't understand it and asked someone for an explanation but the lady didn't know much about it either.

There's different types of jumps and obstacles in each venue right? I noticed the akc jumps were different from the cpe ones (or was it UKC?). There was an "under" board thing that I've never seen before either.

How do I get a jump card? Do I have to go somewhere and take Neiko's AKC registration with me? 

P.s. I'm in Lansing 

The CPE obstacles I saw were all the same as AKC, just different courses.  I've never watched UKC agility but I believe those obstacles might be slightly different. 

ETA:  For the AKC and CPE events I've gone to I've also seen "exhibition" rungs on the premium.  I'm assuming that would be like a "match" for obedience - you get to run but it's not really counted?

 In AKC, the morning of the trial, you check in and they direct you to where your dog gets measured. This measurement is good for that particular show.  You must be measured by two independent certified judges to get a permanent AKC jump card.  This weekend, we will be going up to Spring Grove to do an AKC Novice trial.  I'll have to check in at 7:00 a.m. to get Trudy measured.

 In UKC, you don't need a jump card.  You just list the height of your dog.  Ask your trainer what jump height your dog would be.  Trudy is about 20" and Grace is 21" high at the withers, so they both jumps 20".

Wouldn't worry about the games right now.  Just concentrate on getting around a standard course.  UKC has some pretty funky obstacles, but not in Novice.  Novice courses are pretty straight forward.  Same with AKC.  When you sign up at a trial, you get a printed sheet showing you your course layout so you have time to learn how to walk it. Watch the other handlers during your walk, too, so you can catch any handling quirks in the course. 

Usually, the UKC trials are straight forward AGI (Novice), AGII (Intermediate) & AGIII (advanced).  If you and your dog are beginners, you would do A, if your dog is seasoned or you are a trainer, you do B.  If you have a titled dog that is going for points toward a championship, you do C.  This is the same in AKC.

AKC  has "Fast", "JWW (jumps with weaves)", and "Standard".  I don't know about the other agility associations.  I think that they are where you find all the crazy games.  I'm just working for titles right now, in UKC and AKC. 

I just checked, there is not much UKC going on right now in our neck of the woods, but there is an AKC trial coming up in East Lansing:

http://user.cvm.msu.edu/~striler/cccc.htm

 You can go to http://www.dogeventsonline.com for AKC, CPE and other groups that do agility.  UKC is not on this site, though.
 

diane303

You can go to http://www.dogeventsonline.com for AKC, CPE and other groups that do agility.  UKC is not on this site, though.

Just a word of warning about DEO.  They don't list a number of trials that are being held.  They are also having problems with checks not clearing.  I wouldn't trust their trial listings at this time until they can get their problems worked out.  You would be better to check with the individual organization sanctioning the trials (AKC, UKC, USDAA etc).  They all have web sites.  I would check with someone in your class as to how to enter and what is being held in your area and they are usually forms that have to be filled out in advance etc.

Diane303 pretty much summed it up.  I have only competed in AKC and USDAA events and for both these venues your dog needs to get measured.  You get measured the day of the trial.  For AKC events the dog needs to be at least 2 years old in order to be eligible for a permanant height card (this means no more measuring the day of the show).  In AKC you need 2 certified measuring judges in order to obtain a permanent card.  In USDAA the dog needs to be 3 years old to get a permanent card (or if they fall well within a particular jump height) and they need to be measured by 3 different measuring officials.  So until you get a permanent card you would just have to have your dog measured the morning of the show.   

As far as what I personally do before my dogs are ready to compete...well I would recommend your dog has a realialble recall an excellent sit/stay and is very comfortable performing all the obstacles.  

Both the AKC and USDAA website have lots of info on upcoming trials.  Some AKC or USDAA clubs also put on matches, which are like an offical  trial but a bit less crowded and probably a good learning experience.

Good luck! 

You've been to 3 single classes or 3 rounds of classes? 

Your dog needs to be registered with the venue that you're competing in.  So, if you're doing AKC, your dog needs to be registered with AKC.

 When to start competing is an individual descision.  If you or your dog are sensitive to pressure, you have problems with people watching you mess things up royally or you have big dreams of going out there and winning your class right off the get-go (highly competitive), I'd do fun matches and make sure the dog can do the obstacles in his sleep before you compete.   The problem with competing too early is if a bad experience happens at your dog's first show, it can really unnerve your dog for later shows and overcoming that can take more time/energy/effort than waiting a little longer.  If your dog has never been to any sort of dog show, I'd look for fun matches and/or take him to the next show without entering him.  Asking a sensitive dog to acclimate to the somewhat controlled chaos of a dog show AND compete is a big thing to ask.

 3 rounds of classes.

Neiko's not ready right now but I'm thinking early spring. He'll be 1 in early Jan. so I was thinking maybe an April trial to test us. (I'm not ready either, I still have a lot to learn about handling)

I don't care how well we do or don't do though, I just want to try it so I can gauge how much we still need to learn. I've never competed in agility of course, so I don't know if I'll be tense or not, but I typically have a laid back, fun attitude in class. I really enjoy working with him.

Neiko is all about fun and only has confidence problems on the A-frame and teeter. I imagine we'll get over those this winter (I hope anyway).

How perfect do we need to be to do our first trial run? Where were your dogs in training when you first started to compete? Did they get good contacts on everything? Were they great at doing a complete weave poll set? Maybe the time wasn't great but everything else was good? 

 Actually, you have a great attitude to start agility.  If you go and watch a trial, you will see that a lot of dogs (not only novice) get the zoomies out there and a lot of people mess up.  You've got to have a sense of humor, that is for sure.  The important thing is to keep it fun for you and the dog and be patient. 

Actually, both in AKC and UKC you can make a lot of mistakes and still qualify.  They give you three chances to perform an obstacle successfully before they kick you off the course.  Again, in UKC, there are no weave poles and it's usually a pretty easy course.  You can't touch your dog, and in UKC, there are rules about passing in front of obstacles and over obstacles.  You really should go watch and read up on what the rules are before jumping in with both feet.  The fun matches are great practice, too.  I know you have him registered in both AKC and UKC, so you are set there. 

One year old is really young to have the presence of mind to focus on a course!  Trudy was at least 2 before I could even think about trialing.
 

Good luck and don't hesitate to give it a go!. 

Jewlieee

He'll be 1 in early Jan.

Am I reading this right.  The dog isn't even a year old yet???   Are you doing full size contacts and weave poles?  A dog has to be 15 months to compete in AKC.  I belive that it is 18 months in USDAA.  UKC I believe that it is younger than AKC but I wouldn't even be training any contacts, weave poles, or full height jumps until the dog is well past a year old.  Timmy was 16 months before I even started training anything agility related.  I wanted him to fully grow up and have the joints mature.

Yes you are reading that right - however he will be beyond 15 months come April, which was when I was considering entering him to see how we do. 

We have not been doing full sized jumps - only mini jumps. We have been doing contact work - I really don't see a problem with that personally. He has been introduced to weaves but only to get familiar with the obstacle.

He's my dog and I'm comfortable with what we've been working on. I'm fully aware that he needs to be 15 months to begin competing. I also know what he should not be doing full sized jumps yet. This post was the get me thinking about what I need to know before we get involved - such as how to get a jump card - I did not know that we got measured the day of the event. Or if I need to be a member of a club of some sort. So, relax :) This is just an information gathering inquiry. 

Why is working contacts bad for puppies?

We had 3 one year old dogs in our agility class.  They jumped very low and to make it easy, Kenya jumped low as well rather than having to reset bars all the time.  The first question the instructor asked was the dogs' ages.  I'm assuming any good instructor always takes this into account and I would expect Julie's is no different. 

You need to decide which venue you'd like to compete in -- or simply see what is available to you in your area.  Then go online and read the rule book for your chosen venue.  My dog training center is heavily involved in NADAC, so it was the obvious choice for me to become involved in.  We have a NADAC trial at our club almost every month.

I happen to think very highly of NADAC and Luke has a ton of fun!  I think it's more fun than AKC because it offers more.  We have six classes per day, for example, which makes for a really exciting day and lots of chances to Q.  We have fun "games" classes like tunnelers, weavers, touch-n-go and the new hoopers -- along with our standard regular classes (two per day), chances & jumpers.

NADAC does not allow dogs to compete until they are 18 months old.  You have the option of running your dog in the "skilled" category, which allows you to jump him 4" lower than his standard height.  You are required to start at Novice and must "title out" before moving up to open -- you only need three qualifying runs per class to get a title, though, so it's not difficult.  NADAC courses are very dog friendly and free-flowing -- not so many tight turns and directional changes as you see in AKC.  NADAC encourages speed & distance work whereas AKC is more about working close to your dog and doing lots of turns.

Your training center should be able to tell you the venue most readily available to you.  Whatever you decide, just be sure to get online and study the rule book.  You want to be well aware of the rules before your first trial.