Agility: With whom to compete

Weight pull, Protection, Agility, Flyball... you name it!

Postby SisMorphine » January 30th, 2007, 1:20 am

Okay, so what groups/clubs/etc hold agility competitions? I know the AKC does, but we're looking at competing mutts and/or breeds that are not recognized by the AKC. What other groups out there hold agility competitions and how do you have to register to compete?

Have I posted this question before because I'm getting an insane sense of de ja vu . . .
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
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Postby mnp13 » January 30th, 2007, 12:58 pm

NADAC and USDAA are the only ones that I know, but there are others.
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Postby lilabet » February 15th, 2007, 2:46 pm

Ok, so now that I have joined I can reply to you. There are several venues that you can compete in agility in. NADAC and USDAA were already mentioned. There are also CPE (Canine Performance Events), DOCNA (Dogs On Course North America), of course AKC and UKC, and TDAA (Teacup Dogs Agility Assoc.) I believe all but AKC allow any breed and mixed breeds to compete. Teacup is limited to dogs 17" and under. CPE is relatively new but gaining in popularity fast. DOCNA is very new, barely a year old, so there aren't too many of their trials yet. It is an offshoot of NADAC sort of. Some judges and competitors were unhappy with all the rule and class changes that the owner of NADAC keeps making and started another venue. Our club puts on trials for NADAC, CPE and DOCNA. I think they are all great fun!
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Postby mnp13 » February 15th, 2007, 2:49 pm

Teacup is 17 inches and under??!??!!

I could title Riggs with them! Now THAT would be funny!

I have to get my butt in gear on those stupid weave poles....
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Postby lilabet » February 15th, 2007, 7:34 pm

It took me a year and a half to get Greta's weave poles so she was doing them straight up. I decided to enter her in all classes for our Feb. 3and 4 trial even though she hadn't yet perfected them. I lucked out. She finally got it a week before the trial! Needless to say we practiced our butts off with lots of treats and a ball during those weeks between sending in our entry and the weekend of the trial. She qualified in 2 out of 4 classes on Sat. and 3 out of 4 on Sun. The 3 non qualifying runs were not due to the weave poles. She was fantastic!
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Postby adrianne » February 16th, 2007, 4:28 pm

we still don't do weave poles without guide wires.. sigh.. the big oof still head butts the wires too lol

then again.. the bull dozing (yes his affectionate nick name at training IS bulldozer) of the tunnels and dog walk seem to make weave poles seem like nothing

Once we are ready though we'll compete with CPE, NADAAC, and possibly AKC iffen they give us an ILP#
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Postby lilabet » February 16th, 2007, 7:06 pm

I trained Greta with channel weave poles. We started out with the poles staggered so she could just run through the middle, then we gradually closed them so eventually she had to start wiggling a little as she went through. The part that took the longest was going from slightly offset to a straight line, but with practice we got it! She does enter from the wrong side a lot when I am on the off side but we're working on that. By the way, you can enter CPE trials at level 1 even if your dog doesn't do weave poles yet. There are no poles or seesaws in level 1. Also in some of the games classes in the higher levels there are no poles either. That's what I did with Greta. She was at level 2 in some classes and level 3 in others before she got her poles down. She is now in level 3 in every class except Jackpot. She just needs 1 more Q to finish level 2 in that. We are entered in a trial on March 3 and 4 so hopefully she will get that Q then.
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Postby SisMorphine » February 16th, 2007, 7:13 pm

We were doing channel stuff with Mike. They weren't completely out, and he was starting to get it. I really need to get back into agility with him!
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
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Postby mnp13 » February 16th, 2007, 10:11 pm

hmmm... I'll look into CPE as a starter, that will give us time to work on weave poles but still compete.
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Postby SisMorphine » February 17th, 2007, 12:36 am

On February 16 2007, 9:11 PM, mnp13 wrote:hmmm... I'll look into CPE as a starter, that will give us time to work on weave poles but still compete.

I was thinking the same thing. It looks like most of the ones in my area in the next few months and already filled up anyway. Gives me more time to work!!
"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another." -Anatole France
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Postby pocketpit » February 17th, 2007, 12:42 am

[quote]that will give us time to work on weave poles

Go with channel weaves like others have mentioned! I've trained two dogs (Brooks and my former ACD) with traditional poles and guide wires and I've trained two Mals and my Dobe with channel weaves. What a world of difference in the rate of learning and ability to find the proper entry. Of course you have to work on entry stuff as a seperate exercise as well but after using both methods I'll never start another dog with out channel weaves.
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Postby mnp13 » February 17th, 2007, 6:25 pm

channel weaves are the ones that you start wide and then push in, correct?
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Postby lilabet » February 18th, 2007, 11:03 am

Yes, at first it is like going between two lines of poles for the dog. Once they know to run through without popping out a side, then you gradually start making the channel smaller by pushing the lines of poles closer together. Eventually the dog will have to wiggle a little to get through the channel. As they get used to moving their body that way you can slowly close the poles more until finally they are weaving in straight through the poles. Do not scold or physically correct the dog for popping out. Just have them repeat it again, helping or guiding them if neccesery, and reward generously with praise and a treat or toy every time they get it right. I either threw a treat or a ball (which Greta loves) out past the end of the poles when she did them correctly, as soon as she did the last pole. This got her to focus on going straight out from the poles instead of turning toward me for her reward. This stopped her popping out early in anticipation of getting the reward or turning her head to look at me which also caused her to pop out.
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Postby pocketpit » February 26th, 2007, 8:27 am

I actually start with a game of recalls through the channel but this of course requires two people. Then I use a target plate for a brief period of time. I not only want the dog not focused on me for a reward but I want my dog confident enough to move away from me with speed and enthusiasm. I can't stand watching people who have to babysit their dogs through the weaves. My dogs are fast and they need to understand the game well enough to find the entry on their own and perform the weaves correctly. As soon as they indicate they understand what I want I move to throwing a reward like the above poster talked about.
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