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Dog Agility: Understanding What Makes A "clean Run"

By Cheng Bernhardt


If you love watching dog agility competitions, why not train your own furry friend, join an agility organization and begin the fun of competing. There are many different organizations to consider joining. While each has a different mix of obstacles and rules, the following information will help you understand a little about what to expect at the competitions.

There will be a mix of obstacles on your course, and this will include contact obstacles, tunnels, jumps, a pause table, weave poles and perhaps a few other items. Typically, the contact obstacles include the a-frame, a dog walk and a teeter totter. Obviously, it takes a good deal of practice to navigate each obstacle correctly. At Carlson Agility, you can find all the agility equipment you need for agility training, including the dog agility a-frame, dog agility jumps, tunnels, teeters and everything you need to create your own dog agility course.

The goal is to complete a run through the course without incurring any faults. You can earn a time fault if the dog does not complete the course within the time set by the organization. Every organization has different time restrictions, and the restrictions also might vary between competition classes. Generally there will be different classes based on the size, age and experience level of the dogs. Some classes might have fewer obstacles or have more time, and this varies by organization.

Aside from not completing the course in time, a dog can incur a missed contact fault if they fail to complete a contact obstacle correctly, such as jumping off when they are supposed to walk down. If you dog turns away from an obstacle or goes up to the obstacle but pauses too long, this is known as a refusal fault. A runout occurs if the dog simply passes an obstacle, and an off-course fault happens then they run the course in an incorrect order. Failing to go through the weave poles the correct way earns a fault, as does dropping a bar or panel on a jump.

It's not just the dogs that can earn a fault; the handlers sometimes make mistakes, too. A handling fault is applied if the handler touches the dog or touches an obstacle, which is not allowed. Even if this is accidental, it is still a fault. Training in the ring is another fault a handler can receive, and this is a penalty that varies greatly from group to group, and some groups don't have this penalty at all. If the handler brings toys or treats onto the course, that also can be a fault as using incentives is almost always forbidden during competition.

Again, it is important to note that every organization is different and has different rules, a different selection of obstacles and different faults. Sometimes you are eliminated if you incur a fault, and sometimes not, it all depends. It's best to study all of the rules and regulations carefully and train according to the requirements of your organization to ensure the highest possible level of success.




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