Entering a competition, trial, or fun match

Learning Center!

Entering a competition
Different kinds of events and how to find them

Different kinds of events.
There are basically two kinds of agility competitions. 1) "Matches" (or "Fun Matches") and 2) Sanctioned trials. Matches are open to mixed breeds and are usually less stringent in rules (i.e. you may be able to use food in the ring and keep your dog on a leash). Matches are cheaper to enter, and some people will purchase more than one "run" with their dog (or dogs) just for the inexpensive practice. Matches may give ribbons or prizes, but qualifications do not add to your dog's "title". To get a "title" on your dog (it's a label, kind of like our educational labels PHD and MD) you must enter a "sanctioned" trial.

Sanctioned Trials are put on by more organized dog clubs. They must work under the "sanctioning" of a certain organization, such as AKC (the American Kennel Club), USDAA (United States Dog Agility Association) as well as others such as NADAC. These organizations determine the standards by which the agility trial will be conducted, including the kinds of obstacles used (and the quality) as well as some variation in classes offered, and rules. Some of the organizations require purebreds, some allow mixed breeds (see our link for "Other Resources" for more details on the different organizations and how to find more information on each one). Do not be overly concerned about which organization you will become acquainted with in your first trial. The two largest organizations (AKC and USDAA) have very similar obstacles and classes. What's fun about having different organizations is, you can earn titles in each one. That's double the titles. Imagine how much your dog's puppies will be worth now!

How to find them in your area.
For some reason, agility matches and trials are rarely advertised in newspapers. Or at least they are hard to find when you are looking for them. And they fill up early. If you are interested in entering one, you must find out about them as early as you can. You can subscribe to magazines offered by the organizations that have listings sent every month, such as www.akc.org or www.usdaa.com. You can also try such websites as www.agilityevents.net and www.cleanrun.com. You can also visit the websites of the different sponsoring organizations (such as akc.org and usdaa.com) and get their listings. They primarily advertise sanctioned trials. If you join a training class or club, they will often inform you of matches, as well as some trials that are closest to your area.

Article feedback: email: Pamela Spock

My First Trial ....By Rick Parry
This article was first published by Clean Run - The magazine for dog agility enthusiasts.

Before my first agility competition I decided to briefly visit two trials. I watched several dogs at the Excellent competition level run the Standard course, talked to a few friends, and had my dog measured for his jump height. I gained a basic understanding of the trialing process, but I was completely unaware of what it really meant to attend a trial. It was only months later that I realized how much more I could have made of those pre-competition visits. One thing that did impress me about my visits was that some handlers got confused and lost on the course.

The third trial I attended was the first one I competed in. I arrived that morning at the trial site exhausted. I hadn’t slept the night before because I had been so concerned about the possibility of getting lost on the course myself. I had also been concerned about the weather (late March), concerned about finding the trial location, concerned about checking in and getting the course maps. And I had been very concerned about not getting any sleep! As I had tossed and turned, my dog, Percy, had snored in his bed while lying on his back with his paws flopped over, probably dreaming about food; he kept licking his lips. Clearly, he had been mocking me.

Now at the trial, I set up Percy’s crate, and went to check in to get the course maps and my exhibitor’s entry labels to stick on my coat. I studied the Novice Jumpers course for about 10 minutes, and then I heard somebody yell out “Novice Jumpers is open for walk-through.” I thought, “Oh God!” The end was coming near and all my fears were coming true; I was going to have to go into the competition ring. Scared to death I must have walked that course for 20 minutes. I kept thinking about what my instructors had told me: “Watch the more experienced handlers walk the course and try to do what they do.” I was running a fast Cardigan Welsh Corgi. The woman I was following ran Border Collies and was very experienced, so I tried to observe what she was doing.

That day the small dogs ran first and Percy was about the fifth dog in the ring. When the gate steward yelled out “Percy’s on deck,” I was terrified. But when she told me, “Go into the ring when the current dog is on jump #10,” I reminded myself that this was only a game and I should just do my best. I relaxed a bit and put Percy in a sit-stay, took a two-jump lead-out, turned, and signaled him to start. He flew over the first three jumps and made the turn very nicely. Then I heard the bar on jump #4 go down. We just continued on the course—and he did the pinwheel nicely—I executed two front crosses, and we didn’t kick any other bars. And I didn’t get lost on the course! Looking back on that run now, it was a great first run and I should have been very proud of that first effort. But during the trial all I could remember was that we kicked a bar and we were eliminated.

After the run, it was 8:15 in the morning and I had to wait until 4:30 that afternoon to get back in the ring for Novice Standard. With a lot of time on my hands in a remote location, I talked with my friends about dogs, agility, the weather, the time we were wasting waiting around, and so on. I didn’t understand that I was “wasting” my time out of ignorance. I was trying to relax, but I kept thinking about jump #4.

I still think about jump #4 and all the other mistakes I’ve made, but now I try to learn from those mistakes instead of obsessing over them. What I should have been doing between runs was watching all the other dogs running that Jumpers course to see how they handled each challenge. There were some very experienced handlers at the trial that day who were running their new dogs in Novice and I missed them!

As I continued trialing, I realized that there are many facets to an agility trial, and running your dog is just one of them. Working as part of the ring crew is another aspect, and I discovered that it provides a real education. My discovery began when I volunteered to work at a trial as a score runner for a Standard course. As I sat there, the timer, the scribe, and the assistant scribe started talking about the teams and their strategies on the course. They discussed how smaller dogs run courses differently than larger dogs, how different teams worked different solutions to course traps, how handlers made mistakes in body position, how the judges positioned themselves to see the contacts, and so on. I could not believe the valuable information I was gaining from experienced handlers just by sitting in the ring listening and walking score sheets over to the score table.

At other trials I worked as a leash runner. People standing around the ring steward talked strategy—how to handle a trap, the handler’s position on the lead-out. They said things like, “They’re going to try something wild and exciting,” or, “That team is so fun to watch; it’s as if they’re dancing out there.” It was another educational opportunity, and it was free for the taking.

Armed with a little handler experience and pointers for what to look for on the courses, next I sat in the ring setting bars for jumps. It was fun and exciting, and it furthered my education. One day I watched a handler do a blind pinwheel on a Jumpers course and I had a front row seat! Watching people layer obstacles, handling dogs from 20' and even farther away, is inspiring with an up-close perspective sitting in the ring. It can open your eyes to what is possible and provide you with new techniques and strategies to solve some of the toughest course challenges.

Looking back at my trialing experience, I realize that I should have spent more time visiting and working at trials before I started competing. This approach would have made me more familiar with the whole trialing process—helping to build courses, working with the ring crews, talking with judges—all the while learning from everybody else’s expertise. Working at a trial is part of the trial experience. It helps the club sponsoring the trial, it supports the sport, and to a Novice handler, it provides an education that has no equal. Actually, a handler at any level can benefit from this interaction.

Today I ask those that are new to training in agility to consider taking a couple of hours and visiting a trial. I ask you to actually talk with people around the competition ring, being mindful not to interfere with those preparing to enter the ring or those leaving the ring. Watch the teams run the courses, see what the judges are doing, and talk to those you know and don’t know, and especially to those that compete with the same type of dog you are training. At the first trials I visited I cheated myself by not interacting more with the competitors. I should have asked more questions about how the process works.

After visiting a trial or two, consider volunteering to work at a trial before you start competing. Do something that allows you to interact with others working a ring; for example, be a score runner, leash runner, timer, or course builder.

While nothing can replace the experience of competing in a trial yourself, you can enhance your preparation for your first competition by taking advantage of other aspects of the trialing process. If I had spent more time visiting and working at trials early on, I may have even been able to get a little sleep that night before my first competition—then again, maybe not.

~ Rick Parry has been training in agility for over five years and has competed in both the AKC and NADAC. He has trained two of his own dogs (both Cardigan Welsh Corgis) and he has been an instructor for more than three years. He has helped students at the puppy, introductory, beginning, intermediate, and competition levels of instruction. Contact him at rnparry@earthlink.net.