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Sunflower Kennel Club | |
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Agility Agility Trial Our annual Agility Trial is being held at Douglas County Fairgrounds in Lawrence, Kan. on Jan. 22-24, 2010.
We will see a lot of amazing dogs and handlers whipping around the rings. Many thanks to everyone who volunteer and make the trial a success!
Dog Agility By Cynthia Clark, WildVine Aussies Getting into Dog Agility Have you seen those great specials on television where the dog is weaving amazingly fast through a line of poles or walking a teeter? Have you thought “I wonder if those types of competitions occur in Kansas City?” Well they do…but let’s understand how the sport of dog agility evolved. A Little History Lesson In 1978 at the world-renowned Cruft’s Dog Show in England, a small group of dogs and handlers demonstrated a “jumping” course as entertainment between the obedience and conformation competitions in the main ring. The demonstration immediately intrigued dog owners because of its speed and challenge and the dexterity displayed by the dogs. People wanted to see more, and indeed wanted their own dogs to be able to participate. The demonstration was so popular that it went on to grow into local, then national, and eventually international competitions with standardized equipment. By 1979, several British dog training clubs were offering training in the new sport of dog agility, and that December the first Agility Stakes competition was held at the International Horse Show at Olympia in London. In 1985, Kenneth Tatsch collaborated with his local obedience club and others, and began putting on exhibitions in Texas. From these exhibitions, he founded the United States Dog Agility Association. In 1987, Bud Kramer designed another form of agility from his home in Manhattan, Kansas, which later evolved into the United Kennel Club’s agility program. In the early nineties, other organizations such as the Australian Shepherd Club of America created a committee to develop an agility program. Members of that original committee then developed NADAC, the North American Dog Agility Council. Competitions were dual sanctioned until 1996 and are now separate organizations. In 1994, the American Kennel club held its first agility competition. The AKC competitions are only open to AKC registered purebred dogs. The other agility organizations recognize the mixed breed dogs and open their competitions to all dogs. Getting involved You say your dog can’t do that? Why not? Most dogs are physically capable of enjoying this sport. Training the agility dog is very fun and very healthy for the dog and yourself. Be careful though…it is addictive! There are several instructors in the Kansas City-metro area. A good instructor will listen to your questions and develop a plan for both you and your dog to learn the equipment. There are some variations between each agility organizations rules. But many obstacles are very similar. Your education should start slowly with some basic obedience instruction first. You and the dog will start slowly…low jumps; the contact obstacles (A-frame, dog walk and teeter) are set close to the ground; tunnels are short and open. The dog is slowly challenged as they develop confidence to increase the height of all the obstacles to competition height. As the dog progresses, speed is increased. Most importantly, the goal of this sport is to have fun and enjoy the camaraderie of fellow competitors. For more information…contact the Sunflower Kennel Club for referrals to respected trainers in the metro area. We would love to further the addiction to this great sport. A little about
the author: Cynthia Clark, WildVine Aussies, is an experienced and accomplished trainer
and handler. She has trained and trialed five Australian Shepherds to more
than 100 titles in conformation, agility, obedience and stock work. And
she has handled numerous other dogs and breeds to titles. Agility v Brags v Conformation v Herding v Obedience v Rally v Training v Tracking
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