It's not surprising that dog agility, which has only been around for about 35 years, is now one of the most popular canine sports. Not only is it fun for the dogs, handlers and trainers, it also is exciting to watch. There are also many benefits for the dog, including exercise and advanced obedience training. You can find dog agility clubs in all 50 states, and many of these clubs host agility competitions; however, there are a few prominent organizations that host large-scale dog agility competitions.
The most prominent dog agility group is the one that started it all, at least in the United States. The United States Dog Agility Association, or USDAA, has been hosting contests since the mid-1980s, and there are 25,000 dogs registered in this group. They also host the world's largest dog agility competition, the Grand Prix of Dog Agility, which you can watch every year on Animal Planet. In addition to being the biggest dog agility group, they also are fairly inclusive, allowing many different sizes of dogs to compete and allowing both mixed breed animals as well as pure bred animals. There are also smaller local USDAA events in many cities, larger regional events and some international events.
The American Kennel Club or AKC is another big organization that sponsors agility competitions. While the actual obstacles are a bit easier and the courses are smaller than that of the USDAA, the AKC does not allow mix-breed dogs to compete and you must be able to show proof that your dog is a pure bred animal in order to be part of AKC tournaments.
While the United Kennel Club, which is almost as old as the AKC, focuses mainly on pure bred animals, they do allow mixed breed dogs to compete at their agility contests. The UKC courses are quite difficult, but it has been said that if you can succeed at UKC events, you can probably excel at any other organization's events. In addition, the UKC considers precision to be more important than overall time. So dogs need to be very skilled at each obstacle, but not necessarily extremely fast.
The UDAAA, AKC and UKC are the three most prominent groups, but there are certainly some additional options to think about, such as the Canine Performance Events. This group opens up competitons to both purebred and mixed breeds and also allows dogs with blindness in a single eye or deafness in one ear to compete, which is not true of some other organizations. In fact, dogs that are amputees are sometimes allowed to compete. While most groups allow small dogs to compete, the Teacup Dogs Agility Association was created specifically for those dogs measuring 17 inches or lower, and their courses include equipment especially tailored to these tiny canines. So if you have a very small dog, this might be a great group for you and your pet.
If you want to get started with agility training, you definitely will need to purchase some equipment and you can buy all the items you need easily online. Sites such as Carlson-Agility.com offer a wide variety of equipment to suit dogs of all sizes and ability levels. You can find all of the dog agility training equipment that you need, and they even have helpful dog agility kits to get you started. From there, you can create your own dog agility course in your backyard filled with a dog tunnel, agility a-frame, an agility dog walk, agility dog jumps, weaves and much more.
The most prominent dog agility group is the one that started it all, at least in the United States. The United States Dog Agility Association, or USDAA, has been hosting contests since the mid-1980s, and there are 25,000 dogs registered in this group. They also host the world's largest dog agility competition, the Grand Prix of Dog Agility, which you can watch every year on Animal Planet. In addition to being the biggest dog agility group, they also are fairly inclusive, allowing many different sizes of dogs to compete and allowing both mixed breed animals as well as pure bred animals. There are also smaller local USDAA events in many cities, larger regional events and some international events.
The American Kennel Club or AKC is another big organization that sponsors agility competitions. While the actual obstacles are a bit easier and the courses are smaller than that of the USDAA, the AKC does not allow mix-breed dogs to compete and you must be able to show proof that your dog is a pure bred animal in order to be part of AKC tournaments.
While the United Kennel Club, which is almost as old as the AKC, focuses mainly on pure bred animals, they do allow mixed breed dogs to compete at their agility contests. The UKC courses are quite difficult, but it has been said that if you can succeed at UKC events, you can probably excel at any other organization's events. In addition, the UKC considers precision to be more important than overall time. So dogs need to be very skilled at each obstacle, but not necessarily extremely fast.
The UDAAA, AKC and UKC are the three most prominent groups, but there are certainly some additional options to think about, such as the Canine Performance Events. This group opens up competitons to both purebred and mixed breeds and also allows dogs with blindness in a single eye or deafness in one ear to compete, which is not true of some other organizations. In fact, dogs that are amputees are sometimes allowed to compete. While most groups allow small dogs to compete, the Teacup Dogs Agility Association was created specifically for those dogs measuring 17 inches or lower, and their courses include equipment especially tailored to these tiny canines. So if you have a very small dog, this might be a great group for you and your pet.
If you want to get started with agility training, you definitely will need to purchase some equipment and you can buy all the items you need easily online. Sites such as Carlson-Agility.com offer a wide variety of equipment to suit dogs of all sizes and ability levels. You can find all of the dog agility training equipment that you need, and they even have helpful dog agility kits to get you started. From there, you can create your own dog agility course in your backyard filled with a dog tunnel, agility a-frame, an agility dog walk, agility dog jumps, weaves and much more.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To discover an agility dog course, or to know more about agility equipment like k9 training equipment, please visit the Carlson-Agility.com site today.
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