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.
The United Kennel Club is another organization to consider for your animal, and they do allow dogs of mixed breeds to compete in agility courses as well as purebred dogs. The courses can be a bit tricky to master, but if you can succeed on a UKC course, you can generally do well on a course with any other organization. The courses in this organization tend to be a bit smaller, meaning dogs need to be more precise rather than very 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.
When you are ready to enter the world of dog agility, you will want to invest in some equipment for your backyard. High quality equipment can be purchased online at retailers like Carlson-Agility.com. They sell a myriad of dog agility training equipment and even offer handy dog agility kits for starting out. These kits contain just two or three obstacles, such as some dog agility jumps, some weaves and perhaps an a-frame or maybe a teeter-totter. Once you master those skills, you can add a pause table, a tunnel, a dog walk, a tire jump or any other piece of equipment.
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.
The United Kennel Club is another organization to consider for your animal, and they do allow dogs of mixed breeds to compete in agility courses as well as purebred dogs. The courses can be a bit tricky to master, but if you can succeed on a UKC course, you can generally do well on a course with any other organization. The courses in this organization tend to be a bit smaller, meaning dogs need to be more precise rather than very 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.
When you are ready to enter the world of dog agility, you will want to invest in some equipment for your backyard. High quality equipment can be purchased online at retailers like Carlson-Agility.com. They sell a myriad of dog agility training equipment and even offer handy dog agility kits for starting out. These kits contain just two or three obstacles, such as some dog agility jumps, some weaves and perhaps an a-frame or maybe a teeter-totter. Once you master those skills, you can add a pause table, a tunnel, a dog walk, a tire jump or any other piece of equipment.
About the Author:
Cheng Bernhardt enjoys dog agility training. To find an agility dog course, or to learn further about agility equipment like k9 training equipment, please visit the Carlson-Agility.com website now.
Aucun commentaire:
Enregistrer un commentaire