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Knowledgeable and friendly agility instruction since 1996 |
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Sondog Agility Trials 2010 |
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Our 2009 trials are a wrap— they were bigger and better than ever! We welcomed many out-of-towners and lots of locals: thanks for supporting us. We are thrilled to see many Sondog students begin their trialing careers. Watch out for these talented teams in the future. We would love to see you at one of our trials. They’re fun, relaxed and stress-free with the emphasis on fun . . . please join us, whether you’d like to compete with your dog or come out to watch a few runs on your own. In NADAC, the focus is on courses that are fast, flowing and encourage handlers to have their dogs work at some distance away from them. A detailed description of the NADAC classes can be found by scrolling down this page. |
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NADAC: The Basics There are different sanctioning bodies if you choose to compete in agility. The major agility groups are the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC), the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA), Agility Association of Canada (AAC), Canadian Kennel Club (CKC), American Kennel Club (AKC) and others around the world. They all have their own rules and regulations but they are very similar. Jump heights, distances between obstacles, course times and what constitutes a fault are a few of the differences. Your dog must be registered with an association to be eligible to compete in their trials. Following are the Levels, Divisions and Classes offered by NADAC. Obstacles Some of the obstacles used are the contact obstacles which consist of the A-frame and dogwalk. As he steps off these obstacles, the dog must contact the yellow painted areas at the bottom of each of these obstacles with at least one paw for safety. In the weave poles the dog must always enter with the first pole on their left shoulder and continue to zigzag through to the end. If the dog should pop out at any time they must restart the poles. The closed tunnel or chute consists of a rigid entrance with a collapsed fabric chute attached. The open tunnel is a large tube of varying lengths and configurations. The dog must enter the opening designated by the judge. There are many types of jumps, winged, non-winged, or tire. The height that the dog must jump is determined by the height of the dog’s withers. Levels The three levels offered in NADAC are Novice, Open and Elite. Novice is the first entry level for every class. Novice is for any dog which has not yet earned any certification (or title) in any class. The Open level is for any dog which has earned the necessary points for certification at the Novice level. Elite is for any dog which has earned the necessary points at the Open level. A handler is never required to move a dog up to a higher level of competition after a title has been completed. Divisions The Divisions offered are Standard, Veterans and Junior Handler. The Standard Division is open to all dogs aged 18 months and older. The Veterans Division is open to any dog seven years or older or any handler aged 60 or older or any handler who has a certificate of disability. Standard Course Times (SCT) are 10 per cent greater in Veterans than in the Standard Division and dogs jump one height lower than their regular jump height. The Junior Handler division is open to any dog which is being handled by a youth handler who is 17 years of age or younger. Standard Course Times are 10 per cent greater than in the Standard Division and dogs must jump one jump height lower than their regular jump height. Categories NADAC has chosen to begin offering its classes in two categories: Skilled and Proficient. The following information about this change appeared in the May 2006 issue of Clean Run magazine. “The basic requirements for the Skilled and Proficient titles are the same: 30 qualifying points. Points from the Skilled category and the Proficient category are combined for titles at the Novice and Open levels. Novice and Open titles will be noted the same. Elite titles will be different for each category (EAC/EAS, EJC/EJS and so on). NATCH plaques will come from the Proficient category only. Certificates and medals will be awarded for equivalent titles in the Skilled category at the Elite level. In the Proficient category, the dog must run clean with no course faults, no time faults, and with successful completion of the simple lateral distance test in order to qualify. A qualifying run is awarded 10 points. In the Skilled category, a dog may incur up to 5 course faults and still qualify with 5 points (an unfaulted run earns 10 points). In Proficient the dog jumps his regularly measured jump height per the current jump-height table. The Skilled category offers reduced jump height options. The base times in Tunnelers, Touch N Go, and Weavers are the same as they have always been. The obstacle performance time for the 8” and 12” jumping dogs has been adjusted, which affects standard course times.” For more information, visit NADAC’s website at www.nadac.com Classes The Regular Agility Class is the basis for all of the agility classes. The Regular Agility Class tests the dog on all possible types of equipment and qualifying in this class demonstrates the dog ability to perform all of the types of obstacles safely and correctly. The dog and handler manoeuvre through a numbered obstacle course designed by the judge. As the dog and handler teams progresses through the levels of Regular Agility Classes they demonstrate the ability to negotiate more complex courses with adequate speed, efficiency, handling skills and teamwork on all obstacles. The dog will earn 10 points for a qualifying run and must earn 30 points to earn their Regular agility certification in each level (Novice Agility Certificate NAC, Open Agility Certificate OAC, Elite Agility Certificate EAC). The other six NADAC classes require specialized skills from the dog and handler team. Each of these additional classes do not require that the dog must do every type of agility equipment, but while performing the particular equipment necessary for each class they must have an increased skill level to fulfill the special skills necessary for each of these classes. The newest NADAC class is Hoopers. This class is great for young and older dogs alike. It tests a dog and handler’s ability to work together as a team — but without any undue physical stress on the dog, since there is no impact in performing the “hoop” obstacle. Follow this link to read a Word document with a Hoopers briefing for judges and exhibitors. It does a good job of explaining what this class is all about. The goal of the Jumpers Class is to demonstrate the ability of the handler and dog to work as a fast-moving, smooth functioning team. This class highlights the natural jumping ability of the dog while testing the handler for effective handling styles while moving at a rapid pace. The dog will earn 10 points for a clean, non-faulted run and must earn 30 points to earn their Jumpers certification in each level (Novice Jumpers Certificate NJC, Open Jumpers Certificate OJC, Elite Jumpers Certificate EJC). The goal of Tunnelers is to demonstrate the dog’s ability to respond quickly to directional commands from the handler while negotiating a course comprised of only tunnels. The dog will earn 10 points for a clean, non-faulted run and must earn 30 points to earn their Tunnellers certification in each level (Tunnellers-Novice TN-N, Tunnellers-Open TN-O, Tunnellers-Elite TN-E). The goal of the Weavers class is to demonstrate the dog’s ability to enter weave poles at a variety of angles and weave accurately at speed on a course comprised of tunnels and weave poles. The dog will earn 10 points for a clean, non-faulted run and must earn 30 points to earn their Weavers certification in each level (Weavers-Novice, WV-N; Weavers-Open, WV-O; Weavers Elite, WV-E). The goal of the Touch N Go class is to demonstrate the dog’s ability to perform contact obstacles correctly on a course comprised of tunnels and contact obstacles. The dog will earn 10 points for a clean, non-faulted run and must earn 30 points to earn their Touch N Go certification in each level ( Touch N Go-Novice, TG-N; Touch N Go-Open,TG-O; Touch N Go-Elite, TG-E). The Chances class tests the distance, directional and discrimination skills of the dog and handler team. (Dogs can enter the Chances class at the same level they were competing at in the old Gamblers class. All Gamblers points earned will be transferred over to Chances points and will continue to accumulate from the dog’s current Gamblers class points status.) The Chances course consists of numbered sequence of 10-15 obstacles. Dogs in the Elite, Open and Novice evels run the same course, but handlers are required to be a greater distance from their dogs in the advanced levels. On each course, the dog and handler team shall have 40 seconds to complete the course. All obstacles on the entire course must be performed cleanly (no faults) for a qualifying score. The class is a Pass/Fail class, with no placements given. For a clean, non-faulted run, under 40 seconds, the dog shall earn 10 points. In both categories (proficient or skilled), certification in the Chances Class requires 30 points. |
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A few 2009 trial pics! |
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May 21-23, 2010 August 6-8, 2010 |
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Thanks to Liane Kramer for these great photos. To see more go to: |
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Teddy came all the way from Minot |
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Great weaves Rudy! |
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Sirius hits his A-frame contact |
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Teamwork! |
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That black blur is Gracie doing Hoopers |