kpm_tex
09-02-2004, 10:36 PM
A little over a year ago I never would have thought about getting involved in canine agility much less getting involved in agility with a dachshund. Admittedly, even though I had done research on the breed before getting Merry my research was limited to temperament and health issues. Then about that same time I decided Merry needed a companion so I contacted Cindi who is the breeder referral for the DFW Dachshund club. She invited me to Ft.Worth to see an agility meet that was going on down there that weekend. She was going to be running with her Wire, Wrinkles, who also happens to be Merry's half brother. It sounded like fun so I packed Merry up and met Cindi there that weekend.
Wrinkles did great and Merry couldn't keep her eyes off the dogs going around the course. I had never seen a dog so interested in just watching something like that. So, like a good Mom I signed her up for agility classes and she is having a blast!! We will probably enter our first competition in Nov.
Now, you probably know that agility involves jumping over jumps, going over teeter-totters, A-frames, running into and out of tunnels. But, you probably don't know that there are all different types of course set-ups and there are also 3 different organizations that sanction agility matches.
AKC - To enter an AKC match your dog must be registered or have an ILP. Typically, there are 2 types of courses.. Standard, which has jumps, tunnels, weaves and contact obstacles and Jumpers with Weaves, which has no contact obstacles. Jump heights are from 8 inches up to 26 inches. Jump heights are determined by the dog's height as measured at the shoulder. Dachshunds as you can imagine typically compete in the 8 inch class… unless you have a really humongeous dog. There is also a preferred class that allows you to take the jump heights down 4 inches.
NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council) - This organization allows all dogs to compete. Pure breed or Mixed Breed. Your dog does not have to be registered with the AKC. NADAC has about 6 different types classes to compete in… they are a bit more creative than AKC and some of their classes are more suitable for novice dogs just starting out. The NADAC web site is http://www.nadac.com
USDAA (United States Dog Agility Council) - This organization also allows all dogs to compete. Pure breed and Mixed breed. Again, your dog does not have to be registered with the AKC. USDAA has Standard classes and a number of non-standard classes.
The USDAA web site is http://www.USDAA.com
A good place to find events, instructors and clubs in your area is to look though Dog Events Online http://www.dogeventsonline.com There is a calendar for each state and if you register with them you can also enter a lot of events online.
Another good source of agility information with training tips, course set ups you can do at home etc is Clean Run Magazine. http://www.cleanrun.com
Wrinkles did great and Merry couldn't keep her eyes off the dogs going around the course. I had never seen a dog so interested in just watching something like that. So, like a good Mom I signed her up for agility classes and she is having a blast!! We will probably enter our first competition in Nov.
Now, you probably know that agility involves jumping over jumps, going over teeter-totters, A-frames, running into and out of tunnels. But, you probably don't know that there are all different types of course set-ups and there are also 3 different organizations that sanction agility matches.
AKC - To enter an AKC match your dog must be registered or have an ILP. Typically, there are 2 types of courses.. Standard, which has jumps, tunnels, weaves and contact obstacles and Jumpers with Weaves, which has no contact obstacles. Jump heights are from 8 inches up to 26 inches. Jump heights are determined by the dog's height as measured at the shoulder. Dachshunds as you can imagine typically compete in the 8 inch class… unless you have a really humongeous dog. There is also a preferred class that allows you to take the jump heights down 4 inches.
NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council) - This organization allows all dogs to compete. Pure breed or Mixed Breed. Your dog does not have to be registered with the AKC. NADAC has about 6 different types classes to compete in… they are a bit more creative than AKC and some of their classes are more suitable for novice dogs just starting out. The NADAC web site is http://www.nadac.com
USDAA (United States Dog Agility Council) - This organization also allows all dogs to compete. Pure breed and Mixed breed. Again, your dog does not have to be registered with the AKC. USDAA has Standard classes and a number of non-standard classes.
The USDAA web site is http://www.USDAA.com
A good place to find events, instructors and clubs in your area is to look though Dog Events Online http://www.dogeventsonline.com There is a calendar for each state and if you register with them you can also enter a lot of events online.
Another good source of agility information with training tips, course set ups you can do at home etc is Clean Run Magazine. http://www.cleanrun.com