Vizsladogs, Ltd.

Obedience & Agility Titles

Melissa Thomas <mthomas1@elp.rr.com> and Maria Zucconi wrote the following Agility Titles article to provide Vizsla owners a brief highlight about titles and what each class demonstrates. We've udpated it June 1997 to add a more international flavor to the descriptions. The outline of this document is: USA Agility, UKC Agility, and then resources. December 1997, updated with further info on the AKC titles.

USA Agility

The purpose of AKC agility trials is to afford owners the opportunity to demonstrate a dog's willingness to work with its handler under a variety of conditions. The program begins with basic entry level agility, and progresses to more complex levels that require dogs to demonstrate higher levels of training and interactions with their handlers. Agility results in a better rounded, conditioned dog, provides good basic training for search and rescue dogs, demonstrates good training and citizenship and has excellent spectator appeal. Agility trials are a sport and all participants should be guided by the principles of good sportsmanship both in and outside the trial course. [taken from AKC Regulations]

USA Agility Titles: N.A.; O.A.; A.X.; M.X.

Eligibility of Dogs:All dogs twelve months of age or older that are registered with the AKC or that have AKC Limited Registration are eligible to participate.

USA Novice Agility, N.A.

This class is divided into Division A for persons and dogs that have never acquired an agility title, and in Division B for dogs that have acquired the Novice Agility title, persons that have handled a dog to an agility title, and for Agility Judges.

USA Open Agility, O.A.

Open to dogs that have acquired the Novice Agility or Open Agility Titles, but which have not acquired the Agility Excellent Title.

USA Agility Excellent, A.X.

Open to dogs that have acquired the Open Agility Title and to dogs who have acquired the Agility Excellent Title.

In order to acquire an agility title, a dog must earn a qualifying score (85 out of 100 points)in its respective class on three separate occassions under two different judges.

All title designations will follow their registered names in all official AKC records. In each case, the higher title will supersede the preceding title in all official AKC records.

A dog can continue to participate in a class once it earns the title for that class, but it is ineligible to participate in a lower class.

USA Master Agility Excellent, M.X.

A dog must acquire the Agility Excellent Title and earn qualifying scores in the Agility Excellent Class at 10 licensed or member agility trials.

Each level requires different degrees of difficulty. Agility "course runs" are based on time and accuracy. The AKC Regulations describes Course and Trial Requirements.

Brief summary:

Novice Class: (Minimum of 12, maximum of 13)
A. Obstacles:
A-Frame Pause Table
Dog Walk Open Tunnel
Seesaw Closed Tunnel

B. Jumps:
Circle/Tire
Broad Jump
Solid Wall vertical(AKC high jump); or Panel Jump
Double oxer jump
Two additional jumps except the triple bar and single bar jumps

Open Class: (Minimum of 15, maximum of 17)

All of the 12 Novice class obstacles and jumps are mandatory with the addition of Weave Poles, the crawl tunnel and any jump except the triple bar and single bar jumps.
Excellent Class: (Minimum of 18, maximum of 20)
All of the Open class obstacles and jumps are mandatory in the excellent class with the addition of the triple bar jump, the single bar jump and one additional jump to meet the minimum.

Scoring:* Refer to AKC regulations for more detail.
There are Course time deductions.
Refusals of obstacles
General Scoring and Mandatory elimination

The AKC Regulations also describe Course Design Elements and provides limited information about equipment.

United Kennel Club's Agility Titles

UAG-I and UAG-II

This stands for United Agility I, which is the United Kennel Club's first level agility title. You must get three qualifying legs and have scores above 170 out of 200.

U-AGII is the second level, and until recently, the highest level available. Three qualifying legs with scores of 170 or greater are needed to attain the title. The obstacles included are very different, including weave poles, sway bridge, swing plank and crawl tunnel in addition to the tire jump, window jump, tunnels, chute and regular jumps. Only one refusal is allowed at this level, and greater challenges and traps are allowed.