AKC Sports for All Dogs

The American Kennel Club (AKC) offers so many diverse sports for both purebreds and mixed breeds that one is sure to make your four-legged best friend tired yet happy. Consider trying something new especially if your dog enjoys any of these activities: jumping, running, retrieving, swimming, tracking human scent or crittering for rodents. This post is the second of a three-part series about AKC performance sports, some of which have only come to the forefront in the last decade. Although only some of the events summarized below are run by the AKC, dogs can earn AKC titles in all of these competitions as long as they are registered with the AKC in some capacity to include the Canine Partners program. 

Tracking:

Ten years after the introduction of obedience in 1936, the AKC discarded its tracking requirement for a utility dog obedience title in favor of a separate tracking test that necessitates a canine to follow a track of human scent for 440 to 500 yards in a field. The track includes turns and ends at a wallet or glove. A successful track results in a Tracking Dog degree.

Decades later, the AKC added two much more difficult tests: Tracking Dog Excellent (TDX) in 1980 and Variable Surface Tracker (VST) in 1995. Nineteen years later, it created the Tracking Dog Urban (TDU) degree, requiring a dog to track on two surfaces (one vegetated and another non-vegetated), and locate one article such as a wallet or glove along the track and another one at its end.

All of these tests are pass/fail, and a single pass results in a title. Before dogs can run in either a TD or TDU trial, an AKC judge must certify that they are ready to compete.

Dogs become a Champion Tracker (CT) after acquiring three titles: TD or TDU, TDX and VST. This active sport requires a handler to trust his/her dog’s nose because the tracks are laid out of the team’s sight. Tracking trials offer a fun day in the outdoors.

Agility:

An estimated 2,000 dogs competed in agility trials in 1994, the first year the AKC offered the sport which has grown ever since. Dogs love this wildly popular sport as they navigate a timed standard obstacle course that includes tunnels, weave poles, a dog walk, seesaw, resting table, A frame, tire and a variety of jumps. They also can run a jumpers course which includes jumps, weave poles and often a tunnel. Canines are judged on time and accuracy. Handlers can’t use food or toys but may offer words of direction and encouragement. Dogs run the course off leash but one at a time. They receive score reductions for slow runs as well as a variety of performance issues including refusing an obstacle or failing to stay on the resting table for five seconds.

In early 2016, the AKC introduced a certificate program called ACT (Agility Course Test) for novice handlers and dogs to preview agility.  Dogs qualify with an 85 or higher score. Two qualifications are required to earn either an ACT 1 or ACT 2 certificate.

Dogs must run the ACT 1 course in no more than 60 seconds as they navigate ten to twelve obstacles, including jumps, A Frame, resting table and tunnels. An ACT 2 course, to be run in 70 seconds, must have eleven to thirteen obstacles, including those required by ACT 1 as well as a seesaw, weaves and more jumps. The dog walk is optional.

At agility trials, canines start in novice classes: jumpers (six weave poles, tunnel and lots of jumps); and/or standard with all the obstacles; and earn titles with three qualifying performances in each class. They then can compete on higher levels in those classes: Open, Excellent and Masters which have increasingly complex courses and requirements. A FAST class is offered on the Novice through Masters levels. A dog on any level may compete in the Time to 2 Beat class.

Canines may compete in “preferred” classes which allows them to jump at lower heights, saving wear and tear on joints. They earn the same titles as in the classes with full jump height requirements but the titles end with a P, such as NAP (Novice Agility Preferred).

The AKC awards a Masters Agility Championship to dogs that demonstrate speed and consistency, two major qualities denoting superior performance. They must earn a minimum of 750 championship points and 20 double qualifying scores from the Master Agility Excellent standard class and the Master Excellent Jumpers with Weaves class. Points are awarded on a somewhat complicated scoring system based on times clocked under the standard course time, and first and second-class placements. Dogs only earn points from the excellent class if they score 100 (indicating a clean run with no faults) or more.

An Agility Grand Champion title is awarded to dogs that earn 100 qualifying scores from the Master Standard and Master Weaves with Jumper classes; 75 qualifying scores each from Master FAST and Time 2 Beat; and 50 qualifying scores each from Premier Standard and Premier Jumpers with Weaves!!

Besides the AKC, other organizations offer agility competitions in the United States including ASCA (Australian Shepherd Club of America (open to purebreds and mixed breeds); DOCNA (Dogs on Course in North America, LLC); NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council); UKC (United Kennel Club); USDAA (United States Agility Association, Inc.); and UKI (United Kingdom Agility International).

Barn Hunt:  This event tests a dog’s nose, agility, speed and surefootedness as the canine searches for a rat in an aerated tube hidden in a maze of bales of hay or straw. Dogs and handlers must work together to find the  rat within a specified time. The Barn Hunt Association (BHA) conducts these trials at which AKC barn hunt titles can be earned. The tests are pass/fail but class placements are determined by the quickest times that the dogs find the rats.

The BHA offers an Instinct class as an introduction to barn hunt. Three tubes are set out in plain sight of the dog and handler: an empty tube, a litter tube and a tube containing a rat. To pass, the dog must indicate the rat within one minute.

In the Novice class, dogs must climb onto hay or straw bales and navigate through a tunnel of bales to locate a  rat within two minutes, and the handler must indicate the “find” to a judge.

The advanced classes involve more bales of hay, rats and diversions. Dogs must earn three qualifying scores for Novice, Open, and Senior titles, five for a Masters, and ten each for Champion and Master Champion titles.

Dock Diving:

The North American Diving Dogs (NADD) runs competitions for Distance Jumping, which requires canines to jump certain distances into the water; and Air Retrieve, which judges dogs on how far they leap horizontally to grab an airborne dummy. Canines have two chances to launch off a dock to achieve the farthest distance measured from the dock to the base of their tail when it hits the water. The higher score of the two is deemed the qualifying score.

Distance Jumping and Air Retrieve both have five distance divisions: Novice, Junior, Senior, Master and Elite. Dogs must make five qualifying jumps to earn a title in those divisions.

In Distance Jumping, an additional 25 jumps are required within a dog’s division to acquire an Advanced title, and a total of 55 jumps earns an Excellent title.

In Air Retrieve, an additional 10 jumps earn the Advanced title. Twenty-five jumps are required for the Excellent title.

Lap dogs (canines measuring under 16 inches at the withers) compete separately from Open dogs that stand 16 inches or taller at the withers. These two classes have different distance requirements in the competitions.

The AKC now recognizes NADD’s titles.

Flyball:

The AKC also recognizes titles earned at the North American Flyball Association (NAFA) events.

Teams of four dogs compete against each other in relay fashion. They jump jumps, trigger the release of a ball, retrieve the ball and return back on the 51-foot course to its handler, crossing the start line before the next dog runs the same course. Points are earned based on team times, with 25 points awarded to all dogs on a team with a course time of 24 seconds or less, five points with a course time of 28 seconds or less, and one point for under 32 seconds.

To receive any points, at least four teams, comprised of four dogs each, must compete. A very fast team could win the first title at one event. Two teams only run against each other at the same time. Teams can consist all of the same breed; four different breeds of dogs; or three different breeds and one mix. The four teams that compete against each other all jump the same height.

Titles range from Flyball Dog (FD) earned with 20 points to Flyball Grand Champion requiring 30,000 points.

For more detailed information about any of these sports, check out the rules on the AKC’s or the sponsoring organization’s website.

This year, challenge yourself and your favorite furry best friend to learn a new canine sport. You both won’t be bored! Find what your friend loves – swimming, jumping, running, retrieving, crittering or tracking and enjoy.

 

Related post:

  https://www.caryunkelbach.com/akc-performance-events-part-1/

 

 

GLOSSARY:

VCCH: Versatile Companion Champion, earned when a dog has achieved all three championships:

• Champion Tracker (CT),
• Masters Agility Champion (MACH) and
• Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH).

 

 

AX: Agility Excellent

AXJ: Agility Excellent Weaves

AJP: Excellent Jumpers Preferred

AXP: Agility Excellent Preferred

BN: Beginner Novice

CA: Lure Coursing Ability

CD: Companion Dog

CDX: Companion Dog Excellent

CGC: Canine Good Citizen

CCGA: Canine Good Citizen Advanced

CI: Carting Intermediate

CZ: Barn Hunt Crazy 8s Bronze

DJ: Dock Diving Junior

DSA: Dock Diving Senior Advanced

FMCH: Flyball Master Champion: 15,000 points

GN: Graduate Novice

GO: Graduate Open

NA: Novice Agility

NAP: Novice Agility Preferred

NAJ: Novice Agility Jumpers

NDD: Novice Draft Dog

MJP: Novice Jumpers Preferred

MJS: Master Silver Jumpers With Weaves

MX: Master Agility Excellent

MXS: Master Silver Agility

OAP: Open Agility Preferred

OJP: Open Jumpers Preferred

OM4: Obedience Master (800 points earned for scores of 190 or more in the Open B and Utility B classes)

PCDX: Preferred Companion Dog Excellent

TKA: Trick Dog Advanced

RATM: Barn Hunt Master

RAE: Rally Advanced Excellent

RE: Rally Excellent

RN: Rally Novice

TD: Tracking Dog

TDX: Tracking Dog Excellent

UDX 3: Utility Dog Excellent (thirty qualifying scores in both Open B and Utility B classes at the same show)

XF: Agility Fast Excellent