My Dog Events

Before closing, yes. After closing, you cannot change days even if for the same run, dog, and height.

Before closing, yes. After closing, you cannot change class type. Additionally, you cannot move from Preferred to Regular from one day to the next during the trial.

If the dog is entered in the regular classes, then the dog has to jump either their height or higher. After closing, the entry cannot be changed to a lower height, it must be changed to a higher height if the dog has been recently measured by a VMO or Field Rep.

If the dog is entered in the preferred classes, then they must jump in the height they measure into. If the change is because the dog was recently measure by a VMO or Field Rep, then the entry must be changed to the appropriate height.

Effective April 1, 2010 optional mixed breed classes may be offered at standalone all-breed AKC agility trials. A standalone agility event is defined as an agility trial that is not held on the same date and show site as an AKC All-Breed Dog Show or Independent Specialty for conformation. Clubs are not required to offer these optional classes.

Mixed breed dogs shall compete in separate (but equivalent) classes from purebreds. (Novice A Mixed Breed, Novice B Mixed Breed, etc.) All dogs competing in a jump height run at the same time, under the same judge, however placements and titles are scored and awarded separately.

All owners of mixed breed dogs must first obtain an AKC Canine Partners listing number before they may enter an AKC Agility event. Dogs entered in the mixed breed classes must list the breed name as “mixed breed” and not as a breed hybrid.

Absolutely not, in fact, it may be to your advantage for your steady and true dog. Many of these dogs win a qualifying score and placement!

Here's what one competitor has to share (sent September 12, 2011):

I felt that T2B was not for me because I run a 12 inch dog that qualifies, but we usually don't get first, second or third place.  I ran it for the first time this past weekend, and what I learned about T2B is that you don't have to have a fast dog to qualify or even win.

Due to the name of the game, it gives the impression your dog must be fast in order to even consider entering this new AKC class. While this is true to a point for any of the AKC classes, there are other things to consider.

1. First of all the course is designed for speed — nice flowing, non-trappy, non-technical course.


2. Speed is NOT everything. You MUST run clean. So many handlers focused on speed trying to beat the time of the dog before them that dogs were not qualifying because handlers pushed their dogs and that resulted in runs with faults.


3. Refusals are not called, therefore, you only lose time and you don't get a fault. 

My 12 inch dog ended up with second place and 8 T2B points because we were clean and had the second fastest clean run! I recommend it. Give it a go. It is a fun game and a great warm up for your standard and jumpers classes when offered before them. Whether it's first in the day's running order, in the middle, or last, it's worth doing.

Yes. Visit the Greenwish Mean Time website for more info about DST in the North America.

Day-to-Day Move-Ups:  Yes, it is permissible for an exhibitor to request a day-to-day move-up in person for the following day on a trial day of which they did not show their dog.

Example: A club is offering three days of agility on a trial weekend; Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Exhibitor only entered Saturday and Sunday. They may fill out a day-to-day move-up form on-site on Friday for Saturday and Sunday, even though they did not enter the trial on Friday.

Day-to-day move-ups may not be requested via the phone or by email. The exhibitor may have someone else on-site fill out and sign the form as their representative.
 

No. Taking a piece of the “show” equipment out on setup day and letting an exhibitor practice on it would be considered training on the show grounds and would expose both the exhibitor and club to sanctions. As the newsletter states, the purpose of the change was specific – i.e. to allow for classes normally held at that facility to continue. This is not the case.

Perhaps the hosting Club would let the exhibitor borrow the equipment before the trial weekend, for use at their home or at a training facility.  We certainly understand needing to work through an obstacle fear issue.

Following is an excerpt from the April 11, 2011 AKC Agility Trial Secretaries Newsletter:

Training on the Show Grounds

There has been an issue brought to AKC’s attention regarding the recent regulation change to the Regulations for Agility Trials, Chapter 1, Section 15 Training on Show Grounds. Clubs have contacted AKC to state that exhibitors have felt it is now allowable for them to practice on the club’s equipment on the day preceding an event because the regulation changed to say training on the equipment is not allowed beginning at 12:00 a.m. the day of the trial. This is not the case.

AKC has not changed the requirements to allow “fun matches” or “show and go’s” and the requirements regarding these can be found in the Match Regulations, Chapter 1, Section 3. “Fun Matches. A fun match is an informal dog event that is not approved by The American Kennel Club as a sanctioned match. These events are commonly held by clubs that are not on the records of The American Kennel Club as being eligible to conduct sanctioned matches, dog shows, agility or obedience/rally trials. Once a club becomes eligible to hold AKC sanctioned matches, it may not conduct fun matches unless entries are restricted to members of the club. Any event for which the club solicits or accepts entries from non-members must be approved by AKC as a sanctioned match.”

The Regulations for Agility Trials state in Chapter 4, Section 15, "Training on Show Grounds. No agility obstacle training is allowed on the show grounds except for the use of the warm-up jump. No training is allowed on the trial equipment from 12:00 a.m. the day of the trial, to at least one (1) hour after the completion of the trial (on the last day of any set of trials)."

The emphasised text that changed still does not allow agility obstacle training on the show grounds and was implemented to allow clubs/facilities the ability to hold their training classes the night before a club’s trial without impacting their normal training schedule. Previously clubs were impacting the rental facilities training schedules due to their trial requirements.

Clubs are not allowed to hold fun runs at an event site on the equipment unless they apply with the American Kennel Club to hold a Sanctioned Match. Clubs may submit an application to hold a Sanctioned B Match and AKC will process and approve it for an upcoming event, or the club could apply to hold a Special Attraction offering the Time 2 Beat class for the upcoming event.

The employees of the American Kennel Club do not have the ability to over-ride or provide an exception to the regulations and rules, only the AKC Board of Directors can approve changes to such regulations and rules at their general meetings.