Agility Trials

Download a Pamphlet explaining what Agility is and what to expect at a trial.

    Agility Pamphlet PDF        Agility Pamphlet MS Word

What happens at a trial?

Judge’s Briefing: 

When the course has been set up, the handlers gather for a “judge’s briefing” where the judge summarizes how the class is judged.

 

Walk Through: Then the handlers may “walk the course.” They do this as a group, without their dogs, following the numbers to become familiar with how the course goes. Most handlers try to walk the course as many times as they can in the time allotted, to plan their strategy. You may see handlers during a “course walk” actually running the course with an imaginary dog, giving the commands as they would during their competing round. Other handlers gather in small groups to discuss potential problem spots and how they plan to handle them.

 

The Competition Runs: The dogs run the course individually, off leash. The timer will tell the handler when he or she may begin, starting the stopwatch as soon as the dog crosses the start line and stopping it when the dog crosses the finish. As each dog runs, the judge indicates the faults. The faults are noted on paper by an official called a scribe. At the completion of the round, the dog’s time and score is used to calculate the qualifying performances and top placements.