Agility

Competing in agility with your Vizsla can be great fun. However like any activity undertaken with your dog it requires training and dedication. Your Vizsla’s natural athletic build makes it an ideal candidate for this sport.

Agility events in New Zealand are sanctioned by the New Zealand Kennel Club (NZKC). However unlike the show ring, your Vizsla does not need to hold pedigree papers to compete in this sport. All breeds and cross-breeds of all sizes compete together. The dogs are judged on the fastness and accuracy with which they negotiate an obstacle course.

Where to start
There are specialist agility clubs, and obedience clubs who also participate in agility, throughout the country. Your Vizsla will not be able to compete in agility events until he or she is 18 months of age. This is because until the age of 18 months your dog will not have completed his or her physical development and too much jumping can cause permanent injury. Although experienced agility competitors can start low impact training from one year of age, it is highly recommended that novice handlers join an agility or obedience club and enrol in a beginner’s agility course before commencing any training. Once you have completed your agility beginner’s course, your instructor may think it is time for you to participate in your first competition. Before you can do this there are some things you need to do:

• First you must join an affiliate club of the NZKC, like your local Agility or Obedience club. If you have completed an initial training course, you may wish to join the club where you trained. If you already belong to a breed club then this is sufficient.
• After this you apply to the NZKC for your registration. Your puppy will have been registered by your puppy’s breeder. The NZKC will send you information and your membership number which you will use on your agility entry forms.

In New Zealand Agility fixtures are Championship Agility Events, Agility Open Events, AD Classes, ADX Advanced Classes, Agility Ribbon Trials, and Agility Interclub or Club days

• Ribbon Trials are designed as fun days for clubs. Entries are taken on the day of the event and there are no prizes awarded, although ribbons can be. You do not have to be a financial member of the NZKC.
• Open Events are conducted like Championship Shows with pre-entry and catalogues, but Challenge Certificates for Senior are not available. Owners and handlers must be financial members of the NZKC.
• Championship Events must be entered in advance and a catalogue listing the details of each competitor entered is produced. Owners and handlers must be financial members of the NZKC to enter. Challenge Certificates are on offer at these shows at the senior level of competition, one each for first and second placed dog on a clear round

Agility Titles and Awards

Agility Champion
After a dog has won six Agility Challenge Certificates, at least one of which was a first place, under three different judges, obtained at least ten clear round certificates in senior classes at Championship Agility Events and qualified ADX, it is entitled to be awarded the title of Agility Champion, and once the Agility Championship Certificate is issued by the NZKC may carry the prefix Ag.Ch before its name. Application for championship status is made in writing to the NZKC submitting the original Challenge Certificates and clear round certificates supporting the application.

Agility Grand Champion
After a dog has won 20 Agility Challenge Certificates, at least ten of which are for first place, and qualified ADX GOLD, it is entitled to be awarded the title of Agility Grand Champion and once the Agility Grand Championship Certificate is issued by the New Zealand Kennel Club may carry the prefix Ag.Gr.Ch. before its name. Application for Agility Grand Championship status is made in writing to the New Zealand Kennel Club submitting the original Challenge Certificates supporting the application.

The following awards can be conferred on dogs for Agility:

• Agility Dog (AD)
  To qualify AD dogs must obtain two Clear Rounds in official AD Classes under two different judges.
• Agility Dog Excellent (ADX)
  To qualify ADX dogs must obtain four clear rounds in official AD Classes under three different judges.
• Agility Dog Excellent Advanced (ADX ADVANCED)
  There are three levels of ADX Advanced. In ascending order they are:

  ADX ADVANCED Bronze (ADX Bronze)
  ADX ADVANCED Silver (ADX Silver)
  ADX ADVANCED Gold (ADX Gold)

  To qualify dogs must be qualified ADX and obtain two Clear rounds at ADX Advanced courses at each level before proceeding to the next level. Dogs qualified for the award of a title are subject to Dog Training Regulation for competition purposes. After a dog has been awarded the qualifying Clear Round Certificates the original certificates should be forwarded to the New Zealand Kennel Club; the award will be recorded and a certificate of achievement issued. Until the certificate has been issued by the New Zealand Kennel Club the dog is not entitled to use the title.

Levels of Competition

Agility competition is divided into four different levels. They are:

• Starters Only open to dogs who have not won a total of two first prizes at recognised Agility Fixtures excluding Agility Inter Club or Club days with clear rounds. AD and ADX qualified dogs are not eligible for this class. Courses for Starters must comprise a minimum of 10 and maximum of 18 numbered standard obstacles. All obstacles must be numbered and run in sequence. Starters courses are limited to jumps, tunnels, long-jump and tyre, weave-poles, brush jump, table i.e. there is no elevated equipment involved.
• Novice Open to all except Senior qualified dogs. Courses for Novice must comprise a minimum of 10 and maximum of 18 numbered standard obstacles. All obstacles must be numbered and run in sequence. These courses include all of the above and in addition may include cross-over, a-frame, and dog-walk. The see-saw is not to be used in these courses.
• Intermediate Open to all dogs except dogs eligible to enter Starters. Courses for Intermediate comprise a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 numbered standard obstacles. All obstacles must be numbered and run in sequence.These courses may include all elevated equipment including the see-saw and will be of a higher degree of difficulty than a novice course.
• Senior Open to all dogs that have won a total of three first prizes in Novice and/or Intermediate classes at a recognised Agility Fixture excluding Agility Inter Club or Club days with clear rounds or have so won a total of two first prizes and qualified ADX. Courses for Senior comprise a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 20 numbered standard obstacles. All obstacles must be numbered and run in sequence. All equipment can be expected in this course with the addition of spread-jumps (both asymmetrical and parallel). These courses should be more complex than Intermediate.

Preparation for agility

Agility is a sport that your Vizsla can excel in. Vizslas are intelligent and learn quickly. Their natural athleticism gives them a head-start and very few Vizslas have trouble jumping. However, you will not succeed with your Vizsla if you are harsh with your corrections. For a Vizsla to enjoy agility, you must make your training fun. Vizslas respond well to food rewards, but it is best to limit these types of rewards to “static” training, where you are, for example, teaching your dog to target the contact area of the elevated equipment. Your agility trainer will be able to explain this concept further. For speed work a favourite toy thrown at the appropriate moment is a good reward. There are many books written on the subject of teaching agility using positive training methods. If harsh corrections are used with your Vizsla you will find that he may well shut down and not work for you. This cannot be emphasised enough. You need to be the main source of fun for your Vizsla for him or her to enjoy working with you. Games of hide and seek and speed races encouraging your Vizsla to race you are all good ground work for future agility competitions and can be done from a very young age. Throughout your Vizsla’s early months you need to develop a good working relationship with your pup and as mentioned, he or she must enjoy his training with you.

It is not possible to go into great detail in this article on what should and should not be done to prepare you and your Vizsla to compete in agility. The best advice is to join an agility club where positive training methods are used. Do not be tempted to start impact training at home with your Vizsla, including weave pole training, before he or she is at least 12 months of age. So many good things can be taught before then that do not involve jumping or weaving. Your Vizsla will soon learn the different types of equipment, but your groundwork beforehand is the most important training you can give your beloved companion.

Be careful when training your Vizsla that you train for speed as well as accuracy. Accuracy can be fine-tuned later, but if you don’t have speed then you will not succeed in this sport. Vizslas are naturally athletic and can handle agility courses with ease, but it is easy to dampen their enthusiasm by asking for accuracy above all, thus taking much of the fun away from it. Remember it must always be FUN!!! If it’s not fun, you’re doing it wrong!

Vizslas can be slow to mature and you should not expect the many aspects involved in agility to all gel together at once. Your dog may have the speed, but may miss contacts or knock hurdles. He or she may even go “off course” preferring one piece of equipment to another. If your dog is fast he or she may be going too quickly to anticipate your commands, but all this is part of the fun and chaos that agility can be. Eventually with training and perseverance your dog will “get it all together” and connect with you as his or her handler.

Benefits of competing in agility:

• You get to spend the day with your beautiful Vizsla.
• You get to meet people and make new friends, all with the same interests as you.
• Lastly and most importantly, you and your Vizsla get to have a load of fun.

To have your dog quivering on the start line, eagerly anticipating his or her turn in the ring means you have succeeded in making agility fun for your companion. Any ribbons or prizes are a bonus.

– Article by Sue McKee (Owner of: Abody Ochre of Debrecan, ADX Gold)