What is agility?This is not only a sport, receiving awards and pride in his dog. Classes and training strengthen the bond between the owner and the animal. The dog becomes more balanced, confident and obedient. A man and a dog get mutual pleasure from communication, and most importantly - complete mutual understanding. So, let's see what agility is.
Basics
In short, Agility is a sportin which the dog and its owner participate. From the English language, the word agility translates as "agility, agility, speed." Dogs are happy to do agility. Photos show it well.
Многим кажется, что обученная собака выполняет all the tricks are their own, and it is to her that all the merits belong But this is only an appearance. The dog follows the owner and executes his commands, he is responsible for everything that happens. In agility leading host called handler. His duty is to establish quality and productive contact with the dog, otherwise there will be no victory.
Shells are placed on the highway. It can be various barriers, tunnels (soft and hard), slalom, swing, boom, slide, etc.
The track is a group of shells,installed in a specific order. In each individual competition the track may differ. But in any case there will be no more than 20 obstacles on it, and the length of the route should not be more than two hundred meters. Despite the impressive length, a lot of space for the competition is not needed, even a rich track can fit in a small area due to several laps, various loops, snakes, etc.
History
Initially, agility was not an independent species.sport He served as entertainment for guests of the English exhibition. One of the organizers, John Varley, who, together with his friend Peter Minwell, wanted to surprise visitors with something never seen before. They copied some of the shells from the horse jumping and came up with several new fixtures. The result was a very interesting obstacle course for dogs. New entertainment called Agility. Thus, 1978 can be considered the year of birth of a new sport in which dogs and their owners participate with pleasure. All dog lovers soon learned what agility is.
Today's agility chairman in sportsThe FCI committee, Jean-Paul Petidier, was present at that momentous exhibition. And he liked the performances of the participants so much that he decided that such competitions should be held everywhere in the clubs of dog breeders. It was he who extended the fashion to a new sport throughout Europe.
В Россию интерес к аджилити пришел примерно в 1992-1993. And in 1994, the first Russian Dog Agility Championship was held in Moscow. So far, only 12 host pairs with their dogs took part in this competition. In 1995, the Cup of Russia was held, in which Jean-Paul Petidier himself was a judge. The Team Spirit Team won the Russian Cup. In 1996, the Russian teams received the right to participate in the World Agility Championship.
Shells
Agility competitions in Russia are held in accordance with the FCI rules on approved projectiles. They must be safe for dogs and comply with certain size rules.
- Barriers.
- Swing.
- Slalom.
- Viaduct (wall).
- Hard tunnel.
- Soft tunnel.
- Tire.
- Gorka.
- Long jump.
- Boom.
- Table.
rules
Agility is quite a spectacular sport, butcomplex rules it is no different. Handler can not keep his dog on a leash, even the collar is removed. All commands are given at a distance, you cannot touch and guide the dog with your hands. It is also forbidden to encourage the dog with treats while passing the track.
The main task in agility - as accurately as possible,correctly and quickly overcome the obstacle course. Speed is not the most important thing, if a dog overcomes obstacles quickly, but with errors, it will not receive a high mark. There is even such a thing as the purity of the route - this is an indicator that is calculated taking into account all the penalty points.
Penalty points may be awarded for:
- The refusal of the dog to overcome any projectile.
- Errors when working with a projectile.
- Exceeding the passage of the route. This time depends on the length and complexity of the track, and on the average speed, which is determined at this competition (from 2.5 to 4.5 meters per second).
Before the start of the competition, handlers can brieflyin a few minutes, get acquainted with the track. They need to understand how difficult it is, calculate the capabilities and strengths of their dog. But to practice on the track with a four-legged friend does not work out - dogs are not allowed to compete on the track.
During the competition, the dog overcomes obstacles at the command of the owner, and the judge measures the time of passing the track and checks the cleanliness and literacy of working with shells.
Agility Difficulty Levels
Agility-1. Dogs that do not have an agility certificate take part in this type of competition.
Agility 2 open to dogs that have already received a certificate.
Agility 3 - This is a competition for the best athletes. It can take part dogs that three times won prizes in second-level competitions.
Breeds
Each dog will be glad to know what agility is.Any dog breeds can take part in the competition, and even purebred dogs. Absolutely any dog can get a prize, because the main thing is a good connection between the owner and the pet, which allows working smoothly in a team.
In dogs with solid dimensions (dogs,wolfhounds, Leonbergers) problems may arise with the passage of some obstacles, for example, it can be difficult for them to squeeze into the tunnel. It will be more difficult for dogs with shoulder and hip joints at right angles. For this reason, terriers and schnauzers will be a bit worse in slalom and barriers, but creeping dogs, such as shepherd dogs, will have an advantage on these shells.
Тем не менее аджилити могут заниматься абсолютно everything. After all, cups and victories are not the main thing. In the first place, agility training is a great chance to improve relationships with a pet, strengthen the owner-dog relationship and just have fun with a four-legged friend. In addition, it is no secret to anyone that the dog must constantly evolve. Agility training can be a good exercise and food for the mind.
Growth categories
Of course, the tracks for very small and for large dogs are different. Therefore agility is divided into several categories.
- Mini. Dogs take part in this category, their height does not exceed 35 cm.
- Midi - for dogs with growth from 35 to 43 cm.
- Standard - for dogs above 43 cm at the withers.
Dog training
Agility can begin to engage when the dog is four months old. Of course, you can do with the older dog. Everybody has a chance to win a prize in competitions.
With a young dog, you can immediately begin to study agility projectiles and practice for a year; it is after this period that it will be seen whether the dog is a future champion.
Agility training can begin in a different way.This method is well suited for adult dogs - first go through a general course of obedience and UGS (controlled urban dog), and then get acquainted with agility shells. A trained dog will have a month to master them.
