H.O.T. Dog Club |
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| Agility is one of the newest and fastest growing canine events. The American Kennel Club officially began Agility Trials on August 11, 1994 in Houston, Texas, at the Astro World Series of Dog Shows. In 1994, there were 23 AKC licensed agility trials in the United States. That number has grown to over 500 trials in 1998. In addition to the AKC, NADAC, UKC and USDAA offer agility trials and titles. | |
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| Border Collie, "Molly" takes the tire jump with ease. |
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 Through these various organizations, agility is open to every
pure-bred or mixed-breed registered dog of at least 12 months of age. The purpose of an
Agility Trial is to afford owners the opportunity to demonstrate a dog's willingness to
work with its handler under a variety of conditions. The program begins with basic entry level agility. As the handler and dog progress the course becomes more complex, the number of jumps and obstacles increase, and the time limits and number of faults allowed decrease. |
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"Dusty",
a Brittany, flies over |
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 In an Agility Trial, dog and handler work together as a team combining athletic ability and training to negotiate a course of obstacles within a prescribed time period. As the dogs negotiate the course they must constantly be alert to the verbal cues and body language of their handlers. |
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"Rooky",
a Briard, clears one jump |
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As the classes become more challenging, the dog is required to demonstrate higher levels of training and interaction with its handler. |
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| "Flash", a Westie, scrambles up the a-frame. | |
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| The obstacles on an agility course include the a-frame, dog walk, seesaw, open tunnel, closed tunnel, weave poles and pause table. Jumps include the tire or window jump, broad jump, panel jump and the single, double and triple bar jumps. | |
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Robin,
a German Shorthaired Pointer shows off |
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Jumpers With Weaves is divided into three classes: Novice, Open and Excellent Jumpers With Weaves. |
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"Dusty" at the Astro World Series of Dog Shows |
 In this class
dogs are not slowed down by the careful performance and control required by the contact
obstacles and pause table. Dog/handlers teams can therefore race through a course composed
primarily of jumps demonstration a dog's speed and jumping ability. |
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| "Molly" makes it all look easy! | |
 The maximum attainable score in any class is 100 points. The qualifying score (for placement) is 85 or above, with no disqualifying faults such as displaced bars on jumps or missing a contact zone (the area on an obstacle within which the dog must step). The higher the level the fewer faults allowed. |
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Agility trials are
divided into three classes: Novice Agility, Open Agility and Excellent Agility. Within
each class, there are five jump height divisions for dogs of different sizes. In each of
these classes a dog must complete a prescribed course of "obstacles," and is
judged on how it negotiates each obstacle and completes the course.
The newest trial (class) is the fast-paced Jumpers
With Weaves. This agility class is intended to be fun yet competitive way to demonstrate a
working relationship between dog and handler. 
