Jumping and Agility Classes
Once the initial beginner level classes have been achieved members can go on to train their dogs in Agility and Jumping.
Agility and Jumping are taught at three different levels, Basic Intermediate and Advanced.
Basic
The basic classes provide an easy introduction to the much of the equipment that you and your dog will encounter on an Agility Course. They are all “turned down” to be a breeze to complete and get the dog used to working with new equipment.
Complete the 10 or so requirements of this class and you can move on to the next class.
Intermediate
The intermediate classes train you and your dog to competition standards although there is no requirement to compete.
Note: Dogs must be over 12 months of age to jump or use the Scramble and Dog Walk. Dogs under 12 months of age can still participate in this class and will be provided with safe alternative obstacles. Dogs can not compete in Agility or Jumping until they are at least 18 months old.
Advanced
Advanced classes include more complex equipment in Agility and more complex courses in Jumping.
Competition Agility and Jumping
In an Agility competition your dog must negotiate an obstacle course of jumps and tunnels, weaving poles and “contact” obstacles. Contact obstacles require the dog to touch a specific marked colour on the way on or off the obstacle (e.g. scramble, dog-walk, see-saw). To qualify, your dog must get a clear round under the time limit set by the judge.
Jumping Dog (known as Jumpers) competitions are similar to Agility but without the contact obstacles to slow the dog down.
Both Agility and Jumpers competitions have Novice class which requires 5 passes to earn either an AD (Agility Dog) or JD (Jumping Dog) title; Excellent class which requires 6 passes to earn an ADX (Agility Dog Excellent) or JDX (Jumping Dog Excellent) title; Master class in which the dog needs 7 passes to earn the ADM (Agility Dog Master) or JDM (Jumping Dog Master) titles and Open class in which the dog needs 5 passes to earn the ADO (Agility Dog Open) or JDO (Jumping Dog Open) titles.
Agility and Jumpers competitions are fast and exciting and dogs that compete in these sports need to be fit and athletic. They also require a certain level of fitness in the handler as the handler needs to run with the dog to guide it over the obstacles.
As Agility and Jumpers are physically demanding sports, dogs must be over 18 months of age to compete to reduce the risk of injuries. Dogs are classified into 5 height categories and the height of the jumps are adjusted accordingly.
Grafton Dog Obedience Club holds regular classes in Agility/Jumpers.