It’s all about guiding and empowering you to help your dog avoid injury, provide practical solutions and achieve rapid restoration of health and function!
 |
| Keebler, 1st place winner 12-inch division of the 3rd Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster. Photo by Steve Surfman for Westminster Kennel Club |
Canine agility in an international dog sport originating in 1978 where a handler or trainer directs a dog through a course made up of obstacles and jumps.
Courses are fairly complicated and often change, requiring human direction.
At the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, agility is a Masters-only event, open to dogs with Master Agility Champion (MACH) titles, having achieved 750 or more champion points in its career. For the 2017 show there are 330 canine entries, both pure and mixed breeds.
The most entered breeds are:
- Border collie
- Shetland sheepdog
- Papillion
- Golden Retriever
There are 5 classes of agility, based on size of vertical jump.
Classes are assigned based on canine height division, determined by the dog’s height at its withers.
The smallest class is 8 inch: for dogs 11 inches or less at the withers. Examples of this size dog include the Papillion, Pomeranian, French bulldog, Havanese and Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. The next class is 12 inch, for dogs 14 inches or less at the withers, such as the Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
The third class, being quite popular, is 16 inch, for dogs 18 inches or less at the withers, such as Border Collies. The fourth class, 20 inch, is for dogs 22 inches or less at the withers, such as larger Border Collies and most Golden Retrievers. Finally is the largest class of 24 inches, for dogs greater than 22 inches at the withers such as Dobermans, Standard Poodles, Rottweilers, and Alaskan Malamutes.
Courses are set up with 20 obstacles and jump apparatus on a surface of grass, dirt or rubber matting.
 |
| Smartie, 1st place winner 24-inch division of the 3rd Annual Masters Agility Championship at Westminster. Photo by Steve Surfman for Westminster Kennel Club |
Westminster uses a green rubber carpet matting on the floors. Obstacles include the teeter (similar to a see saw), A frame, tunnels and chutes, table top platforms and weave poles. Jumps include vertical hurdles ranging from single, double, winged (which narrows the jump space) and wingless, tires, and horizontal broad jumps. In August 2016, the AKC suspended use of collapsible chutes for safety reasons, replacing it with non-collapsing tunnels.
Dog’s agility course runs are scored by speed, measured by an electronic clock timer, and quality based on dexterity and accuracy.
In terms of quality, the goal is to have a ‘clean run’, free of faults. Faults consist of turns not being tight, lack of solid contact with a weight bearing obstacle, making accidental contact with hurdle, going off-course, or having a run-out (running past an obstacle or jump). Weave pole obstacles have many rules regarding entry, and whether the dog’s front limbs moving symmetrically together, or separately in an alternate, reciprocal pattern.
The 10 dogs with the highest combined scores from each of the 5 classes move on to the Championship round, consisting of 50 finalists.
The Championship round is a different course, designed as a ‘time to beat’ style.
The scores of the first place winners from each class are then recalculated and an overall winner is awarded the Champion title. There is also an award for the Highest Scoring Mixed All American Breed in the agility trial.
The Masters Agility Champion First Place winner for 2017 at Westminster was Trick, a Border Collie handled by Mr. John Nys, with an overall time of 32.65 seconds. The First Place All American Dog winner was Crush (appearing to be a Blue Heeler mix), handled by Aryn Hervel, with an overall time of 34.87 seconds.
Beyond the ultimate goal of fast clean winning runs, is that of keeping injury free.
Similar to human athletes, agility dogs must be very fit and well-trained. Trainers and handlers should also be on constant lookout for signs of fatigue or overuse syndrome, and ensure injury-free performances. Injuries in the agility sport may occur from trauma such as slips, twists and falls, or strained muscles and tendons, inflamed joints, and sprained ligaments.
The following measures are used by owners, handlers, veterinarians, physical therapists and chiropractors, to prevent and treat injury in agility and other dog performance sports:
- Stretching, to obtain the correct length of muscles and tendons, and joint range of motion exercises. Key muscles such as the psoas, latissimus dorsi, hamstrings and the Achilles tendon, have a length-tension relationship relating to maximal firing of spindles within their fibers. An overstretched muscle will not fire effectively, nor one having too much tightness or short length.
- Cardiovascular conditioning: running, tracking, fast walking, on grass and concrete, 3-4 days per week.
- Cross training: on alternating days to regular cardio, to avoid repetitive overuse symptoms. This includes swimming, treadmill, running on varying contact surfaces: sand, dirt, hills and trails.
- Sports specific drills: weaving through poles, hi stepping over cavaletti rails, going up and down on ramps or varying heights and incline, hurdles, focus training on quick turns, directional changes
- Balance exercises on wobble boards, air filled discs
- Nutrition and hydration
- Visual Attention and Hearing response training
- Targeted Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (AssisiLoop™), Cold Laser, Massage, and other modalities to reduce inflammation and speed the healing process
- Acupuncture, Reiki, Chiropractic care
Agility is a thrilling sport for canines, handlers, trainers, and spectators alike!
Come to the Westminster Dog Show next year to enjoy the 5th Annual Masters event and be sure to watch re-caps of this year’s event on Fox Sports 1.
***
Susan E. Davis (Sue) is a licensed Physical Therapist with over 30 years of practice in the human field, who transitioned into the animal world after taking courses at the UT Canine Rehabilitation program. She is located in Red Bank, New Jersey.She has been providing PT services to dogs and other animals through her entity Joycare Onsite, LLC in pet’s homes and in vet clinics since 2008.
She also provides pro bono services at the Monmouth County SPCA in Eatontown, NJ. Sue is the proud “dog mommy” to Penelope, a miniature Dachshund with “attitude”. For more information see her website www.joycareonsite.com , or follow on Twitter @animalPTsue.
Sue is also the author of a fantastic book on physical therapy, Physical Therapy And Rehabilitation For Animals: A Guide For The Consumer.
Physical therapy can do so many great things for your dog. Understanding all the possibilities physical therapy can offer will change your dog's life. This book definitely belongs on the shelf of every dog lover.
Articles by Susan E. Davis:
Functional Strengthening Exercises: the What, Why and How
One Thing Leads To Another: Why The Second ACL Often Goes Too
Compensation: An Attempt To Restore Harmony
Paring Down to the Canine Core
Canine Massage: Every Dog ‘Kneads’ It”
Photon Power: Can Laser Therapy Help Your Dog?
Physical Therapy in the Veterinary World
Reiki: Is it real?
Dog Lessons: Cooper
The Essentials Of Canine Injury Prevention: 7 Tips For Keeping Your Dog Safer
The Challenge Of Degenerative Myelopathy (DM): Knowledge Is Power (Part I)
Degenerative Myelopathy (DM): Top 10 Management Suggestions (Part II)
Great (Or Not So Great) Expectations with Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) Part (I)
Great (Or Not So Great) Expectations with Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) Part (II)
It's Not Just Walking, It's Therapy! Degenerative Myelopathy (DM): Top 10 Management Suggestions (Part II)
Great (Or Not So Great) Expectations with Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) Part (I)
Great (Or Not So Great) Expectations with Femoral Head Osteotomy (FHO) Part (II)
Treatment And Prevention Of Canine Intervertebral Disc Disease (Part I)
Treatment And Prevention Of Canine Intervertebral Disc Disease (Part II Physical Therapy)
Range Of Motion: It’s A Matter Of Degree…
The Weight Of Water And How It Helps Dogs
By Land or By Sea? A Comparison of Canine Treadmills
Unraveling The Mystery Of Fascia And Myofascial Trigger Points (Part I)
Unraveling The Mystery Of Fascia And Myofascial Trigger Points (Part II)
Scar Tissue: Is it Too Much of a Good Thing?
Physical Therapy Tip Of The Month: Ramps!
Physical Therapy Tip Of The Month: Indoor Duo Dog Exercises!
Physical Therapy Tip Of The Month: Best Practices After Your Dog’s Surgery
Physical Therapy Tip Of The Month: Ideas to Chew on - Can Physical Therapy Help with my Dog’s Digestive Problems?
Wrap It Up: Using Soft Supports For Your Dog
When Do I Use Heat versus Cold? : A Tale (or Tail) Of Two Temps! (Part I)
When Do I Use Heat versus Cold? : A Tale (or Tail) Of Two Temps! (Part II)
Physical Therapy Tip Of The Month: Safe Summer Boating Tips for your Dog
Physical Therapy Tip Of The Month: Hip Dysplasia - What’s a Dawg Mama to Do?
PT Pit Stop: Wheeled Carts Keep Them Doggies Rollin' (Part I)
PT Pit Stop: Wheeled Carts Keep Them Doggies Rollin' (Part II)
Staying in the Loop with Targeted Pulsed Electromagnetic Field Therapy
Addressing Frailty Syndrome in Geriatric Dogs
The Pet PT Pit Stop: "Where's The Evidence?"
Physical Therapy is Great, Except When It Isn’t
Top Dogs and their Toplines at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (Part I)
Top Dogs and their Toplines at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (Part II)
What's in a Dog's Gait?
A Practical Method to manage your Dog’s Care Plan
Wound Care 101 (Part I The Basics)
Wound Care 101 (Part II Wound Management)
Prevention and Management of Hip Dysplasia in Puppies: Attention all Breeders!
Support and Braces
Vaccinosis - A Vexing Conundrum
The Pet PT Pit Stop: Blame it on the Weather, Really!
Relief for Laryngeal Paralysis using Physical Therapy
Is the Treatment Necessary? Is It Working?
Preventing CCL (ACL) Tears (Part 1 of series on Cruciate Ligament Tears)
“All or None, or Partial?” (Part 2 of series on Cruciate Ligament Tears)
Full Ligament Tears (Part 3 of Cranial Cruciate Ligament Series)
Comments
Post a Comment