KC agility anyone?

Ditchjumper2

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Today little one was KC measured. I have been fulfilling a fantasy acquired from those mis spent hours as a child watching agility from Olympia on the telly. You remember the days when at 9.25 BBC had HOYS or Olympia on after the news?

Anyway a few years ago I joined a club and learnt agility with the cuddly one. Like with the horses I wanted to compete...just low key stuff. We did ...we did quite well 😊 so in the same way as you cannot have 1 horse....you cannot have 1 dog
so we bought the little one. Small in stature but very vocal 🙄. She has been doing agility nearly a year and is better than the cuddly one possibly because I have slightly more idea of what I am doing.

Which brings me back to the start lol. I am going to try some KC competitions. Does anyone here do them? Any advice?

When presented with her registration book after being measured I asked whether I had to take it to all competitions. She said well you should and it should be checked, but a bit like horse passports probably never will be 😂🤣
 

Mynstrel

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Not as many as we used to but we do. If you're starting with indoor shows be prepared for the noise - some venues make your ears ring and it may take a while for you both to get used to it. Like horse shows there's a big mix of people, some are lovely, some are very competitive, some are mental, some can seem to be jobs worths but there are usually a lot more dogs to get through in a day than unaffiliated so they need to be on the ball to get through them all. Watch out for yellow coats/ leads and give them space, pay attention to your dog in the queue, lots of dogs are wound up at that point and you need know where best to have your dog before you run, queuing or somewhere a bit quieter. Most of all, enjoy it!
 

blackcob

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Yup, though I retired my 10 year olds this year and my baby dog can't compete until February, so I've had a bit of a break!

The only time I've had a record book checked was for qualifiers where you need to prove eligibility for entry (for example novice cup, which has or at least had a minimum number of wins/points to be achieved in the previous year). Keep it in the glovebox just in case. ;)

Have you been to a KC show before to spectate or do ring party? Might be useful as a way to get used to the rhythms of the day, how the course walking and queueing works etc. before you drop your dog into the equation. Depending on the venue layout and your fellow competitors it is potentially a noisy, high-stress environment.
 

Karran

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Sorry to hijack but as someone who's only dipped her toe into two (three next weekend) unaffiliated shows so far, is there much difference apart from this recordbook thing?
 

MurphysMinder

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I do KC agility with a small, I took his record book to the first few competitions but don't bother now. One thing I would recommend is keep all your results in the record book so if you gain enough points you can apply for your agility warrants. I didn't bother because didn't think we would be good enough or go to enough shows, a few years down the line my lad is grade 6, with loads of unplaced clears to his name but I am not able to apply for a warrant as I have no record, which is very frustrating . In answer to Karran, independent shows are more low key but I don't think there is a huge difference between them and the smaller KC shows. I am talking about the 6 or 7 ring ones, not the huge 20 ring affairs things like KCI which would scare me too death ! The main thing is to enjoy it, at whatever level.
 

Cahill

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i do kc but much prefer uka.
dont forget you have to have a 2nd measure within a certain time(or a 3rd if they differ)
used to take book but not anymore but always keep a record and/or photo results sheets.
(more shows are having online results now and apps to see running order and results in live time.)

it always amazes me how may people are horsey in the agility world.
 

GSD Woman

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Following to read the differences in KC agility and AKC agility. Here, you receive a permanent height card after 2 measurements after 18 months. I think that is the age, my dogs are always in the top height division so they only need one measurement and I don't start them that early. We also have UKI and USDAA agility. The tire jump for those is 20 inches vs 24 inches. My big guy can get through that small of a tire but I prefer not to ask him to, since we use the breakaway tire.
 

blackcob

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GSD Woman - height changes are a bit of a can of worms for the KC at the moment! My first large dog had to have a single measure, my second didn't need a measure at all as the rules had changed for 'obviously large' dogs, now the intermediate height has been introduced lots of previously large dogs have the option to be remeasured but have a deadline by which to do so. My new small can have a first measure no earlier than 15 months and must have a second 12-24 months after the first, plus a third if the two measurements differ. Clear as mud. ;)

MM I used the KC's own agility warrant spreadsheet because I found the record book such a faff. Dax has finished just 6 points short of her silver warrant. :(

The training club we go to run independent shows and their differences from KC include optional lower heights, different rules for progression and allowing not for competition runs where you can use a toy and reward in the ring.
 

Mynstrel

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Sorry to hijack but as someone who's only dipped her toe into two (three next weekend) unaffiliated shows so far, is there much difference apart from this recordbook thing?

KC tends to be bigger, you might get through 400 dogs per ring per day, with up to 5 or 6 rings indoors and the biggest outdoor I've been to had about 13 rings some days. They all tend to follow kc rules or similar so not much difference there, its mostly more dogs and people and a bit more urgency to make sure they get through them all, especially at shows with qualifiers.
 
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