Welcome to the Autumn edition of The Scribe The Kennel Club’s Agility Newsletter The summer has officially ended and agility competitors can wipe the sweat from their brows as they will no longer be required to run in the high temperatures that we saw this July and August.

Not only did this summer play host to some great weather but there were also many excellent agility events, including the European Open Agility Championships, the International Agility Festival and the FCI Agility World Championships. Consequently there’s a lot to catch up on and in this edition as we report on all three of these big agility events.

This edition also features the latest news and in ‘Meeting Matters’, we’ve got the latest Regulation changes and reminders from the Activities Sub-Committee. In ‘Paws Up’ there’s lots of information about upcoming Kennel Club agility at Discover Dogs and Olympia , see page 8.

We hope you enjoy the 6th issue.

If you have any queries or questions about The Scribe, please email: agility@thekennelclub.org.uk

The ScribeThe Kennel Club Agility newsletter Autumn 2014

International Agility Olympia 2014 Latest Agility News

News

Croft-Elliott / The Kennel Club ©

Jackie Bromwich ©

Congratulations to Jackie Bromwich and Fern who are the winners of The Scribe’s photography competition with this great snap of Fern in action at the Kennel Club International Agility Festival: Jackie and Fern are the lucky winners of a Kennel Club dog coat or jumper and a Kennel Club fleece blanket, courtesy of Bow Wow Meow.

IAF Review

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Congratulations to Mr Marc Saunders who has been approved to award Championship Certificates (Small and Medium) for the first time at Axstane Agility Club’s Championship Agility Show on 21 June 2015.

Congratulations to North Derbyshire Dog Agility Club who have been approved to award Small, Medium and Large Agility Championship Certificates from 2015.

Congratulations to Tunbridge Wells & District Canine Society who have been approved to award Small and Medium Agility Championship Certificates in 2015 and 2016.

Thank youThe Kennel Club would like to say a big thank you to Emma Fretwell who has stepped down from her position as Agility Team GB Chiropractor following four years of service.

Congratulations to Mr Martin Cavill who has been approved to award Championship Certificates (Large) for the first time at Nottingham Agility Dog Training Club’s Championship Agility Show on 23 May 2015.

Regulation AmendmentsThe following Regulation amendments have been recently approved by the General Committee and will come into effect on 1 January 2015.

Standard Class EquipmentA standard Agility class should contain all three items of contact equipment in order to ensure that dogs have to negotiate more challenging obstacles before being able to progress through the grades. Regulation H(1)(A)4. has been amended so that the judge is allowed to use his or her discretion to alter compulsory equipment in the case of, for example, extreme weather conditions.

Regulation H(1)(A)4Standard classes may be scheduled for Agility Shows, as Agility classes or Jumping classes. All standard classes must contain the Weaving Poles obstacle. Standard Agility classes must contain the following elements: “A Ramp”, Dog Walk and See-Saw. In the event of mitigating circumstances (i.e. adverse weather conditions) at a show a Judge, with the full agreement of the Competition Manager, may omit an item of compulsory equipment as deemed appropriate at the time. Any omission from the equipment must be reported by the show management to the Kennel Club within 14 days of the date of the show.

Items allowed in the ringAn amendment has been made to the Regulations to make provision for those handlers requiring the use of a mobility aid, whilst also clarifying that toys may not be carried in the hand and that food rewards may not be given in the ring.

Regulation H(1)10.e. (Competing) TO: Except for mobility aids, nothing shall be carried in the hand while the dog is under test and food shall not be given to a dog whilst in the ring - elimination.

Competitors are reminded that at Limited Shows, in Special Classes, silent toys may be carried. Regulation H(1)(D)9.e. will also be amended as follows:

Regulation H(1)(D)9.e. TO: Silent toys may be used in the rings, at the discretion of the organisers, but must be used with consideration for other competitors. Except for mobility aids or silent toys, nothing shall be carried in the hand while the dog is under test and food shall not be given to a dog whilst in the ring - elimination.

Meeting M

atters

Health and Safety in the ringIn the interests of health and safety for both the dog and handler, to provide better clarification for judges and to ensure more consistency in judging practice, the following wording has been inserted to Regulation H(1)(B)5.a(22)(Marking):

Insertion of new Regulation H(1)(B)5.a(22)(Marking)INSERT: Handler traverses over, under or through any piece of equipment – elimination.

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Joanna Nosalik ©

Four Days of Fun Fuelled Agility at this Year’s KC International Agility Festival

This August the Kennel Club celebrated the 10th anniversary of the International Agility Festival, at Rockingham Castle. Despite being hit by torrential rain and an almighty clap of thunder on the last day, for the most part the festival was dry and mild and provided good conditions for the dogs and handlers. More than 2,700 healthy, happy dogs with all levels of experience in agility competed in a record number of classes at the event.

The festival is kindly supported by CSJ Specialist Canine Feeds and welcomes all dogs, from Great Danes to Chihuahuas. What makes the event so unique is the international aspect, this year competitors took part from all over the world, including the USA, Hungary, Mexico and Japan.

A number of exciting additions to the festival made the tenth anniversary event one not to be missed. For the first time the

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Jess Clarke/The Kennel Club ©

Jess Clarke/The Kennel Club ©

Jess Clarke/The Kennel Club ©

festival held Championship classes which were hugely popular and more than 420 dogs entered.

A Special International Class was also held for the first time; open to international dogs which enabled handlers to secure a place in the British Open Final at Crufts. This class was also a real hit and the audience remained engrossed in the action late into the evening. The quarter and semi-finals for the Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes also took place and saw many thrilled handlers secure a place for the prestigious competition held at the the London International Horse Show at Olympia in December.

Jess Clarke/The Kennel Club ©

The Kennel Club would like to say a big thank you to the army of volunteers who work tirelessly each year to make the festival a real success, without their help we would not be able to put on this fantastic event.

Jess Clarke/The Kennel Club ©

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Kennel Club Agility ChampionshipsLarge - Dave Munnings and DEVONGEM MISTER BOSS MAN

Medium - Neil Ellis and AG CH CHEEKYCHESTER THE JESTER

Small - Claire Burrell and AG CH DAIMONIC EXPELLIARMUS

Starters Cup Semi-Final (Discover Dogs Qualifier)Large Semi-Final - Belle Howlett and LEIA’S QUEEN OF NABOO

Medium Cup Semi- Final - Trisha Kenna and BAILEY BAY

Small Semi-Final - Madeleine Herridge and OH HENRY NO

Novice Cup Semi-Final (Crufts Qualifier)Large Semi-Final - Rebecca Patrick and CHERRYHOG SEEK NO FURTHER

Medium Semi-Final - Stephen Sutherland and FAN-DIGI-DASH

Small Semi-Final - Susan Mathias and PROFESSOR LUPIN

Kennel Club International Young Handler Final(under 12s) - Charlie Osborne and NEDLO LET’S GO TECHNO

(12-17) - Belle Howlett and LEIA’S QUEEN OF NABOO

Kennel Club British Open Semi-Final (Crufts Qualifiers)Large Semi-Final - Natalie Mitchell and STREAK OF CHAOS

Medium Semi-Final - Steven Richardson and AG CH NOWORRIES

SWEEP’S DREAM

Small Semi-Final - Bernadette Bay and AG CH OBAY ITZ GOT PIZAZZ

AW(G)

The Kennel Club Special International ClassLarge - Erwann De Montcuit and EDELWEISS (France)

Medium - Justine Baudhuin and CAVALRINNA’S ZOLA ZANDORA

(France)

Small - Angela Koopman and BLACK FAME OF THE SCHEEPDOG

JUMPERS (Netherlands)

Congratulations to the following competitors who secured first place in each of the main competitions at the festival:

Kennel Club Nations Cup

Large Medium Small

1st- England 32nd- England 13rd- England 2

1st - Spain2nd- France3rd- England 2

1st - Wales 22nd- Ireland3rd- England 3

Jess Clarke/The Kennel Club ©

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The European Open Agility Championship

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The European Open Agility Championship took place in Taszár, Hungary between 25th and 27th July. The EO was the first of the major international agility events this summer.

The EO kicked off with an exciting opening ceremony where all the international teams paraded round the ring to applause from the crowd of spectators, the judges then arrived in spectacular fashion in a traditional cart drawn by a team of two grey horses.

Friday was the start of the team competition and got underway with the small / medium jumping and agility and both teams ran well with one clear round and several runs with only a few faults. Those who were unfortunately eliminated were keen to improve their performance in the next rounds and when these got underway in the afternoon many handlers and dogs did not disappoint. Overall the small and mediums achieved 4 clear rounds and all team members left on a high.

The large teams also ran in the morning although a few errors on challenging courses meant that the pressure was on for the afternoon rounds. Despite temperatures of 30 degrees and testing conditions the large teams really rose to the challenge and all the dogs ran better in the later rounds, with one clear, even those who had a few faults were pleased with their performance.

The individual event began on Saturday, where members of Agility Team GB achieved some great rounds. Jessica Clarehugh and Cara achieved 7th and 3rd place in the Large Agility and Jumping. This success meant Jessica was in a good position for the final competition on Sunday, where she came in a respectable 24th out of the 83 finalists. Matt Goodliffe also secured a promising 2nd place in the Large Jumping qualifying round but was unfortunately eliminated in the Final. Greg Derrett and Rehab formed Agility Team GB’s most successful partnership and secured 18th in the Large Final which was the last event of the Championships.

The Kennel Club © The Kennel Club ©

The Kennel Club ©

The FCI Agility World Championship

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The team met early on the Tuesday morning at Eaglesfield Equestrian Centre. One team member was there by about 5.30, I guess they couldn’t sleep!! We arrived at the Channel Tunnel at 9am for an 11.50am crossing. As part of the Eurotunnel sponsorship the dogs travel free. The only way for them to do this is to book them as Guide Dogs, there was a bit of a question as to whether we had 15 Guide Dogs on board. I explained that they were elite agility dogs travelling to the World Championships. The staff booked in the last 3 “Elite” guide dogs and wished us luck.

The crossing and journey to Luxembourg went without any hitches and we arrived at our hotel in the city centre, mid-afternoon. I think a few of the locals were a bit surprised to see us getting off the coach with lots of dogs, an assortment of bags and the dog paraphernalia that we had with us. We had time to settle in and rest after the journey and explore some of the local sights. A couple of the team even found an outdoor activity centre with step machines, pull ups etc.

After a good night’s sleep and our last lie in for the next few days, on Wednesday morning the team ventured to an indoor arena to get the dogs and handlers acclimatised to the equipment and surface and to blow some cobwebs away after the journey. The two hour training session went really well. Handlers practiced the FCI tyre and hard weave entries as well as rewarding tight turns and contacts. It was also a general reminder for the dogs that they were here for a competition.

After lunch back at the hotel we left for the registration and vet checks. Team Manager Mark Laker, Assistant Manager Marc Saunders and I went in to register all the team, collect their number bibs and the programmes. The dogs were all then vet checked to make sure their microchip matched their passport and that they were fit and well and not in season. After each competition the dogs’ microchip numbers were again checked. At the World Championships bitches in season can compete but they always run last and are normally required to start sitting on a mat. Small and Medium dogs that had not attended the World Championships before were measured, once they have an official FCI measure they do not need to be measured again at the World Championships.

Thursday was an early start as every team gets to practice in the arena prior to the opening ceremony. A time is allocated to each team and the time allowed is dependent on the number of dogs the team has entered. Our start time was 7.28am and we had been allocated 9 minutes and 20 seconds. This year the arena had been split into 3 with each height group in a different section and the same course set up in each so there was no changing around between the sections and each height group was given the full time limit. There was a table in the large height group and one in between the small and medium sections so both groups could practice. All the dogs and handlers coped really well and Team GB was well set up for the competition to come. We then went back to the hotel for breakfast before returning at 2pm for the Opening Ceremony and Large Team Jumping.

Every evening, after the day’s competitions, we had a team meeting to discuss what had happened that day and plan for the next day, all the team were passed their bibs and identification passes to allow them “backstage”. At the venue we hired a changing room which was Team GBs base for the competition but only the management team and handlers were allowed access to this area to ensure the security and safety of all the dogs and peoples’ belongings.

Despite the early starts and long days, there really was a great, infectious atmosphere at the World Championships. The Team supported each other and along with the international crowd cheered on each competitor in turn. Team GB performed extremely well and this can be seen in some of the great results achieved.

Kennel Club Canine Activities Manager Debbie Deuchar travelled with Agility Team GB to the FCI Agility World Championships in Luxembourg. Debbie reports on what it was like behind the scenes as Team GB prepared for this prestigious event.

Martin Cavill ©

The FCI Agility World Championship Continued...

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• Silver - Large Team Final• 1st - Natasha Wise and Dizzy, Medium Individual Jumping Round• 3rd - Large Team Agility Round• 7th place - Greg Derrett and Detox, Large Individual Final overall

• 14th place - Natasha Wise and Dizzy, Medium Individual Final overall• 17th place - Bernadette Bay and Zaz, Small Individual Final overall

If you think you would like to be part of Agility Team GB in 2015, visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/agility/international-agility-teams to find out what is required to compete with the best of UK agility.

"I was immensely proud to represent Great Britain at both the European Open and the World Championships with my toller, Rogue. Being part of Team GB was a great experience and I had a fantastic time at both events; from both competing on what were really challenging agility courses and getting to watch world class agility." Amanda Hampson

“Winning the silver medal with the large team was a proud moment for the four of us standing on the podium but the result is down to the whole 2014 FCI squad. The support and advice given by the management team and the other handlers in the squad over the past 5 months and during the event, all accumulated to produce the result. Gaining a top 10 individual place, although not the podium the whole team was looking for, is a result that I will look back on with a large amount of satisfaction. Roll on 2015 and Italy!” Greg Derrett

The European Open Agility Championship Team and FCI Agility World Championships Team are kindly sponsored by:

Martin Cavill © Martin Cavill ©

Martin Cavill ©

Team GB accomplishments were as follows:

Dogs competing at Olympia qualified out of the quarter and semi-finals that were held this summer at the Kennel Club Agility Festival.

Skinners added its support to the Kennel Club Olympia Agility Stakes earlier this year, and this much appreciated sponsorship will continue through to 2016. This exciting collaboration between the Kennel Club and Skinners will ensure this event continues to remain a top class competition.

For more information about the Kennel Club Agility Finals at Olympia and how you can qualify for next year’s competition, visit: www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/agility/agility-at-olympia

Paws Up!

Winter Agility events to watch out for!

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Ian Watts/The Kennel Club ©

Agility at Olympia The Kennel Club Agility Stake Finals at Olympia

are just round the corner and this prestigious event creates the perfect combination of brilliant agility with an excellent Christmas party atmosphere…not to mention the shopping that is on offer from many of the

hundreds of trade stands.

Olympia features a separate agility final on each of its five days, offering handlers the chance to compete in front of an audience of up to ten thousand noisy supporters. This year’s event will take place between 18th & 22 December and the finals will take place on the following days:

• Thursday 18th December - Medium Grade 3 - 7 Final• Friday 19th December - Small Grade 3 - 7 Final • Saturday 20th December - Large Grade 6 - 7 Final• Sunday 21st December - Large Grade 3 - 5 Final• Monday 22nd December - Large ABC (Anything But Collie) Grade 3 - 7 Final

• Small Agility Results • Medium Agility Results • Large 6 & 7 Agility Results

ABC Results• Large Novice Agility Results

The Agility Stakes at Olympia are supported by

Results of those who have qualified for Discover Dogs 2014 are as follows:

• Semi-final Medium ABC Qualifiers• Semi – final Novice ABC Qualifiers• Mixi Pairs Results Final Qualifiers• Starters Cup Agility Final Qualifiers

To find out more about how you can qualify for Discover Dogs, visit www.thekennelclub.org.uk/activities/agility/agility-at-discover-dogs

Discover Dogs!Agility enthusiasts can look forward

to Discover Dogs which will be held on 8 and 9 November at Earls Court in London. Agility at

Discover Dogs hosts four exciting Kennel Club Agility competitions which take place over the two days. The Large Novice ABC for Grades 1 – 5 and the Medium ABC for Grades 1 – 7 semi-finals will see twenty dogs qualify for a final at Crufts in 2015. A maximum of two dogs per breed (subject to organisers discretion) are allowed to take part in the semi-finals so it’s a great way to showcase the variety of breeds that can do agility.

Newcomers to agility are also given the opportunity to take part in a national final at Discover Dogs. The Starters Cup Final sees those from Grades 1 and 2 compete for the top spot after qualifying at the semi-finals held at the KC International Agility Festival.

Saturday will feature a Special class for Small Mix Pairs.This is a competition consisting of eight heats of jumping. The competition is open to small dogs, partnering either a medium dog or a large dog, and heats are scheduled as a Special combined class for grades 1 to 7.

Click here to receive 30% off Thursday afternoon and both Friday performances (excluding top price tickets) when you use vouchercode ‘KennelClub’ at checkout.