Top Ten Should-a-Knowns
I sure learned a lot Lilli’s first AKC trial this weekend. You figure after a year of training and 6 months or so of doing run-throughs with agility groups, I’d have heard everything. Well yah, umm, no.
So here are a few things that I learned this weekend – first hand experience with agility trials.
10. 6 month cut off – Only a couple people mentioned it to us…(and none of them mattered because they weren’t the judge) but no dogs under 6 months old are allowed. Leilani was there – she just turned 10 weeks, so just a little under 6 months…
9. Lots of leeway in Novice - Man, there is a lot of leeway in Novice. You can jump over the wrong jump, go through the wrong end of the tunnel, then reset and go back on course and it’s only a 5 point fault! Don’t know who did that this weekend…
8. Meeting before the start - Not really shocking, but cool to know. The judge meets with the handlers before each run and goes over the rules and answers any questions.
7. Don’t line up too early - Several people this weekend that we were chatting with shared that we shouldn’t line up for our run too early. There is a lot of tension in the starting area, barking and people riling up their dogs in preparation. Wait until you see your buddy set up (see Pick a Buddy below) and then head into line about 5 minutes before your run.
6. Pick a buddy - We ran next to the same dogs/handlers both days this weekend. So while I was waiting to run, we chatted and I said that I’d keep an eye out for her when she went up to line up that way I knew I was coming up soon. We ended up chatting all weekend and “being buddies” the next day too. Turns out we were also competing for 1st and 2nd spots all weekend too.
5. Take Videos - If you have a friend or partner with you, ask them to video each of your runs. It’s amazing to look back at what “actually happened” versus “what I think happened” in each run. I can go back slowly and over and over and see exactly what happened in each problem area. We use the Flip Mino Series Camcorder
as an inexpensive and really portable option.
4. 85 is Q – You need 85 points to Qualify in AKC Novice. This article is really simply written and explains the differences between AKC and USDAA points and qualifications. I definitely need to read it a few more times!
3. Weaves are freebies – This detail is covered in the above article but it’s a super cool point to know so it deserves its own number in the countdown. You don’t get marked off for missing or messing up on your weave attempts. As long as you complete them, there is no penalty. You just lose time from having to do them over and over, and over…(wonder who had to do that this weekend…)
2. Don’t stick both stickers…- When you check in to a 2 day trial, or a 3 or 4 day trial for that matter, each day that you’re registered for runs, you get a sticker to put on with your number on it. Don’t stick all the stickers to yourself the same day. I know that sounds funny, but really. I saw 2 stickers and put one on my hat and one on my pants thinking that – Wow I just got an extra one… – yah, no. Thankfully I could just wear the same hat on Sunday!
1. Knocked Bars are auto NQ – On our last run, the Novice JWW, we knocked the second jump bar. Someone came and told us that knocking a bar was an automatic no qualify. I had no idea. I also didn’t find this on the above article, but a couple blogs referenced this rule. If anyone has something more “official” or any more detail on this, please post it in the comments, I’d love to read it! I chose this one as the #1 thing to know this weekend since it was the only reason I didn’t get 2 double Q’s this weekend and run the tables – even though it was C.R.A.P.
If anyone has any more cool rules or tips the newbies could use, please share! I’ll read over them and make a new list of the best tips. Lilli and I had a blast this weekend – Jason mostly avoided being bored out of his mind. 
I look forward to our next trial in a few weeks. Hopefully we’ll be a little more seasoned and prepared by then…
