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Dog Agility History at AthleticDogs.com

Dog Agility Then & Now

The history of dog agility can be traced to the early 1970s. There are a number of reports of agility-type demonstrations around the UK during those years, and by 1978 the Crufts Dog Show featured a jumpers style course as entertainment between the obedience and conformation competitions.

The committee member in charge of the intermission entertainment asked trainer Peter Meanwell for assistance, and they developed a course to display the natural speed and agility of dogs. The course included an over & under (a-frame and tunnel combo), a tire jump, weave poles, a collapsed tunnel, and a dogwalk. Some of these ideas are attributed to the Royal Air Force, who used similar obstacles in the day-to-day training of RAF police dogs.

The Crufts attendees were so excited by the agility display that by 1979 several British dog clubs were offering training in agility. The first official competition was held in December of that year at the International Horse Show at Olympia in London. In 1980, The Kennel Club officially recognized agility as a dog sport with a sanctioned set of rules. The first competition under the new program was held at the Crufts show that same year. Of course, Peter Meanwell served as judge!

In 1983, the Agility Club was founded to serve the UK and the first agility magazine, the Agility Voice, was published by that organization. These early organizations did not cater to smaller dogs, requiring all dogs to jump the standard 30” height. The early 1980s saw a recognition of the danger of small dogs jumping at that height, and by 1987 the first Mini Agility Dog competition class was introduced at Olympia for dogs measuring 15” at the withers (jumping 15”). Mid-size dogs were acknowledged in the 1990s, where 15” to 17” dogs were allowed to jump at 20”. The first Midi Dog competition was finally added at Olympia in 2005.

In 1992, the first week-long agility show was held in England. The competition was for Dogs in Need, a charitable organization in the UK, and included over 885 dogs entered. The Dogs In Need show is still an annual standard, though it is now joined by several other Kennel Club weeklong, weekend, and one day shows year round. Agility is so popular in England that the most popular Kennel Club shows now run ten or more rings each day with 450 or more runs per ring!

The Kennel Club dominated the sport in the UK until 2003, when the East Midlands Dog Agility Club (EMDAC) emerged. The Kennel Club fought the new organization at first, but eventually relented and allowed organizations outside its jurisdiction to put on agility shows without problems with the KC. Since that decision, the number of non-Kennel Club shows has grown exponentially in the UK, both through independent clubs and new agility organizations (UK Agility, Agility Addicts, It Barks). In 2006, EMDAC launched the British Agility Association (BAA), which has been a driving force in expanding the types of agility shows and have influenced The Kennel Clubs handling of the sport.

Dog agility expanded to the US in the early 1980s, mostly based on the British rules of the sport. The National Committee for Dog Agility (NCDA), which is now merged with the United Kennel Club (UKC), and the United States Dog Agility Association were the primary guiding organizations of agility in the US. The United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) was also founded around this time and has become a strong agility organization. The Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA), North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC), and AKC jumped aboard the agility train soon after as well.

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