A Brief History of Dog Agility

In the UK back in the late 1970s, dog trainer and working trials competitor Peter Meanwell was asked for assistance by dog show committeeman John Varley to devise some sort of entertainment for the audience between the Obedience and Breed competitions at the well-known dog show Crufts. Varley's connection with horses had given him some idea of what would excite an audience, and from this the two men put together a largely jumping-style course resembling something from the equestrian world, to demonstrate a dog's natural speed and agility. Many of the obstacles used back then are still used these days - weave poles, tyre, canvas tunnel, dog walk, etc.

So in 1978 the first 'demonstration' was held at Crufts to much enthusiasm by the general public. By the following year several British dog training clubs were offering training in the new sport, and that December the first Agility Stakes competition was held at the International Horse Show at Olympia in London. The rest is history...these days in England it's not unusual for there to be week-long competitions, and the most popular Kennel Club shows regularly run ten or more rings a day with up to 450 and sometimes more runs in each ring.

Agility is now a huge, growing and constantly evolving world-wide sport. In Australia it became a national sport in 1986, and in 1994 the organisation which you will see this weekend, the Agility Dog Association of Australia (ADAA) was formed, with strong links to the Unites States Dog Agility Association
(USDAA). ADAA promotes both pedigree and cross-breed dogs in a fast, safe and exciting game for humans and dogs. If you want to spend time with your canine friend, this is the way to do it - as long as your dog is healthy you can give it a try. Please talk to any of the agility enthusiasts competing today if you want to find out anything more about our wonderful sport.

Why This Event is Being Run

Over four days in 2012, from Thursday May 10 till Sunday May 13, the International Federation of Cynological Sports (IFCS) will hold its World Agility Championships at Will Rogers Equestrian Center in Fort Worth, Texas. WAC 2012 will be the third time Australia has been represented at an IFCS world championship and the second time we have sent a full team of 12 handlers. The Agility Dog Association of Australia (ADAA) is an IFCS member organisation, making Australia eligible to compete in IFSC world championships.

The ADAA dog agility competition being held in conjunction with the Sydney International Three Day Event is a fundraising event for the Australian team’s tour to the WAC 2012.

The final team of WAC competitors — six running small dogs and six running large dogs — will be chosen from our current training squad of 16 handlers. Handlers for the training squad were selected on the basis of their performance in four selection events staged at the ADAA Nationals in May in Tamworth this year. This 2-day dog agility trial was attended by handlers and their dogs from all over Australia. The chosen squad has 11 handlers from Queensland, one from Western Australia and four from New South Wales. All 16 handlers, plus a Team Manager and Team Coach will be travelling to Texas. Those who are not selected in the final group of 12 handlers will be team reserves and will be asked to step up if any of the handlers are unable to compete.