Border City Barkers - The Obstacle Course

Although there are a number of different agility organizations, each with slightly different rules and equipment specifications, the obstacles are basically the same. If you see the Border City Barkers Agility Club perform, the following obstacles may be used. If you listen carefully during a performance you will hear the handler teling the dog which obstacle is next.

 

The course design is changed for each performance or practice to ensure that the dog and handler see a new challenge each time. The different colors that you see painted on the obstacles (normally yellow) are known as the contact zones. If running in competition the dog must touch the contact zone with at least one paw while ascending and descending. Failure to do so results in a penalty being given.

 

The A-Frame consists of two ramps, usually about 3 feet (0.91 m) wide by 8 to 9 feet (2.7 m) long, hinged together and raised so that the hinged connection is between five and six-and-a-quarter feet above the ground. (forming the A shape) The bottom 36 to 42 inches (0.91 to 1.1 m) of both sides of the A-frame are the contact zones.

 

 

The Chute is a barrel-like cylinder with a tube of fabric attached around one end. The fabric extends about 8 to 12 feet (2.4 to 3.7 m) and lies closed until the dog runs into the open end of the chute and pushes their way out through the fabric tube. Sounds easy enough but the dog requires faith in the handler since it is effectively blind while in the chute. The tunnel is a tube, 10 to 20 feet (3.0 to 6.1 m) long and about 2 feet (61 cm) in diameter, through which the dog runs. The tunnel is constructed of flexible vinyl and wire, such that it can be configured in a straight line, or in a variety of curves.

 

To create a jump, two uprights support a horizontal bar over which the dog jumps. The height is adjusted for dogs of different heights. The uprights can be simple or can have wings of various shapes, sizes, and colors. By "deepening" the jump it may become a double or triple. The double can have parallel or ascending horizontal bars; the triple always has ascending bars. The spread between the horizontal bars can be adjusted based on the height of the dog. A different type of jump is the tire jump. A circular shape roughly the size of a tire is suspended in a frame. The dog must jump through the opening of the tire. Like other jumps, the height is adjusted for dogs of different sizes.

 

The teeer totter is a 10-to-12-foot (3.0 to 3.7 m) plank pivoting on a fulcrum, much like a child's seesaw. It is constructed slightly off-balance so that the same end always returns to the ground.This obstacle also has contact zones. You will often see the dog hesitate at the balance point waiting for the end to drop before moving on.

 

The table is an elevated square platform about 3-foot-by-3-foot (1-meter-by-1-meter) square onto which the dog must jump and pause, either sitting or in a down position, The height ranges from about 8 to 30 inches (20 to 76 cm) depending on the dog's height and sponsoring organization.

 

 

The weave poles are a series of 6 to 12 upright poles, each about 3 feet (0.91 m) tall and spaced about 20-24 inches apart, through which the dog weaves. The dog must always enter with the first pole to his left, and must not skip a pole. Weave poles are one of the most difficult obstacles to have a dog learn.

 

The dog walk consisits of three 8 to 12 ft (2.4 to 3.7 m) planks, 12 inches wide, connected at the ends. The centre plank is raised to about 4 feet (1.2 m) above the ground, so that the two end planks form ramps leading up to and down from the center plank. This obstacle also has contact zones.