The American Kennel Club Bouvier des Flandres - Breed standard: "The Bouvier des Flandres is a powerfully built, compact, short-coupled, rough-coated dog of notably rugged appearance. He gives the impression of great strength without any sign of heaviness or clumsiness in his overall makeup. He is agile, spirited and bold, yet his serene, well behaved disposition denotes his steady, resolute and fearless character. His gaze is alert and brilliant, depicting his intelligence, vigor and daring."

SOUNDS LIKE THE MAKINGS OF A PERFECT AGILITY DOG !!!

Success in Agility requires proper training, patience and, most of all, teamwork. There are two basic things for a great AGILITY BOUVIER. First the dog must have a good foundation of basic obedience, since Agility is an "off-lead" sport. Second, the dog must be very outgoing and afraid of nothing, which isn't a problem with a BOUV! Now find a club and join the FUN! 

The following agility pictures display Maggie's powerfully built, compact, rough-coated body; her great strength without clumsiness; her agile, spirited, and bold personality; her steady and fearless character; and her alert, daring intelligence!

The following pictures are from the UKC ECHO Agility trial
on October 12th and 13th, 2002. Maggie's first attempt at agility.

 Before each trial, the handlers (without their dogs) are allowed 5 minutes to walk through the course. This allows the handlers to become familiar with the layout of the course and to get an idea of the best place to be in order to direct the dog over the correct obstacle.

The Dog Walk Objective: The dog approaches the dog walk squarely and quickly, touching the upside contact zone. The dog races across the top plank and immediately runs to the bottom, touching the downside contact zone. This is approximately 3-feet off the ground. The two ramps and horizontal plank are 12-inches wide. Each of them is approximately 8-feet in length. The ramps can be of different length to create a different angle of incline. Each ramp has a "contact area" painted in yellow in this picture. This is for the safety of the dog. A dog must touch this contact area with at least one foot. Failing to do so will be a disqualification. This is meant to prevent a dog from jumping off the top of an obstacle and getting injured.

In UKC Agility, there are 13 obstacles in a Level I Agility Class. Each obstacle is numbered and the dog must complete each obstacle in that order. It is the handler's responsibility to direct the dog towards the right piece of equipment. This demonstrates the handlers ability to control the dog while running though the course.   

A-Frame Objective: The dog scales the A-frame quickly, scrambles over the apex and immediately runs to the bottom, touching the downside contact zone. This obstacle consists of two panels connected along their narrow edges and positioned to form a structure similar to an A-frame. Again, the dog must touch the contact area for safety reasons, failing to do so is a disqualification. The A-Frame is about 5 feet in height.

Open Tunnel - This obstacle consists of eight hoops that are held in place by a PVC pipe framework. They are set at alternating angles of approximately 60 degrees to one another, to form a zigzag pattern when seen from above. The dog must walk/run directly through all hoops.

Open Tunnel Objective: The dog runs at full speed to the entrance of the tunnel from any angle and exits quickly. Because this is one of the easiest obstacles to master, it's a good place to begin training.

Jumps Objective: The dog soars over the bar, panel, double or triple jump from any angle and at a proper distance, without displacing a bar or board. The dog should clear each bar or board without jumping excessively high. There are three height divisions for small, medium and large dogs.

Pause Table Objective: The dog leaps onto the table, and when commanded to down or sit, complies swiftly and awaits the next command. During a five-second count, the dog remains firmly in position, then springs from the table immediately when the handler gives the next command. It demonstrates control over the dog. While running and jumping through the course, a handler must be able to prove that the dog will stop and stay on command.  

Seesaw Objective: The dog squarely approaches the seesaw and touches the upside contact zone. The dog moves swiftly to the end of the plank, hesitating slightly at the pivot point, touches the downside contact zone, and exits after the plank has touched the ground. The teeter is 12-inches wide and supported on a steel or wooden base that allows the board to pivot freely at the center point. The angle of incline of approximately 20-degrees.  

UKC SCORING & TITLES 

UKC Agility Level 1: There is a possible of 200 points. A dog must receive at least 170 points to earn a passing score. The dog must earn 3 passing scores to earn their title. In Level I Agility, the dog has three attempts to complete each obstacle correctly. There is also a time limit. Once the course is set up, the judge measures to total distance the dog must travel and a time limit is calculated. The dog must complete each obstacle in the allotted time to earn a passing score. Placements: The dog with the highest score wins, however, if there is a tie score then the fastest time places first.

UKC Agility Level 2: A level II agility title also requires three qualifying score (170 or higher). But Level II includes more obstacles with greater difficulty and only allows for two attempts to complete each obstacle.

UKC Agility Champion: This title is earned by accumulating 100 points. Points are only awarded for scores of 196 or higher in the Agility I and Agility II Classes. At least 40 of the 100 required points must be obtained from the Agility II Class.

The dog's score determines the U-ACH points earned:

Score of 200 = 10 UACH points

Score of 199 = 6 UACH points

Score of 198 = 4 UACH points

Score of 197 = 2 UACH points

Score of 196 = 1 UACH points