Difference between CPE, AKC and ADAA (or something like that, with 4 letters...?)

[k9kreationz]

Originally Posted by HopeShelties

Maybe I'm just training good all around dogs, but I don't find it difficult to switch between venues at all. A course is a course and I'll run it regardless of what it is. I have worked hard to build distance, obstacle and handler focus, and teach a large number of skills which are suitable for a variety of venues.

I will say this....as a complete newbie to the sport (meaning a person who's trained only one dog for agility ever), changing venues isn't always easy especially when you stay in one for a long time. And what the differences is, depends on your dog and what they have learned, and what you as a handler have learned and can apply to different courses. Especially going from tighter courses to more spread out ones (or vice versa).

Being more experienced now, I know how to change my handling to suit any course. But as a newbie, I never thought about it and therefore, things suffered.

[Silaria]

I run four different venues - CPE, TDAA, AKC and USDAA. Of the three, USDAA is the one I only run twice a year. I started in CPE then TDAA a few months later. I didn't really have too much trouble moving between the two venues HOWEVER Edan really wasn't running quickly at that time... heck, he was mostly trotting around the course which is probably why I didn't have a lot of trouble moving between venues.

I added AKC maybe two years after the first to venues. AKC wasn't more difficult as much as I had to understand where best to use the handling skills I had. One of my instructors actually took the time to walk the AKC Novice courses with me, which were tighter and faster than CPE, and helped me learn where best to place turning cues. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, she just helped me refine my handling.

Handling aside, perhaps the biggest challenge with running different venues for me was keeping track of whether or not dogs could run with or without a collar. I decided early on that I'd just have the dogs run naked in all venues since then I'd be 'safe' regardless of venue. (I'm hearing UKC recently changed their rules and requires a flat buckle collar. I don't run UKC so I'm not too worried about that now but who knows about the future since UKC is just starting to make its way into the area.)

[Sharon]

Originally Posted by Silaria

I run four different venues - CPE, TDAA, AKC and USDAA. Of the three, USDAA is the one I only run twice a year. I started in CPE then TDAA a few months later. I didn't really have too much trouble moving between the two venues HOWEVER Edan really wasn't running quickly at that time... heck, he was mostly trotting around the course which is probably why I didn't have a lot of trouble moving between venues.

I added AKC maybe two years after the first to venues. AKC wasn't more difficult as much as I had to understand where best to use the handling skills I had. One of my instructors actually took the time to walk the AKC Novice courses with me, which were tighter and faster than CPE, and helped me learn where best to place turning cues. It wasn't that I couldn't do it, she just helped me refine my handling.

Handling aside, perhaps the biggest challenge with running different venues for me was keeping track of whether or not dogs could run with or without a collar. I decided early on that I'd just have the dogs run naked in all venues since then I'd be 'safe' regardless of venue. (I'm hearing UKC recently changed their rules and requires a flat buckle collar. I don't run UKC so I'm not too worried about that now but who knows about the future since UKC is just starting to make its way into the area.)

I find it hard to have a dog run in these venues and then do TDAA where the dog is running in collection the whole time being yanked around a course.