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

Thanks very much for your replies. I am so impressed with the level of competition that you guys do! And Ashley, thanks for the link to the USDAA information--now I have a much better understanding of that group...

By the way, one of the members of our local agility group told me that one of the gals who is a super duper agility champion in our local CPE events went to a long weekend agility competition sponsored by USDAA and she was so discouraged--she didn't qualify in any of the events she entered. In her experience, USDAA trials are WAY harder than CPE trials. So...good for you, Ashley, for doing so well in USDAA!!! Maybe we'll see you on the national team someday? :wink2:

For me, I'm happy with CPE and maybe, just maybe, Bailey and Lucy will qualify in Level I Jackpot during our upcoming February trial so they will advance to Level II! (they've qualified in all the other Level I games...). :smile2:
 
pattymaine said:
Thanks very much for your replies. I am so impressed with the level of competition that you guys do! And Ashley, thanks for the link to the USDAA information--now I have a much better understanding of that group...

By the way, one of the members of our local agility group told me that one of the gals who is a super duper agility champion in our local CPE events went to a long weekend agility competition sponsored by USDAA and she was so discouraged--she didn't qualify in any of the events she entered. In her experience, USDAA trials are WAY harder than CPE trials. So...good for you, Ashley, for doing so well in USDAA!!! Maybe we'll see you on the national team someday? :wink2:
Click to expand...

You're too nice!

But honestly, I wouldn't be scared of giving a new venue a shot. I've found with USDAA that difficulty can vary greatly from one judge to another. And often times people build it up to be a lot scarier than it is!

I'm happy to share Starters course maps if you're interested to compare :)
 
I run CPE, USDAA and AKC with my boy, Edan. In CPE we are a combination of level 4 & 5 (though I'm close to finishing level 4). In USDAA I'm running in Performance II (the Performance classes lower the jump height by one so Edan jumps 12" instead of 16"). In AKC I have 2 legs in Excellent Standard and Jumpers at 16" though I'll be restarting the Excellent level in the Preferred class so Edan will jump 12" instead of 16".

My preferred venue of the three is CPE because the atmosphere of the trial is is more relaxed than USDAA and AKC. The people who attend our local trials are also very nice. Every judge we've had has been incredibly nice and reasonable whenever there was a question. I also LOVE the different games and the challenges they present.

AKC trials are just ... long. You have maybe 3 runs a day (assuming FAST or Time To Beat are offered) but you can count on being there all day, even with a two ring trial. The courses are a challenge though and I like a challenge. Locally, however, the people are a bit more aloof and stand-offish. The venue is definitely more serious than CPE. Also, unlike CPE you can expect to see the broad jump, panel jump and triple jump. Also the Table is used on course and you'll have to stop on it somewhere in the middle of the course.

Lastly, there is USDAA. I've only completed in three or four USDAA trials and some of those were not full weekends. I only attend the USDAA trials my agility club hosts because we need as much help as we can get at these trials. Since I'm there, I enter Edan. Honestly, at the Starter/PI levels the courses aren't that much more difficult than CPE Level 2. What makes it harder is you have to run clean and you MUST perform a Down on the table. The contact zones on the A-Frame and Dogwalk are also smaller than CPE or AKC. I've run USDAA Performance Grand Prix, which is always run with Masters/Performance III rules and course difficulty, and it really wasn't that bad. The biggest "trick" to USDAA is know how to handle effectively. The games in USDAA are similar to the ones in CPE and the Tournament games, Grand Prix and Steeplechase, are optional unless you plan on competing in USDAA Regionals or Nationals. Of the three venues, USDAA is by far the most serious and seems to bring out the most competitive people.This is also the venue that it's the most difficult for us to get people to volunteer to help out, especially in the Masters ring.

I don't know if any of this helps you out but I figured I'd share a little of my experiences. Good luck with any venue you play in.
 
corbinam said:
I've found with USDAA that difficulty can vary greatly from one judge to another. And often times people build it up to be a lot scarier than it is!
Click to expand...

Some people think all U.S. venues are too simple, including USDAA, although at least USDAA courses allow for a wider variation in course design than AKC where most courses are boring in following the same general formula.

Agility would be more fun for talented teams that train & practice international challenges and feel they have to dumb down to "compete" in any of the domestic venues.
 
I could be wrong, but have heard UKI is providing courses more in line with international courses. If true, the only issue is that there are very few trials around so not a lot of opportunity to do UKI.
 
Agility

With the world going to South Afirca this year USDAA is going to be the most popular venue to compete in.I think there will be people trying out for it but the cost is crazy to go and then your dog flying in cargo.Also the EO in July will be another place alot of the top compeitiors will go for.The USA only takes 30 dogs and I am not 100 percent sure but this year I think you have to try out for it.I did hear John Nys say he is going to try out for it with Rush.
 
Just a quick answer regarding NADAC/ASCA. Those two are very similar in difficulty and course layout. The only difference I can think of is that ASCA has a teeter and NADAC doesn't.

Honestly, unless you plan on doing many venues, the titles in everything else don't matter. Unless you just want to know what they are. Even I don't know them all and I think I have trialed in almost every venue (no TDAA or UKI).

The one thing I love about CPE is that it's really great for the beginner. Very encouraging, which means you'll continue. And by beginner, I mean someone tha that has never did agility before in their life with any dog. I started in NADAC, although you can have refusals galore, you do have to be clean.

I would say, enjoy CPE, but give the others a try one day and see what you like best. Although I loved NADAC, the trials were just too far (most required a hotel stay), so I started doing AKC which I could drive to under an hour. I have to run my dog very differently btwn the two venues and that alone shows me how although it's still agility, you do need to know the difference.

If you are going to venture out of CPE, come back and ask us the difference btwn that and whatever venue you try. Many of us have trialed in different venues so we can usually tell you the main differences so you can handle the dog a bit better in the new venue. :)
 
Hello Everyone...my first post.

Today I was searching the internet to try to find the difference in all of the venues. Not an easy thing to find and of course we all have our preferences. Stewie is my 3 year old Sheltie and my first ever agility dog. We started in CPE which was terrific as it really encourages beginners like us. After completing the lower levels, we entered an AKC trial and he now is competing in Excellent for both Standard and JWW. The venue I'm wondering about is ASCA since they offer about one trial a month here. CPE can be challenging in some ways with it's different games, but Stewie jumps 12" there and 16" in AKC. Every time we trial with him at CPE, we seem to get a little sloppy and then pay for it at our next AKC trial. I think it has something to do with concentrating to much on the game rules and not running as clean as we need to in AKC. Working 40 hours a week limits the number of trials we can do, so I don't want to do more than 2 venues. I'm wondering if anyone knows if ASCA is a better compliment to AKC?
 
Stewie said:
I'm wondering if anyone knows if ASCA is a better compliment to AKC?
Click to expand...

IMHO, I would say no. ASCA courses are more spread out, more flowy than AKC. I believe their A-frame is lower and there is no table. When I do AKC and ASCA/NADAC I have to adjust my handling. Whereas in AKC I'm usually having to call Koji off of "off-courses" or I rarely have to give verbal commands because the courses are tighter and therefore, the obstacle is more in his face.....with ASCA, because it's more spread out, I have to remember to verbally cue the next obstacle, I have to handle things differently and I also can't keep up with him because he can pick up speed fast and keep it up (like I said, flowy and spread out more).

I'm not in the higher levels of CPE, so maybe someone else can give feedback on that if it's more like AKC. Do you get sloppy because of the height difference? Just curious.
 
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 was also going to ask- what do you consider getting sloppy? If you're having issues at AKC trials, it is likely a training issue that needs to be addressed. One thing to keep in mind is there are no refusals in cpe so I can see how easy it would be to get sloppy in that you wouldn't have to try as hard for the q. If that is the problem, run there like you have to run clean. Run with intent and get it done. If it is that the cpe courses are just a lot easier, then you need to figure out where your weaknesses are, and train to improve them so you can succeed on the AKC courses. If the problem is the different jump heights he is jumping between venues, jump him at the next height up in CPE. Unless you're doing a preferred type class, most venues I believe will let you enter a jump height higher than the one you have to do if you choose. I think my friends 16" AKC dog would run 12" in CPE and she chooses to run him at 16" anyway for consistencies sake.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top