Agility Terms

This is a collection of dog agility terminology and definitions. Will add to it over time. Mostly coming from my blog.

(From Fixing the Danged Contacts and added to since)

• 2o/2o: See Two on/two off.
• Championship: Means that you've earned the required Qs in all the available classes at the top level of competition. The requirements vary considerably by organization, because the available classes and the rules for earning Qs vary considerably by organization. But, no matter what, earning your championship is a Very Big Deal. Some of the abbreviations: ADCH or PDCH in USDAA, MACH in AKC, C-ATCH in CPE, NATCH in NADAC, ATCH in ASCA.
• Maintaining criteria: Choosing a way in which something should be done and then refusing to accept less than that. For example, for 2o/2o, not accepting the dog running past it or leaping off it. (That's after you've been through all the training process, of course.)
• Min Pin: Miniature Pinscher
• P1, P2, P3 or Perf 1, Perf 2, Perf 3: Performance level 1 (starters level), 2 (advanced level), or 3 (masters level). Same courses and criteria as for starters/advanced/masters, except with 4" lower jump heights and sometimes with a slight increase in allowed time.
• Q: Qualifying score. Dogs need to perform to a certain predefined level to earn a score that counts towards titles. Depending on the class, this involves speed, accuracy, and/or points. Qs accrue to earn titles.
• Rotation groups: Dogs are split into two or more equal sized groups who then rotate through two or more rings with different classes in each, so for example group A runs in ring 1, then ring 2, then ring 3, while group B runs in ring 2, then ring 3, then ring 1. This prevents conflicts between rings and might help increase the worker pool because they're not worried about conflicts.
• Running contact: A *trained* pattern in which the dog doesn't slow down on the descent but must run through the end of the board, not leap from it.
• Running contacts through gradual relaxation of criteria: Agility-dog-training joke.
• Super-Q: A special Q in Masters and P3 Snooker. That means that you're in the top 15% of the dogs competing in your height. You need three SuperQs to earn your championship, but after that, you can go on doubling & tripling etc. your championship all the way up to Platinum and you never need another SuperQ again. That's it. Just 3. (There is the annoying rule that the two large-dog ("open") heights must have at least 7 dogs each, or the two heights are combined. Same for the two mini dog heights, which must have at least 5 dogs each.)
• Two on/two off (2o/2o): Stops at the bottom of the contact with two feet on it and two feet on the ground. A common strategy for ensuring that the dog hits the contact zone, because it is an easily teachable position.