History of Dog Agility

Dog Agility was first introduced in its current form in 1978 at the Crufts Dog Show in England, though key elements of the sport can be found in public exhibitions dating to the early 1970s at agricultural fairs and elsewhere.

John Varley, a member of the Crufts’ organizing committee, called upon dog trainer Peter Meanwell to create an exhibition, which he evolved into course performance to both entertain and demonstrate to the audience the dynamics of agility in dogs. Meeting with great acceptance, the following year it was organized as a competitive event, and in 1980 the British Kennel Club adopted the first official general rules and held their first event.

Demo Team:  Ken Tatsch (standing), kneeling left to right; Stuart Mah, Sharon Nelson, Felicia Whalen, JC Thompson

In North America

While on a business trip to the U.K. in 1985, Kenneth Tatsch attended the Crufts Dog Show at Earl’s Court in London, and was captivated by this previously unfamiliar sport. Says Tatsch, “Having been training and competing in obedience for several years, I immediately recognized the increased intensity in the working habit and eagerness of dogs to work with their handlers. I went ringside to seek information and met Peter Lewis, one of the event’s organizers and competitors.”  Lewis and Tatsch would become personal friends as Lewis mentored him through the early development of agility in the United States, often collaborating by written letters, fax, and even audio cassette tape.

 

As a follow-up to their first meeting, Lewis introduced Tatsch to Sandra Davis, an obedience trainer in El Paso, Texas, who had written Lewis on several occasions and had formed the training group Agility Dogs of El Paso, Texas (ADEPT).  Tatsch and Davis would meet in summer of 1985 and talk of the possibilities for the sport, setting a goal for a first competition between the two training groups.  Tatsch returned home from El Paso, built a first set of obstacles based upon photos and measurements obtained during Crufts.

Utilizing the opportunity at the Gaines Obedience Classic held in Houston, Texas, in November 1986, Tatsch, with Davis’ full support, formed the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) to introduce and promote international standards for dog agility patterned after the British standards for the sport.  Tatsch and Davis each put their top 8 trainers to the test, sparking intense interest in the sport among top trainers from across the United States.

The success of this first event led to an invitation to host an event at the Houston Kennel Club show the following year, which would prove to be monumental in fueling the spread of the sport across the U.S.  Though Davis would bow out, citing her unfinished goals in obedience training and competition, along with the difficulty of traveling great distances to promote the sport. She passed the torch and good blessing to Tatsch, as USDAA headed into the year ahead. 

The 1987 event in Houston put three four-dog teams from Dallas Agility Working Group (DAWG) against three teams representing different training clubs in the Houston area. It was at this event that Tatsch attracted the attention of Kal Kan (now Pedigree Brand Food for Dogs”, who would become a major sponsor for Tatsch, with launching of the Grand Prix of Dog Agility^® the following year). Kal Kan^® was sister company to Chum^® dog food, major sponsor of dog agility in the U.K., both of which are owned by Mars, Inc.

In 1988, the launch of the first USDAA “Pedigree^® Grand Prix of Dog Agility^®” was to be the first tournament for dog agility in the western hemisphere, featuring 79 trainers from across the U.S., who were invited on open invitation from USDAA’s mailing list. By this time, Tatsch had attended a variety of events, training classes, and meetings in the U.K. with some of the sport’s leading trainers and event organizers, and the framework for the tournament was set for the years to come.

1988 Pedigree^® Gran Prix of Dog Agility^® Winners & Organizers
Front:  (left to right):  2nd Place - Leah Purcell & Bridgette, 3rd Place - Sallye Swedberg & Soloman, and 1st Place - Joyce Zmek & Trooper, Judith Brown (Houston Kennel Club).
Back:  (left to right):  Eric Smethurst (Pedigree^®), Ken Tatsch (USDAA^®), Normal Hills (Judge, The Kennel Club), Dave Ray (Judge, The Kennel Club)

From a three-day weekend event, the Grand Prix of Dog Agility^® was structured with regional qualifying events leading to the championship event.  Today, more than 200 local qualifying events are held throughout North America and in other countries, leading to a dozen or more Regional Championships and the quarterfinals, semifinals and world finals of the Grand Prix of Dog Agility^®. Since its inception, competitors have come from more than 20 countries.

1990 first title recipients
L to R; Sue Henry (judge), Julie Daniels, Fran Hoffman, Alaina Axford-Moore, Marilyn Belli, Sally Glei

Growth and Evolution

Through the 1990s, USDAA continued to seize opportunity to promote the sport publicly through focused advertising, public relations, and championing the sport to the public through its Pedigree-sponsored national demonstration team from 1991 through 1996.  The revolving volunteer team of top competitors were featured at at USET three-day events, the International Arabian Horse Shows, the Pan American Games and other high-profile equestrian events, as well as numerous public community events and dog shows across the United States and in Mexico.  USDAA began holding major events at select venues through the end of the 1990s.

Internationally, USDAA also gained attention by fielding teams of top U.S. competitors to compete at the FCI World Dog Show in Europe and South America from 1991 to 1996.  In 2000, USDAA upon invitation from the Russian League of Cynologists, joined with other nations seeking to form a sports cooperative—the International Federation of Cynological Sports—drawing together independent sports authorities to promote dog agility and other canine-related amateur sport in pursuit of the Olympic Ideal, without discrimination or bias. USDAA provided the framework for competition, and through joint leadership, the IFCS World Agility Championships began, presenting world championship competition throughout western and eastern Europe from 2002 to present day.

USDAA Innovations

Among USDAA’s many accomplishments, USDAA is credited with:

• Introducing the first competitive tournament series in the Americas—
• 1988 - Grand Prix of Dog Agility^®, featuring the basic form of the sport
• 1992 - Dog Agility Masters^® Three-Dog Team tournament, featuring five distinctive styles of strategic classes
• 1996 - $10,000 Dog Agility Steeplechase^®, featuring jumping and the speed dynamics of the sport
• 2011 - Masters Challenge Biathlon^SM, featuring evolving styles in course design with technical maneuvers while working at high speed
• 2015 – USDAA World Team Selection Trials (to be known as the Masters Challenge Agility Cup, beginning in 2018)
• 2016 – USDAA Title Mania^®, featuring the different handler and training skill sets required at the different levels of competition
• Introduction of training certification tests in five distinctive classes of competition in 1990—Agility, Jumping, Gamblers, Snooker, and Relay
• More than 100 certifications are possible through training in multiple programs, levels, and class types
• Versatility accomplishments are recognized through progressive levels in training with title awards, such as:
• Agility Dog^®
• Advanced Agility Dog^®
• Master Agility Dog^®
• Agility Dog Champion^®
• Lifetime accomplishments are recognized throughout a competitor’s career with a dog with USDAA’s Lifetime Achievement Awards
• Introducing more than two jumping height divisions, fostering participation among competitors with virtually all sizes and breeds of dogs, including mixed breeds
• Introducing educational and testing requirements for judges in 1989; have been held in ten countries throughout North America, Southeast Asia and Europe
• Pioneering tournament series for television through its pilot program filmed in 1997. Rapid growth ensued, with cable and broadcast programming—
• 1998-2001 – Grand Prix of Dog Agility^® Championships on Animal Planet
• 2000-2001 – Dog Agility Steeplechase^® and Dog Agility Masters^® Team events on the Outdoor Life Network.
• 2003 – Grand Prix of Dog Agility^® World Championship featured in a 2-hour satellite HD broadcast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Pioneering dog agility webcast on the Internet, beginning with live stream of the USDAA Cynosport^® World Games beginning in 2008