Dogmania Sports

Short descriptions for each of the four competition sports at Dogmania 2009 follow below. How many of them will you watch?

Dog Agility                    Canine Disc                    Short Course 3 Sheep Trial                    IPO Dogsport                   

Dog Agility presented by the Agility Dog Association of Australia

Agility is a Team Sport where the handler is in charge of the strategy and the dog is responsible for the athleticism. Dog's leap over hurdles, power through tunnels, zip through a slalom of upright weave-poles and scale ramps of different sizes. The aim is to find the balance between the control of the dog and the speed of the performance.

During Dogmania, 4 rounds of each of 4 different formats of Agility will be run over  the course of Saturday and Sunday. The top dogs will compete in the Finals on Monday.

In the Agility Rounds, a combination of obstacles including contact equipment is used whereas in the Jumping Rounds equipment is limited to hurdles, tunnels and weave poles. In both, the aim is to achieve a fault free round in the allowed course time following the numbered course set by the judge.

The purpose of Gambler’s Rounds is to demonstrate strategy and to test the Handler and Dog’s ability to work at a distance from each other. The object is for the team to accumulate as many points as possible during the Opening Sequence and successfully complete the Gamble (without Course Faults or Refusals) during the Closing Sequence.

Snooker is to test the Handler’s risk strategy and the Handler and Dog team’s skill as they work together against the clock. The object of a Snooker Class is to accumulate as many points as possible during the Opening Sequence and successfully complete the Closing Sequence in the prescribed order, without Course Fault or Refusals within the allotted time.

Dog Agility Competitors!! Click Here for all the Dogmania Entry Information.

For more information about Dog Agility prior to Dogmania please contact:

Name:         Marion Allen
Phone:         (07) 3385 6090
Email:          dogmania@adaa.com.au
Website:      www.adaa.com.au
Address:      2290 Sandgate Road, Boondall QLD 4034

Canine Disc presented by the Brisbane And Region K9 Disc Club (BARK)

Canine Disc is for all breeds and sizes of dogs. If your dog can fetch a tennis ball or toy and return it to you, you are on the road to having a Canine Disc dog. Everyone is welcome to compete in all of the canine disc competitions at Dogmania, to be held during all three days of Dogmania.

Canine Disc is played on a 60 metre x 25 metre field with the field marked at 10 metre intervals. Each dog and handler team compete in 2 x 90 second rounds of Toss and Fetch and score points by making catches beyond 10, 20, 30, 40 metres. Points are scored at 1 point for catches exceeding 10 metres, 2 points for 20 metres, 3 points for 30 metres, 4 points for 40 metres. All throws also score an extra 1/2 point if the dog catches the disc with all 4 paws in the air in an obvious leaping motion. The winners will be those teams that have the highest totals after adding up their scores from all rounds of Competition.

Dogmania is the venue for the inaugural Australian Canine Disc National Championships, to be held Sunday and Monday. On Sunday, all the teams compete together in 2 x 90 second rounds and the top 6 Teams after the scores for both rounds are added progress into Monday's National Championships Final. The 6 National Finalists will compete over 2 x 90 second rounds with the highest scoring team during those 2 rounds becoming the second Australian Canine Disc National Champion. Can Gold Coast duo John Ford & Jessie defend their National Championship title that they won at Dogmania in 2008?

Canine Disc Competitors!! Click Here for all the Dogmania Entry Information.

For more information about Canine Disc prior to Dogmania please contact:

Name:         Kerri Lougheed
Phone:         (07) 54985485 or 0417 763 335
Email:          president@bark.asn.au
Website:      www.bark.asn.au
Address:      26 Burbury Rd, Morayfield QLD 4506

Short Course 3 Sheep Trial presented by SunCoast FunDogs

Short course trials are similar to the more technical 3rd sheep trials however they are achievable without having a specially bred [3 Sheep] Trial Sheepdog.

The aim is to move the stock calmly under control through the obstacles to the Pen with the minimum amount of points being lost, with competitor time also being recorded. The Trial is conducted in an enclosed area, with the course being between 200 and 300 metres long. Each dog will commence with 100 points. Points will be deducted during the run for any misdemeanour or fault by the dog or any assistance other than commands given by the handler. There is no Cast or out run required to pick the sheep up, instead they are released onto the field where the Handler and Dog take control of the Sheep and start the Course.

Points are deducted for being off line. i.e.  When moving the sheep from one obstacle to another, the competitor should walk in a straight line. Points are deducted if the competitor stops between obstacles. Points may be deducted for slow work.

Short Course 3 Sheep Trial Competitors!! Click Here for all the Dogmania Entry Information.

For more information about the Short Course 3 Sheep Trial prior to Dogmania please contact:

Name:         Sharon Mellema
Phone:         (07) 3425 2589 or 0418 730 036
Website:      http://suncoastfundogs.org.au/sheepdogschool-mainmenu-47
Email:          sharon@jorys.com.au 
Address:      12 Royston Street, Dayboro QLD 4521

IPO Dogsport presented by the Brisbane Sporting Dog Club Inc.

The Brisbane Sporting Dog Club Inc (www.bsdc.sportdogaustralia.com) is affiliated with the Australian United Dog Sport Clubs Inc. (www.sportdogsaustralia.com).

IPO Dogsport is a fun and exciting sport for participants, their dogs and spectators. The sport involves people from the hobbyist to the world class competitor and all of those in between. Most of our members are hobby trainers and they train and compete for fun and recreational sport, however some of our members are high level competitors with one of our members successfully competing in the 2007 IPO FMBB World Championships in France. IPO Dogsport has an entry level called a BH which involves entry level obedience and environment type testing. Once you pass your BH you may compete in IPO I, II and III. These competitions have three (3) components, tracking, obedience and character assessment.

Tracking, depending on the level, requires the dog to find it’s way around where a person has walked previously (this could be from 30 minutes to a 1 hour) with varying articles (leather, wood, material) placed along the track. The dog must follow this track precisely and indicate on all the articles left by the track layer. 

IPO Obedience is marked on the precision of the performance involving many obedience exercises including retrieving dumbbells over a 1m high jump and 1.8m A Frame. 

Character Assessment is where the utmost control and teamwork is shown and the temperament of the working dog is displayed. 

Our members are responsible dog owners who recognize and promote the value that well trained and well bred dogs can bring to our community. Some of our members are breeders who have produced working dogs for the community such as Police, Search and Rescue, RAAF, Detection dogs, obedience and the family companion dog.