Agility Agility began as a diversion at horse shows. For this reason it very much resembles an equine show jumping course. It is a blast for both dog and handler. The handler directs the dog to race through obstacles like tunnels and weave poles, to jump various types of equipment, and to maneuver over "contact" obstacles like an A-frame and teeter-totter. Agility is not just fun, but also a great way to strengthen the bonds between dog and handler as well as a way to build doggie confidence. Photos of: Mach2 Hermoso's Truly Fabulous CGC - "Ben" The first Havanese to earn a Master Agility Title. To be eligible to compete in an agility trial: A dog must be registered with the AKC or have an ILP number, which allows unregistered dogs to compete in AKC events. Dogs must be at least one year old. Spayed and neutered dogs ARE eligible to compete. A judge creates a Course Design by setting up the course and determining the sequence of obstacles. The judge then determines the Standard Course Time that will be allotted for that course. Handlers are then allowed a Walk Through, where they can walk the course and plan their strategy. The judge will then call the exhibitors for a Judges Briefing, Where they will be given the Standard Course Time and any additional information before their run. The handler and dog work off-leash. A timer tells the handler when to begin and also keeps track of the dog's complete time on the course. Both Time & Penalty faults can be added to the score. Time faults are given for every second a dog goes over the Standard Course Time, and are dependent on the competition level of the dog. Penalty faults are assessed for errors such as taking an obstacle out of sequence, dropping a jump bar, etc.A perfect score in agility is 100. More information is available at the AKC Agility Website