Agility at The London International Horse Show

The following regulations apply to all Crufts and Discover Dogs qualifying Agility competitions and heats.

All events must be judged under the appropriate Kennel Club regulations H & H (1) in force at the time of the event. Competitors entering any competition will be deemed to have agreed to abide by these regulations.

All heats must take place at Kennel Club licensed shows and the class name in the schedule should replicate exactly the name of the competition as stated in these regulations.

All Kennel Club supported competitions should be judged using standard marking.

If the entry for the heat exceeds the Kennel Club limit for a judge in a day, then the class will be equally split and another judge appointed for the second part. Qualifiers and points from that heat will be taken in equal proportion from each part.

Dogs entered in any heats must be eligible for the competition entered. Judges have the right to check the dog’s Kennel Club Agility Record Book to ensure the dog is running in the correct height category.  Where points are accumulated throughout the year these will be allocated to the specific handler and dog partnership (no substitution of dog or handler may be made).  If there is an equality of points after all the heat results have been calculated, the dog and handler partnership which has achieved the highest place at a heat will take preference in the final allocation of places.

An entry fee will be charged for each dog at Crufts and Discover Dogs (which is being held alongside The London International Horse Show).

NOTE FOR SHOW SOCIETIES: All results from these heats must be sent to the Working Dog Activities Team at the Kennel Club within 14 days of the show date by emailing here.

Eligibility

This competition is a special agility competition open to all dogs excluding Border Collies, Working Sheepdogs and any of their crosses. In the event of any dispute regarding the parentage of a dog competing in the ABC Agility competition, any concerns should be recorded in the Incident Book and reported to the Kennel Club.

Those dogs eligible to compete in competition for large dogs are those measuring over 50cm at the withers.

Dogs should be eligible to compete at Grade 1 - 5 at the time of qualifying for the semi-final. Any subsequent wins gained by the dog will not alter its eligibility to compete in the semi-final or final.

Competition Rules

The competition will be held under Kennel Club rules and regulations for Agility and any handler entering the competition will be deemed to have agreed to abide by these rules and regulations. Standard rules will apply and all equipment used shall be of a standard size for that height category.

The semi-final will consist of one round of agility competition and one round of jumping competition; the top 8 dogs qualifying for Crufts will be those with the least combined faults in the fastest combined time calculated over the two rounds of the semi-final.  If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round will take precedence.

The final will consist of one round of jumping and one round of agility competition. The winning partnership will be those with the least combined faults in the fasted combined time calculated over the two rounds of the final. If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round will take precedence.

Qualifying

There will be 10 qualifying shows throughout the year.  The first 10 placed dogs in each heat will have the following points awarded:

1^st place = 10 points, 2^nd place = 9 points etc. down to 10^th place = 1 point. Qualifying points will be awarded down to 10^th even if the show does not award class places down to 10^th. 

If a qualified handler or dog is unable/unfit to attend the final, reserves will be taken from dog/s with the highest number of points from the heats which have/has not qualified.

The top fifteen dogs, with the most points, will be invited to a semi-final at Discover Dogs 2024 which is being held alongside The London International Horse Show at London, ExCel in December. There will be a charge per dog. Car parking will not be provided by The Kennel Club.

The first eight highest placed dogs at the semi-final will be invited to compete in the finals to be

held at Crufts Dog Show, NEC Birmingham in March 2025. Please note that there will be an entry charge, and car parking won’t be provided by The Kennel Club.

Administration

NOTE TO SHOW SOCIETIES: In the event of awards at the show not going down to 10th place the Show Secretary must still record the top ten places (excluding eliminated dogs) and send the results to the Working Dog Activities Team at the Kennel Club within 14 days of the show by emailing here.

Eligibility

This competition is a special agility competition open to all dogs excluding Border Collies, Working Sheepdogs and any of their crosses. In the event of any dispute regarding the parentage of a dog competing in the ABC Agility competition, any concerns should be recorded in the Incident Book and reported to the Kennel Club.

Those dogs eligible to compete in competition for intermediate dogs are those measuring over 43cm and measuring 50cm or under at the withers.

Dogs should be eligible to compete at Grade 1 - 5 at the time of qualifying for the semi-final. Any subsequent wins gained by the dog will not alter its eligibility to compete in the semi-final or final.

Competition Rules

The competition will be held under Kennel Club rules and regulations for Agility and any handler entering the competition will be deemed to have agreed to abide by these rules and regulations. Standard rules will apply and all equipment used shall be of a standard size for that height category.

The semi-final will consist of one round of agility competition and one round of jumping competition; the top 8 dogs qualifying for Crufts will be those with the least combined faults in the fastest combined time calculated over the two rounds of the semi-final.  If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round will take precedence.

The final will consist of one round of jumping and one round of agility competition. The winning partnership will be those with the least combined faults in the fasted combined time calculated over the two rounds of the final. If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round will take precedence.

Qualifying

There will be 10 qualifying shows throughout the year.  The first 10 placed dogs in each heat will have the following points awarded:

1^st place = 10 points, 2^nd place = 9 points etc. down to 10^th place = 1 point. Qualifying points will be awarded down to 10^th even if the show does not award class places down to 10^th. 

If a qualified handler or dog is unable/unfit to attend the final, reserves will be taken from dog/s with the highest number of points from the heats which have/has not qualified.

The top fifteen dogs, with the most points, will be invited to a semi-final at Discover Dogs 2024 which is being held alongside The London International Horse Show at London, ExCel in December. There will be a charge per dog. Car parking will not be provided by The Kennel Club.

The first eight highest placed dogs at the semi-final will be invited to compete in the finals to be

held at Crufts Dog Show, NEC Birmingham in March 2025. Please note that there will be an entry charge, and car parking won’t be provided by The Kennel Club.

Administration

NOTE TO SHOW SOCIETIES: In the event of awards at the show not going down to 10th place the Show Secretary must still record the top ten places (excluding eliminated dogs) and send the results to the Working Dog Activities Team at the Kennel Club within 14 days of the show by emailing here.

Eligibility

This competition is a special agility competition open to all dogs excluding Border Collies, Working Sheepdogs and any of their crosses. In the event of any dispute regarding the parentage of a dog competing in the ABC Agility competition, any concerns should be recorded in the Incident Book and reported to the Kennel Club.

Those dogs eligible to compete in Medium dog competition are those measuring over 35cm and those measuring 43cm or under at the withers and eligible to compete in combined Grades 1 to 7 for Medium dogs.

Competition Rules

The competition will be held under Kennel Club rules and regulations for Agility and any handler entering the competition will be deemed to have agreed to abide by these rules and regulations. Standard rules will apply and all equipment used shall be of a standard size for that height category.

The semi-final will consist of one round of agility competition and one round of jumping competition; the top 8 dogs qualifying for Crufts will be those with the least combined faults in the fastest combined time calculated over the two rounds of the semi-final.  If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round will take precedence.

The final will consist of one round of jumping and one round of agility competition. The winning partnership will be those with the least combined faults in the fasted combined time calculated over the two rounds of the final. If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round will take precedence.

Qualifying

There will be 10 qualifying shows throughout the year.  The first 10 placed dogs in each heat will have the following points awarded:

1^st place = 10 points, 2^nd place = 9 points etc. down to 10^th place = 1 point. Qualifying points will be awarded down to 10^th even if the show does not award class places down to 10^th. 

If a qualified handler or dog is unable/unfit to attend the final, reserves will be taken from dog/s with the highest number of points from the heats which have/has not qualified.

The top fifteen dogs, with the most points, will be invited to a semi-final at Discover Dogs 2024 which is being held alongside The London International Horse Show at London, ExCel in December. There will be a charge per dog. Car parking will not be provided by The Kennel Club.

The first eight highest placed dogs at the semi-final will be invited to compete in the finals to be

held at Crufts Dog Show, NEC Birmingham in March 2025. Please note that there will be an entry charge, and car parking won’t be provided by The Kennel Club.

Administration

NOTE TO SHOW SOCIETIES: In the event of awards at the show not going down to 10th place the Show Secretary must still record the top ten places (excluding eliminated dogs) and send the results to the Working Dog Activities Team at the Kennel Club within 14 days of the show by emailing here.

This is a competition consisting of eight heats of jumping.  The competition is open to small dogs, partnering a medium dog, intermediate dog or a large dog, and heats will be scheduled as a Special combined class for grades 1 to 7.

Eligibility

The competition is open to two dogs with separate handlers.  One dog must be a small dog, 35cm or under at the withers, the partner can be a medium dog, over 35cm but 43cm or under at the withers, or an intermediate dog over 43cm and measuring 50cm or under at the withers, or a large dog over 50cm.

Handlers with more than one dog may enter in more than one pair.  However, they may only qualify a maximum of two dogs for the final. No substitute handlers will be allowed in the final.

Should a qualified dog or handler within a pair be unable/unfit to enter the final that pair will not be able to compete.  Their place in the final will be offered to the next available pair with the highest points who have not qualified. 

Competition Rules

The competition will be held under Kennel Club rules and regulations for Agility and any handler entering the competition will be deemed to have agreed to abide by these rules and regulations. Standard rules will apply and all equipment used shall be of a standard size for that height category.

This is a relay competition with a baton change taking place either in a box or behind a line at the judges’ discretion.  

No part of the next dog/handler must be over the start line at the changeover; failure to observe this will incur a penalty of 20 faults. 

An elimination will incur a penalty of 100 faults, a dropped baton will incur a penalty of 20 faults.  Once a dog has been eliminated it cannot incur further faults. However, if either member of the pair fail to complete the course or either of the dogs foul the ring the pair will be disqualified.

The competition will involve changes of height of the obstacles being jumped by the medium/intermediate/large dogs at two stages during the class.  The judge will decide which height of dog to start with and will announce the changes of height when relevant.  It is the competitors’ responsibility to be available accordingly.  The course will be walked by everyone before the beginning of the class.

The final will consist of two rounds of jumping competition.  The winners of the Discover Dogs Small / Mixi Pairs will be the pair with the least combined faults in the fastest combined time calculated over the two rounds of the final.  Discover Dogs will be held alongside The London International Horse Show at London, Excel in December 2024. Car parking will not be provided by The Kennel Club.

Qualifying

Points will be awarded to the specific pair (consisting of two handlers with their dogs) which competes at the heat.  Points are not transferable between different pair combinations.

Pairs will score 15 points for 1^st place down to 1 point for 15^th place.  Points will be accumulated over all eight heats and the 15 pairs with the most points will go through to the final at Discover Dogs 2024 held alongside The London International Horse Show.

Administration

NOTE TO SHOW SOCIETIES: In the event of awards at the show not going down to 15^th place the Show Secretary must still record the top 15 placed pairs and send the results (along with the dogs heights) to the Working Dog Activities Team at the Kennel Club within 14 days of the show by emailing here.

To qualify for the Starters Cup final, you will need to enter the class at The International Agility Festival. More information about this event can be found here.

The following regulations apply to all qualifying agility heats and Finals.

The competition will be held under Kennel Club rules and regulations for agility and any handler entering the competition will be deemed to have agreed to abide by these rules and regulations. 

There will be ten heats for each height, held at Kennel Club licensed shows throughout the country between 1 March and 31 October.

All heats must take place at Kennel Club licensed shows and the class name in the schedule should replicate exactly the name of the competition as stated in these rules and regulations.

Course design should reflect that expected in the main Crufts arena.

Dogs entered in any heats must be eligible for the competition entered. Judges have the right to check the dog’s Kennel Club Agility Record Book to ensure the dog is running in the correct height category. 

The handler that qualifies a dog in the heats will be the handler that competes in the Crufts Final, handler substitutions are not allowed. 

If a qualified handler or dog is unable/unfit to attend the Final, the reserve will be the next placed dog at the qualifier at which the withdrawn dog qualified. 

An entry fee will be charged for each dog at Crufts. 

Note for show societies: All results from these heats must be sent to the Working Dog Activities Team at the Kennel Club within 14 days of the show date (These rules will be amended if any changes are made to Kennel Club Agility Regulations during the course of the competition year).

• All events will be run as a combined 1-7 class.
• Course design should be set at Grade 5 level.
• Novice will be removed from the event titles.
• There will be ten heats across the country between 1 March and 31 October.
• The top two unqualified dogs will go through to the Semi-Final (20 dogs for each event). The Semi-Final will be held alongside at The London International Horse Show at ExCel in December.
• The top ten from each Semi-Final will qualify for the Final at Crufts.

Eligibility

• Qualifying heats will be scheduled as a special combined class for grades 1 to 7 in medium. intermediate and large dog heights.
• Courses will be set at Grade 5 level.
• This competition is a special agility competition open to all medium dogs, intermediate dogs and large dogs excluding Border Collies, Working Sheepdogs and any of their crosses. Any concerns regarding a dog’s eligibility should be recorded in the Incident Book and reported to The Kennel Club.
• Those dogs eligible to compete in competition in the medium dog competition are those measuring over 350mm and those measuring 430mm or under at the withers. Intermediate are those measuring over 430mm and measuring 500mm or under at the withers and Large dogs are those measuring over 500mm at the withers.

Qualifying

• There will be ten qualifying heats throughout the year for each height, medium, intermediate and large. The first two unqualified placed dogs in each heat at each height will automatically qualify for the Semi-Final to be held at The London International Horse Show at ExCel in December.
• The Semi-Final will consist of one round of agility competition and one round of jumping competition. The winning partnership will be those with the least combined faults in the fasted combined time calculated over the two rounds of the Semi-Final. If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round faults followed by time will take precedence.
• The first ten placed dogs in each height at the Semi-Final will be invited to compete in the finals to be held at Crufts Dog Show, NEC Birmingham the following March.
• The final will consist of one round of jumping and one round of agility competition. The winning partnership will be those with the least combined faults in the fasted combined time calculated over the two rounds of the Final. If there is equality of faults and time, the agility round faults followed by time will take precedence.
• Competitors may enter more than one dog in a heats and Semi-Final but can only qualify one dog for the final. The highest placed dog will qualify for the Final and places will roll down to the next placed eligible dog.
• There will be no restriction on the number of dogs from each breed that are eligible to compete in the Final.
• If a qualified handler or dog is unable/unfit to attend the Semi-Final, the reserve will be the next placed dog at the qualifier at which the withdrawn dog qualified. If a qualified handler or dog is unable/unfit to attend the Final, the reserve will be the next placed dog from the Semi-Final.
• Please note that there will be an entry charge for the Semi-Final at The London International Horse Show at ExCel and at the Finals at Crufts. Car parking won’t be provided by The Kennel Club.

• All events will be run as a combined 1-7 class.
• Course design should be set at Grade 3-5 level.
• There will be 10 heats across the country between 1 March and 31 October.
• The first placed unqualified pair will go straight through to the Final (10 pairs). The Final will be held at The London International Horse Show at Excel in December.

Competition Rules

• The competition is open to small dogs, partnering a medium dog, intermediate dog or a large dog, and heats will be scheduled as a Special combined class for grades 1 to 7.
• There must be a minimum of 12 obstacles and a maximum of 15 obstacles for each height and at least one height must have a set of weaves.
• This is a relay competition with a baton change taking place either in a box or behind a line at the judges’ discretion.
• No part of the next dog/handler must be over the start line at the changeover; failure to observe this will incur a penalty of 20 faults. A dropped baton or baton on the floor at any time during the run will incur a penalty of 20 faults.
• An elimination will incur a penalty of 100 faults. Once a dog has been eliminated it cannot incur further faults. However, if either member of the pair fail to complete the course correctly or either of the dogs foul the ring the pair will be disqualified.
• The competition will involve changes of height of the obstacles being jumped by the medium/intermediate/large dogs during the class. The judge will decide which height of dog to start with and will announce the changes of height when relevant.  It is the competitors’ responsibility to be available accordingly.  The course will be walked by everyone before the beginning of the class.

Eligibility

• The competition is open to two dogs with separate handlers. One dog must be a small dog, 350mm or under at the withers, the partner can be a medium dog, over 350mm but 430mm or under at the withers, or an intermediate dog over 430mm and measuring 500mm or under at the withers, or a large dog over 500mm.

Qualifying

• There will be 10 qualifying heats throughout the year. The first unqualified placed pair in each heat will automatically qualify for the Final to be held at The London International Horse Show at ExCel in December.
• Handlers with more than one dog may enter in more than one pair. However, they may only qualify with one dog for the Final. No substitute handlers will be allowed in the Final.
• The Final will consist of two rounds of jumping competition. The winners of The Kennel Club Small / Mixi Pairs will be the pair with the least combined faults in the fastest combined time calculated over the two rounds of the Final.
• If a qualified pair, handler or dog is unable/unfit to attend the Final, no substitutes will be allowed. The reserves will be the next placed pair at the qualifier at which the withdrawn pair qualified.
• Please note that there will be an entry charge, and car parking won’t be provided by The Kennel Club.

To qualify for the Starters Cup Final, you will need to enter the class at The International Agility Festival. More information about this event can be found here once the schedule is live in 2025.