Dog Categories. Kinds of Dogs. Schutzhund, French Ring

Agility teams participate in categories. These are Class I and Class II, depending on the difficulty in technique, length and established time. In some competitions, there are two categories: dogs are divided according to height: Mini-Agility, for teams with dogs that are less than 40cm tall, and Standard Ability, for the teams of dogs who are more than 40 cm. tall. In Agility mini some of the obstacles are modified, so the dogs don't find it to difficult go through the test.

Agility Classes: Jumping: Similar to the Agility dog, but without the contact obstacles.

K.O.: Team competition. In this case, dogs run in two parallel courses, and there are no contact obstacles.

The French ring: This is a very technical, perfectionist and spectacular discipline. The ring dog must be physical, fast, valiant and at the same time well-tempered and sensible enough to react in less than a second. Ring exercises are divided into two categories: Obedience and attack. Attacks are against the figurine, who runs and faces the dog with a gun or a cane. The dog must bite and then immobilize the man, who is allowed to use specific resources to defend himself and escape. When the conductor orders so the dog must immediately stop the attack. According to the difficulty level, the tests are divided into Ring I, Ring II and Ring III. The most popular breeds in this competition are Malinois and German Shepherd.

Campaign: These tests of Practical Field Work are practiced in France, principally, where they are known as the Campaign competitions. These include obedience exercises, tracking, defense and water work. The difference between this competition and the other ones, is that Campaign exercises are not done indoors, but out in the nature, with natural obstacles and less predictable situations, making it even more difficult to go through these competitions.

There are three levels: Initiation, 350 points Campaign and Selective Campaign.

Schutzhund: The Schutzhund is a program that was conceived by German breeders. In order to improve their breeds' Character, but it has also expanded to many other countries as well. Schutzhunt is a complete plan that favors the development of sensory perception, bravery, obedience and dogs' sociability. It is divided into three sections: Tracking, Obedience and Defense, and according to the difficulty level, there are three stages: Schutzhund I, II and III.