AD and ADX Advanced trials are the agility equivalent of sex. A lot of new competitors have questions about them, but they’re usually fobbed off with “don’t worry about it now, you’ll understand when you’re older”.
If you’re new, all you probably know about them is that you’ve been told not to enter them, but the online entries system keeps trying to sneak an AD entry onto your bill. Today I’m going to attempt to explain what they are and how we finished up with them.
The Basics
These are “trials” rather than regular agility classes. There are no placings and no prizes, although sometimes there is one ribbon for the highest qualifier. These trials act as a separate mechanism for earning agility titles (e.g. AD and ADX), as opposed to jumpers titles which can be earned with clear rounds in regular jumpers classes.
There is a standard set of 12 AD and ADX Advanced courses. The judge will draw one at random on the day. The courses must be built exactly as they are on the plan. They are supposed to be at Intermediate and Senior level respectively. The Agility Committee reviews them periodically, to keep them in line with the level of difficulty in regular agility classes.
The Agility Committee allocates the trials to clubs that apply for them. Only a limited number of trials are held in each zone every year. This rule was historically intended to require dogs to display a level of consistency to earn their titles. If you can only get to six trials every year, and you only go clear 10% of the time, it could take your dog seven years to earn his ADX title!
AD Trials
You need to get two clear rounds in AD trials for your dog to earn his Agility Dog (AD) title. Another two (four in total) will earn you an Agility Dog Excellence (ADX) title. Dogs NZ will send you a certificate in the mail for these titles. You can apply for your certificate via dogagility.org.nz, or post your clear round certs directly to the Dogs NZ head office.
You can enter AD trials as soon as you start competing in agility, but you probably don’t want to for a couple of reasons. The first is that all AD courses include the seesaw, and the courses are a bit harder than a typical Novice.
The second is that once you earn your AD title, you and your dog will no longer be eligible for Starters. This is a really useful way to move up to Intermediate for a less speedy dog who is ready for the challenge. If you’re brand new to agility, though, you would probably benefit from spending more time at the lower levels first.
The ADX title can affect your graduation. If your dog has an ADX title, you will only need two win equivalents (instead of three) to move up to Senior. Some people will stop entering AD trials after they get their third clear round and wait for their dog to win up to Senior before they go for the last one.
ADX Advanced Trials
Once your dog has earned his ADX title, you can enter ADX Advanced trials. These are similar to AD trials, except on a harder course.
It takes two clear rounds to earn ADX Advanced Bronze (ADXB). You need another two to achieve ADX Advanced Silver (ADXS). Two more will earn you the ADX Advanced Gold (ADXG) title.
Leaving the Ring
The sole goal of agility trials is to get clear, so the judge will stop judging when you are faulted. They will usually signal this by blowing a whistle, so that you know whether you are still “alive” without turning around to look at them.
Traditionally, clubs required people to leave the ring as soon as they had faulted. These days, the show manager will decide whether you can finish the course. In the South Island it’s common to let people have two faults before they leave, or at smaller shows they might be allowed to finish. If you aren’t sure what the policy is, ask the call steward when you check in for your run.
AD and ADX Advanced Trials at Ribbon Trials
Most AD and ADX Advanced trials are held at champ shows, but sometimes you will see one offered at a ribbon trial. These are “proper” trials and the certificates you earn count towards your titles.
You should enter online prior to the day. If you forget you can enter on the day, but you’ll need an official entry form (you can print one from the Dogs NZ website). Unlike other classes at ribbon trials, your dog has to be registered with Dogs NZ and you have to be a current financial member.
Why Are Agility Titles So Weird?
Agility began in the UK as an offshoot of working trials, which combine tracking with some obedience and agility exercises. There is a small community of working trials enthusiasts in NZ, and I admire them as it takes a lot of time and dedication to train a dog for this sport.
Unlike other dog sports, working trials are not competitions – the goal is to earn a certain number of points to earn a qualification title. For example, if you enter a Utility Dog title and earn 75% of the points, your dog earns a UD title. If you get 90% of the points, you’ve achieved UDX.
When agility came to NZ in the mid 1980s, there were several working trials people involved in its administration. They wanted to bring a similar system of titles to agility, and came up with the concept of AD trials. The rules for these have barely changed since 1990, except for the introduction of ADX Advanced trials in 2001.
Agility has changed a lot over the years. When I ran AD trials with my first dog, they were usually held at lunchtime. The other rings would take a break and everyone would watch to cheer on their friends. Now that our shows are so much bigger, they tend to be treated as “just another class”.
The Agility Committee conducted a survey about them earlier this year. 41% preferred to keep them as is, while 38.5% thought agility titles should be earned with clear rounds in regular classes.
What do you think about AD trials – love them or hate them?