A few years ago I wrote a blog post about the paperwork you need to do before entering your first agility competition. A few things have changed since then, so here’s an up-to-date version with everything you need to know.
Step Zero: Check Your Dog’s Birthday
Your dog must be at least 18 months old to enter any agility show.
Step 1: Join a Dogs NZ Affiliated Club
For most people this is an easy one. If the club you train at holds shows, and you’re a current member there, you’re covered.
There are a couple of non-affiliated clubs I’m aware of, in more sparsely populated parts of the country. If you’ve been training at one of these, or you’ve been training on your own, you’ll need to find a club to join. I generally recommend joining the nearest one (even if that is several hours’ drive away) as you may have access to members-only seminars or other events there.
Technically this is optional if you are going to enter a ribbon trial for your first show – but I recommend doing it anyway, as you’ll likely find the members very welcoming and supportive on the big day.
Step 2: Join Dogs New Zealand
Ideally your first show would be at a ribbon trial – a smaller, less formal show that is designed to help people dip their toes into the competition water. One of the benefits of starting at a ribbon trial is that you don’t have to join Dogs NZ, so it’s much cheaper. If you are planning to enter a ribbon trial first, you can skip ahead to Step 3.
Continue reading “Agility Competition Paperwork (2023 update)”