AKC Agility Invitational at the AKC/Eukanuba show

One of the cool things about attending the AKC/Eukanuba National Championship in Orlando this week is that it's also the site of the AKC Agility Invitational. Since I'm attending as one of Eukanuba's "VIP Bloggers," you can bet I'll spend some time watching the agility dogs since my Havanese Cosmo has been competing for six years or so.  Cosmo won't be competing at the Invitational, but he's still active in local trials we attend in the Atlanta area.


Here's a quick look at what's going on in agility at the AKC Invitational this week.

• The first AKC Agility Invitational took place in December 2006 in Long Beach, Calif.
• The top five ranked agility dogs in each of the 173 AKC recognized breeds are invited to attend this prestigious event. In addition, FCI membership countries have also been invited to send teams of three dogs per team to this event. The event qualifying period ran from July 1, 2010 to June 30, 2011.   
•  Winners will be crowned in five height classes: 8”, 12”, 16”, 20”, 24”
• On Saturday, dogs will run Excellent-level Standard and Jumpers with Weaves courses. On Sunday, dogs will run Excellent-level Hybrid and Jumpers with Weaves courses. After the completion of four rounds over two days, the top dogs in each jump height will move to the finals. The Finals are open only to the top 57 dogs overall through the four rounds of competition.
• Three hundred and seventy seven (377) Master Agility Champions (MACH) will compete in the 2011 Invitational, including a MACH17. Other champions entered include three National Agility Champions, 105 Breed Champions; 2 Triple Champions; 2 Dual Champions, 5 Field Champions and 2 Obedience Champions.
• California has the largest number of entrants, with 51 dogs entered.
• Breeds ranging from the Great Dane to the Chihuahua will compete in the 2011 event. Several rare breeds entered include the Catahoula Leopard Dog, Coton de Tulear, Eurasier, Kooikerhondje, Peruvian Inca Orchid and Spanish Water Dog. For the first time ever, All-American dogs have been invited to compete. Dogs designated as All-American are mixed breed dogs who can now register to compete in AKC agility, rally and obedience events through the AKC Canine Partners program.
• The inaugural AKC Juniors Agility Competition will run Friday morning prior to the weekend’s AKC Agility Invitational. Juniors participating in the AKC Juniors Agility Competition will be running both Standard and Jumpers with Weaves courses in either the Junior Excellent or Superior Classes, depending on whether they’ve achieved an agility title.
•  To learn more about the AKC Agility Invitational, visit http://www.akc.org/events/agility/invitational/

Cosmo Havanese in the weave poles at a previous event

Also, check out our To Dog With Love Facebook page where we'll post photos of all the action at the AKC/Eukanuba events this week.