Dogwalk Research Underway
Earlier today, Sarah and I taped a podcast episode with Dr. Arielle Pechette Markley, a veterinary sports medicine and rehab specialist, who joined us to talk about CARIS (Coalition for Agility Reporting on Incidents and Safety)—a groundbreaking initiative that brings together major agility organizations (AKC, FCI, UKI, USDAA, CPE, NADAC, ASCA, and RKC) to collect and analyze data on obstacle safety.
Here at Bad Dog Agility, we’re huge supporters of data, dog safety, and science-based research. We’re excited to see the agility world come together in support of this study. And we think it’s timely, given the ongoing conversations about possibly lowering the dogwalk height and/or widening planks.
This collaboration is the first of its kind, and we’re proud to help spread the word. Listen in to hear how you, your club, and your judges can be part of the data collection that could change the sport for the better. https://baddogagility.com/episode-363-new-research-focusing-on-dog-agility-safety/
Lower NAC Qualifying Standards?
Let’s talk about it. Some agility competitors were surprised to see what they’re calling “lower” qualification standards for the 2026 AKC National Agility Championship in Temecula, CA. With just 4 double Qs and 400 points required, many long-time participants noted that the bar feels lower than in some previous years. You can also substitute Premier runs for double Qs so in reality, you can get to Nationals with a single double Q. Theoretically, since you earn points for Premier runs (15 points for each clear round), you could earn all of your requirements (not including the single double Q) from the Premier class.
Why the change? A popular theory is that the AKC may be anticipating a smaller turnout due to the West Coast location. Several East Coast competitors have already said they won’t make the cross-country trek. And let’s be honest, the United States is a geographically big country. Not everyone can justify flights, lodging, and vacation time for an event that’s three time zones away.
Dog agility is a national sport, and the AKC’s decision to rotate venues—from the heartland to the coasts—reflects that. It gives different regions a chance to participate without flying dogs across the country (or driving multiple days) every single year.
UKI Invitational in Chicago
Sarah here! This past weekend was the 2nd annual UKI 1-TDC Invitational in Lake Barrington, Illinois, and wow—what an event! The Invitational has quickly become a favorite for many competitors and has even started to shake up the spring trial calendar. We’re now seeing teams choosing either the AKC National Agility Championship or the UKI Invitational as their big spring event.
The format is packed and super fun—it includes the Games Challenge, Agility Biathlon, Pentathlon, the Challenger Round (your last shot to make the Final), and of course the crown jewel: the 1-TDC Invitational Blue Ribbon Final.
There are a ton of results to sort through across multiple events and jump heights, so we’ll point you straight to the source (scroll to the bottom for results): https://ukagilityinternational.com/events/1-tdc-north-american-invitational/1-tdc-north-american-invitational-documents-2025
And a big shout out to BDA instructor and podcast co-host Jennifer Crank, who crushed it with a gold medal in the Games Challenge, a win in the Pentathlon, and a 3rd place finish in the Blue Ribbon Final with her sheltie Bee!
The livestream commentary throughout the weekend was provided by Kama Rueschenberg and Lee Gibson, who brought great insight and energy to the event—thank you both for making the action even more exciting to follow from home!
Send any comments or questions to team@baddogagility.com.
Happy Training,
