TOP DOG: McCullom Lake dog competes to be best in show

Moya competes through the North American Dog Agility Council. She competes in the open competition level in several classes of agility. (Photo provided)

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When Moya was 15 months old, she was getting into a little trouble at home, as puppies sometimes do.

At the time, her owner, Amy Jo Perreault of McCullom Lake, decided her dog needed to get a “job” or maybe find a hobby.

Moya isn’t the little troublemaker she used to be now that she has found a job as a competition dog who participates in dog agility, one of the most popular dog sports. The 22-pound American Eskimo trains at Agility Junkies, an indoor/outdoor dog agility training facility in Barrington. 

At first, Moya was having a difficult time with her new job, her owner says.  In fact, there was a time when Perreault had given up on dog agility with Moya. But then something clicked, and her dog started displaying great ability for the dog sport. 

“That’s when we started competing,” Perreault says. 

Moya competes through the North American Dog Agility Council, or NADAC, in about seven competitions a year that take place throughout the Midwest. Competitions also are called trials, matches or shows. A typical show day for Moya begins about 7 a.m., and she competes in both indoor and outdoor agility competitions. 

Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler guides his or her dog through an obstacle course in a race for time and accuracy.

According to NADAC, the purpose of an agility competition is to demonstrate the competition is to demonstrate the ability of the dog and its handler to work as a smooth, functioning team.

A dog agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles such as an A-frame, dog walker, tunnels, weaver poles and jumps, among other equipment. Perreault says a course is a little smaller than an indoor soccer field.   

“Agility doesn’t involve dogs racing against each other,” she says. “It’s all about qualifying runs.”

When a dog completes a run that passes the minimum defined standards for time, faults, and points, it’s called a qualifying run. A qualifying run earns a dog credit toward certain agility titles. 

NADAC offers titling opportunities in several classes: Regular Agility, Jumpers, Tunnelers, Weavers, Touch N Go, Chances, Gaters and Hoopers. Perreault said there are three sets of titles in those classes — regular, outstanding and superior — as well as three levels of competition — novice, open and elite. 

Moya competes in the open competition level in several classes of agility. Right now, Moya’s jump height is 12 inches. By comparison, a Yorkshire Terrier’s jump height might be 4 inches, and a Great Dane’s jump height 20 inches, Perreault says. Moya’s handler thinks Moya will compete at the elite level in about two years, at which time her jump height will be 20 inches. 

Moya has 12 agility titles total, four of which she earned in 2009. She has four titles in Tunnelers, three in Jumpers, two in Regular Agility, two in Weavers and one in Touch N Go. Her titles are a mix of regular, outstanding and superior rankings. 

Lifetime accomplishment is acknowledged by NADAC through Lifetime Points Awards that celebrate milestones beginning at 1,000 points and continuing at 2,500, 5,000 and every 2,500 points after that.

“Moya has 500 points and is halfway there to earning her first lifetime achievement award,” her owner says proudly.

Perreault and Moya have their eye on another award: The Novice Versatility Award. Moya will earn this award once she earns a regular title in all classes of the novice competition level. A title in Chances is the only one that eludes Moya. 

In 2010, Perreault hopes Moya will earn her superior title in Regular Agility, her open Jumpers title and a title in Chances, to name a few.

Perreault said her dog enjoys the agility training. 

“Moya is always excited on Thursday nights,” Perreault says. “She always runs to the car.”

Moya goes to class once a week on Thursday nights and attends private lessons with her instructor once a month. There are some Thursday evenings when Perreault can’t take Moya to class. 

“The nights we don’t go, Moya sits by the door and waits and waits and looks at me,” Perreault says. “I don’t know how she knows, but she just knows.”

Moya is clearly disappointed when she can’t go to agility class. But if there comes a day when Moya doesn’t show this level of enthusiasm, that’s when the agility training stops, Perreault said. In the meantime, Moya will continue to chase after agility titles and get a lot of doggie treats in the process as a reward for her good practice runs. 

“Moya is my loving pet first,” Perreault says. “Then she’s my competition dog.”