ALTAMONT — The fair is going to the dogs this week. Agile dogs, that is.

Canine Performance Events, Inc. will be holding an agility dog show at the Altamont Fair on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

The CPE strives for the dog and handler to have fun while successfully competing for agility titles, achieved through positive training and teamwork.

Canine Performance Events was founded in 1998 in South Lyon, Mich. but is recently new to the area, according to Donna Young, who is organinzing the show at the Altamont Fair.
"It will be more for fun," said Young. "It will be treated like a demo. We’ll go throughout the day, from 10 to five, so everybody can have a chance to see."

Canine Performance Events have three unique games and classes in addition to the better-known standard and games classes.

Games classes are classified as handler, strategy, and fun.

Classes offered by the CPE are the standard agility class; handler games like colors and wildcard; strategy games like jackpot and snooker; and fun games like fullhouse and jumpers.

Rules of the games

The standard class requires the dog and the handler to successfully perform all of the agility obstacles in the order set by the judge.

Colors requires that the dog and handler successfully run their choice of one of the three overlapping mini-agility courses on the same field. The field will contain 12 to 20 obstacles, divided into three equal mini-courses of six to eight obstacles each. Colored markers will label each course.

Wildcard requires the dog and handler to successfully complete the course, including enough wildcards to qualify. A modified standard course is the base for wildcard. There are 10 to 12 obstacles and three wildcard obstacles. A dog must have the correct number of wildcards in its level to qualify.

In a traditional jackpot, there are two distinct parts. In the first part, the handler must maneuver the dog among the obstacles in any order that he or she chooses, earning points for each obstacle performed correctly. After the whistle blows, the dog can earn bonus points by working independently away from the handler through a series of obstacles, while the handler stands behind a designated line.

Non-traditional jackpot is a judge’s choice and will be explained at the show.

Snooker has two parts. In the opening sequence, the dog must successfully complete a red jump to do an obstacle of choice. That sequence must be done a total of three times, then the dog begins to run the sequence of obstacles in order, two through seven.

Jumpers is a course comprised only of jumps and tunnels, which the dog and handler must navigate successfully.

Fullhouse requires the team to accumulate at least the points required for its level, which includes a pair, three of a kind, and a joker, before the whistle that ends the time for accumulating points. The team then has up to five seconds to stop the clock by having the dog place at least one paw on the pause table. For each full second over game time, one point is deducted.

Young said that all classes will be demonstrated each day and colors will appear twice on Sunday.

Seven levels

There are seven levels of competitors, ranging from beginners to specialists.

Level one is for beginning dogs or handlers. The standard course does not include the teeter-totter or weave poles.

Level two is for dogs who may have earned at least the beginning title in another organization.

Level three is for dogs who may have earned at least the first title or higher, in one or more other agility organizations.

Level four is for dogs who have earned one of the highest titles in another agility organization. A copy of the title must accompany the CPE registration of the dog.

Level five is for dogs who have earned the respective class legs in level four. No dog may begin CPE in level five.

Level C, or champion, is for dogs who have earned the respective class legs in level four. No dog may begin CPE in level C.

Level S, or specialist, is for any dog at any age over 15 months. The dog must jump eight inches lower than its permanent jump height.

All classes are level-three courses. Specialist titles are seperate from the other title requirements.

Young said that titles will be given out during the three days at the fair.
"The major goal of CPE is to have fun," Young said. "But there also will be titles in it."