USDAA's Championship or Performance Programs?

As one of the architects of the performance program, I would like to share with you what the goals were of developing this program:

Goal #1.  Different breeds and different dogs within different breeds can be considered "veterans".   For some dogs, 7 years of age makes them a veteran. For others, it could be 6 years or 12 years.   We needed some different yardstick for determining when a dog could/should be moved into a class that required less physical prowess than is required by the international standards.

Goal #2.  The backbone of our sport is the clubs who put on trials.  The clubs are formed of people who run all kinds of dogs and have all kinds of personal goals.   We wanted to be able to give ALL club members with a sound and healthy dog a chance to play our game.

Goal #3.  We wish to continue to have a competitive venue where "our" handlers can continue to compete and remain internationally competitive.  One of the advantages other countries enjoyed over our previous system was the opportunity to enter their dogs in beginners classes that featured lower "training" heights.

Rather than try to come up with different standards and entry requirements and decide what was best for everyone,  we decided to "keep it simple". The choice was left up to each individual owner.

In my opinion  - If you want to be internationally competitive, great.  Being competitive can be very satisfying.  Not being especially competitive and getting the best performance you can get out of yourself and the dog  that you own can be just as satisfying.   You may even find that one or the other will be more or less satisfying to you as your character continues to change over the years.   If you're worried about whether someone else thinks you're macho or wimpy, you're thinking about it too much.  You have the freedom to intelligently consider what best meets your team's wants at any point in your dog's agility career.  Play your best game.  Have fun. Janet Gauntt.