June 2021 IDAL League Courses

Featured

Posted on May 26, 2021 by Bud Houston

The following is a preview of the June 2021 courses and games for IDAL league play. This will hopefully be the last month of historical courses for a while. This is also the last month for the Spring season. Who is going to come out on top?

50×70 Fast & Fun

The June 2021 50×70 Fast & Fun league game is a Numbered Course, designed by Wayne Van Deusen. This game was first run in the NDAL in December of 2017. A Numbered Course is scored Time, Plus Faults. Follow the numbers, keep the bars up, and hit the yellow.

Historical

for AQ4U’s Fast & Furryous in Brooks, Kentucky. Blade, a Border Collie handled by Brian Wakefield, finished this course with zero faults in 23.61 seconds. View the video at

60×90 Masters

The June 2021 60×90 Masters league is also a numbered course designed by Wayne Van Deusen. It was originally run in the IDAL in December 2017. A Numbered Course is scored Time, Plus Faults.

Historical

The standing Top Dog on this course, recorded in December 2017, was from United Colors of Agility, in Port Elizabeth, South Africa. Gemma, a Border Collie handled by Susan Dawson, finished this course with zero faults in 25.73 seconds.

36X85 Fast & Fun

The June 2021 36×85 Fast & Fun league is a numbered course designed by Wayne Van Deusen. It was originally run in the IDAL in December 2017. A Numbered Course is scored Time, Plus Faults.

Historical

The standing Top Dog on this course, recorded in December 2017, represented Wicked West Australians out of Banjup Western Australia: Jay, a Border Collie handled by Sylvia Hamilton, finished this course with zero faults in an incredible 20.71 seconds:

An Open Invitation to New Players

New clubs and individuals are always welcome to join us and play these courses. Download the scorekeeping worksheet below. Contact the League Secretary to help with the details at pagc.live@gmail.com.

The 50×70 Fast & Fun League is intended to allow the dog to work at full extension with modest handling challenges.

scoresheet060121b50x70 Download

The 60×90 Masters League focuses advanced handling challenges.

scoresheet060121c60x90 Download

The 36×85 Fast & Fun League is intended to allow the dog to work at full extension with modest handling challenges.

scoresheet060121d36x85 Download

Existing league franchises will be emailed their scorekeeping worksheets set up with their current rosters upon request.

Read our blog:
https://topdogagilityplayers.wordpress.com/

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Questions comments & impassioned speeches to Melissa Wallace pagc.live@gmail.com IDAL Secretary.

Lifetime Performance Points Calculations

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Bud Houston

I have been asked by a few competitors to explain how we calculate Lifetime Performance Points (LPP) for individuals and teams. I have made a video showing what I do.

This is the link to the video: https://youtu.be/LEGtGCg8JH8

For those who would rather read it, here you go!

Individual LPP

Once I get results back from the teams, I put all the reported scores into a master scoresheet. I then copy the results from all the historical runs and paste those into the same sheet. I highlight the historical scores so they are easily distinguished from current results.

Remember that part of the IDAL is to keep a catalog of all the courses ever run in the league. These courses can be run over and over. In fact, a team can pick a course from the catalog and run it even if it is not the current league course for the month. When the team reports their results, those get added to the historical runs, and the dogs will earn LPP. The same dog can run the course multiple times over his career and earn LPP for each run.

Once all the runs are in the sheet, I sort the scores for every run ever reported from smallest to largest. Note that on Games runs, the scores may be sorted differently based on how the game is scored. I go to the very bottom of the list and put a 3 for the LPP of the last dog. Typically, the last dog is an “elimination” or “NQ” of some sort.

Why a 3? Every dog who attempts the course gets 1 point. Every dog who finishes the course with a score gets a minimum of 1 point for trying and 2 points for finishing (or as Bud explained it, 2 points for not getting an E), so 3 points. Consider that the LPP is a ranking system. The dog at the bottom of the ranking will either get a 1 or 3. The next dog up gets an additional point. The next dog up gets yet another point. This continues all the way up to the top dog. Let us look at some examples. There are 10 dogs. Here are their scores:

In the table below, you can see how the LPP are successively summed. Another way to think of this is that the top dog has LPP = n+1. So, 10 dogs, n=10. The top dog gets n+1, so 11 points. Correct? No.

We must consider that Dog J beat Dog K. So, his LPP starts at 3 plus he beat one dog = 4 LPP. From there, Dog I beat Dog J, so Dog I gets 5 LPP and so on.

“Okay smarty pants,” you say; “show me some more examples.”

In this case, the first “qualifying” dog is Dog I. He gets 3 points plus he beat 2 other dogs, so he gets 5 LPP. Did you notice the LPP for the NQ dogs have been changed to back to 1? That is important to note. I told you that I started my scoring by putting a 3 for the last dog and then just add one more point as I go up the list of dogs. Starting this way, is a less complicated way of doing the formulas for scoring. By putting the 3, I start the scoring with the assumption that everybody finished the course. I add 1 from there and simply go back and change the E’s to 1 LPP. It is much faster to do the calculations this way.

What if everyone qualified? Simple. I do it the same way, except I do not need to change any one back to a 1. Dog I still gets 5 LPP because he finished the course (3 points) and beat 2 other dogs (2 points).

Team LPP

Now that we got individual scores out of the way, the rest is easy. Team LPP is the sum of the top 5 LPP in the team. I do some more sorting and calculating and voila! In the case of the scores above, the team LPP would be 50.

Joining the League

New teams are always welcome to join any of our ongoing leagues for IDAL. You are welcome to join. Just email the Secretary to get started. pagc.live@gmail.com

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Questions comments & snide remarks should be directed to Melissa Wallace at pagc.live@gmail.com.All payments for the IDAL should be directed to this page: https://www.ultimuttds.com/payment-processing. Bud Houston’s Book of Games is available for purchase at https://www.ultimuttds.com/product-page/houston-s-book-of-agility-games. All proceeds from the sale will go to Bud.

April 2021 60×90 Masters Results

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Bud Houston

The year 2021 is rolling right along, and we have come to the end of yet another month. This post is for the results of the 60×90 Masters League. Three clubs have reported results for this League for April. This was a challenging course with a wicked weave entry. It is worth watching some of the videos to look at the handling options chosen.

We have been using “historical” courses for a while now due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These are courses that have been played before. The efforts of dogs playing in April earn Lifetime Performance Points (LPP) based on the entire field of dogs who have competed on the course, including historical performances. The LPP is a measure of rank based on how they placed in relation to all the other dogs.

60×90 Masters April 2021 Results

The April 2021 60×90 Masters league was a numbered course designed by Mary Green back in October 2017.

A numbered course is scored Time, Plus Faults.

Results

Follow the links to view individual performances by dogs and their handlers. Most of these are graced with a YouTube link:

standings-by-current-dogs-3 Download

standings-all-2 Download

Top Dog

The Top Dog of all the clubs reporting in April is from the second-place team, Jumping C Crew out of Exeter, California. Rockstar Ruby, an Australian Cattle Dog handled by Liz Clements, once again ran off with first place this month. She really is a Rockstar! They finished this course with zero faults in 40.05:

The Top Dog from 2017 was Blade, a Border Collie handled by Brian Wakefield, with zero faults in 32.69 seconds:

First-Place Team – 745 LPP

The first-place team in April was Jumpin’ K-9’s out of Temecula, CA.

Once again, the top scoring dog for Jumpin’ K-9’s was Monster, an All American handled by Christie Bahena. What a Monster! They finished this course with zero faults in 43.47 seconds:

Second-Place Team – 690 LPP

Jumping C Crew out of Exeter, California was our second-place team. Rockstar Ruby, an Australian Cattle Dog handled by Liz Clements, was their top dog. They finished this course with zero faults in 40.05:

Third-Place Team – 642 LPP

POTC Thunder Pawz out of Brimfield, Illinois was our third-place team. Swiper, an All-American handled by Cindy Snowden, finished the course with 0 faults in 43.93 seconds.

Spotlight Dog of the Month

Our spotlight dog of the month is Xena who is running for Jumpin’ K9s in Temecula, California. Xena, an Australian Cattle Dog, is handled by Althea Roman. They did a great job on this challenging course. They completed the course with zero faults in 49.45 seconds.

Throwback Dog – Because I Can

It is not often that I go back and watch my own dogs run the historical courses, but I did today. Here is my Chihuahua, Uintah, running back in 2017. He was the top dog for our team, Mobile Bay Dog Training Club in Mobile, Alabama. We completed the course with zero faults in 43.17 seconds.

May 60×90 Masters League

New teams are always welcomed to join us for IDAL league play. You are welcome to join any of our ongoing leagues. The May 2021 International Dog Agility League games and courses have been published here:

May 2021 IDAL League Courses

This is an historical course. We plan to start running new courses in the next season.

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April 2021 36×85 Fast & Fun Results

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Bud Houston

The year 2021 is rolling right along, and we have come to the end of yet another month. This post is for the results of the 36×85 Fast & Fun League. Two clubs have reported results for this League in April. Circumstances prevented Paws4Fun and Jumping C Crew from playing this month, but K9Cation joined in the fun.

We played another “historical” course. These are courses that have been played before. Lifetime Performance Points (LPP) is a measure of rank. The efforts of dogs playing in April earn LPP by comparing their scores against the entire field, including the historical performances.

36×85 Fast & Fun April 2021 Results

The April 2021 60×90 Fast & Fun league was a Numbered Course designed by Mary Green back in October 2017.

A numbered course is scored Time, Plus Faults.

Results

Follow the links below to view individual performances by dogs and their handlers. Most of these are graced with a YouTube link:

standings-by-current-dogs-2 Download

standings-all-1 Download

Top Dog

The Top Dog of all the clubs reporting in April is from Dirty Dogs Agility League. Ollie is English Shepherd handled by Heather Cotterman. They finished this course with zero faults in 31.56 seconds:

First-Place Team – 439 LPP

The first-place team in April was Dirty Dogs Agility out of Parker, Colorado. The top scoring dog was Ollie, an English Shepherd handled by Heather Cotterman. They finished this course with zero faults in 31.56 seconds:

Second-Place Team – 194 LPP

K9Cation out of Hudson, Colorado was our second-place team. Jasper, a Chocolate Lab handled by Shana Goodwin, got the top spot for the team. They finished the course with 0 faults in 37.34 seconds:

Spotlight Dog of the Month

Our spotlight dog of the month is Paxton, a Golden Retriever handled by Jeremiah DeKruif. Hey! Jeremiah looks like a Junior! Way to represent! They finished the course with 10 faults in 105.1 seconds:

May 36×85 Fast & Fun League

May 2021 IDAL League Courses

This is an historical course. We plan to start running new courses in the next season.

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April 2021 50×70 Fast and Fun Results

Posted on May 7, 2021 by Bud Houston

The year 2021 is rolling right along, and we have come to the end of yet another month. This league has the most competitors and boy is they wicked fast. Here are the results for the 50×70 Fast & Fun League. Six clubs have reported results for this League for April. Unfortunately, circumstances prevented Cloud Nine and Paws4Fun from competing this month. I know that we are all sorry to hear the news. Jumping C Crew has rejoined this league, however!

50×70 Fast & Fun April 2021 Results

The April 2021 50×70 Fast & Fun league was a numbered course designed by Mary Green back in October 2017. A Numbered Course is scored Time, Plus Faults.

Results

Follow this link to view individual performance by dogs and their handlers. Most of these are graced with a YouTube link. The first file has the current dogs ranked against each other. The second file has all dogs ranked across the field.

standings-by-current-dogs-4 Download

standings-all-3 Download

Top Dog

The Top Dog of all the clubs reporting in April is from the first-place team, Agility Dream Dogs out of Albion, New York. Gracie, a Border Collie handled by Gary McCarthy, finished this course with zero faults in 26.42 seconds.

First-Place Team – 1403 LPP

The first-place team in April is Agility Dream Dogs out of Albion, New York. The top scoring dog was Gracie, a Border Collie handled by Gary McCarthy, finished this course with zero faults in 26.42 seconds:

Second-Place Team – 1317 LPP

AQ4U’s Fast & Furryous out of Brooks, Kentucky was our second-place team. Peak, a Border Collie handled by Brian Wakefield, finished this course with zero faults in 30.33 seconds.

Third-Place Team – 1141 LPP

K9 Powersports out of Grand Junction, Colorado was our third-place team. Keiji the Papillon, handled by Geoff Teare, finished the course with zero faults in 30.23 seconds:

Fourth-Place Team – 963 LPP

K9cation out of Hudson, Colorado was our fourth-place team. Jasper, a Chocolate Labrador, and handler Shana Goodwin finished the course with zero faults in 37.72 seconds:

Fifth-Place Team – 814 LPP

The fifth-place team in April is from Jumping C Crew in Exeter, California. The top scoring dog was Ruby, an Australian Cattle Dog handled by Liz Clements. They finished the course with zero faults in 38.32 seconds:

Sixth-Place Team – 696 LPP

The sixth-place team in April is from the All Breed Training Club of Akron in Tallmadge, Ohio. The top scoring dog was Kirby, a Gordon Setter, handled by Pamela Eberts. Pamela just joined the league this year. Way to go Pamela! They finished the course with 0 faults in 41.49 seconds:

Spotlight Dog of the Month

Our spotlight dog of the month is Delilah, a lovely Boston Terrier handled by Christine Natale. They run for AQ4U’s Fast & Furryous out of Brooks, Kentucky. They finished the course with zero faults in 49.19 seconds. Nicely done!

May 50×70 Masters League

New teams are always welcome to join us for IDAL league play. You are welcome to join any of our ongoing leagues. The May 2021 International Dog Agility League games and courses have been published here:

May 2021 IDAL League Courses

This is an historical course. We plan to start running new courses in the next season.

May 2021 IDAL League Courses

Posted on May 1, 2021 by Bud Houston

The following is a preview of the May 2021 courses and games for IDAL league play. Because of the extreme conditions wrought on the world by the coronavirus pandemic, the IDAL presents for play in May three historical NDAL courses.

50×70 Fast & Fun

The May 2021 50×70 Fast & Fun league game is a Numbered Course, based on a design by Wayne Van Deusen. This game was first run in the NDAL in November of 2017.

Briefing

A Numbered Course is scored Time, Plus Faults. Follow the numbers, keep the bars up, and hit the yellow.

Historical

The standing Top Dog in this game was recorded in November of 2017, playing for Cloud Nine out of Maple Grove, Minnesota. Pixel, a Border Collie handled by Dawn Plekkenpol, finished this course with zero faults in 26.12 seconds. View the video at

60×90 Masters

The May 2021 60×90 Masters league is a games course based on a design by Wayne Van Deusen originally run in the IDAL in November 2017. This game is called Jumplers.

Briefing

This game is scored Time, Plus Faults, Less Bonus. Bonuses are earned when the dog works away and the handler stays in one or more of the three containment areas. There are three bonus scenarios:

10 bonus points earned by the dog if the handler uses no more than two of the boxes.
20 bonus points earned by the dog if the handler uses box “B” only.
30 bonus points earned by the dog if the handler uses only box “A” or box “C”.

Historical

The standing Top Dog on this course, recorded in November 2017, was from Clermont County All Breed All Stars, in Millford, Ohio. Meherah, a Border Collie handled by Daelyn Grome, finished this course with zero faults and a 30-point bonus in 21.81 seconds. The final score was -8.19:

36X85 Fast & Fun

The May 2021 36×85 Fast & Fun league is a numbered course based on a design by Wayne Van Deusen. This course was originally run in the IDAL in November 2017.

Briefing

A Numbered Course is scored Time, Plus Faults.

Historical

The standing Top Dog on this course, recorded in November 2017, represented Wicked West Australians out of Banjup Western Australia: Ripley, a Border Collie handled by Nic Ford, finished this course with zero faults in 29.02 seconds: