One thing that sets the TDAA apart from the dog agility venues is that the Championship titling program (TACh) requires beyond a demonstrable expertise in mastering the standard course the ability to qualify and even win nearly any sort of game imaginable. Those venues that have multiple games, like the USDAA and CPE, have defined a specific number of games and hold only these as their titling games. Not so with the TDAA. In the TDAA you can literally be called upon to play nearly any agility game imaginable. And we do.

In the TDAA national tournament… in all standard courses and games the dog is eligible for qualifying scores at the dog’s appropriate level of competition.

One of the games that will be played at the TDAA Petit Prix is Copycat. This game was invented by Trisha Stall and is actually quite fun. It is a game of strategy and requires sharp thinking and cool nerves.

A Sample Course

Briefing

Copy Cat is a “dog’s Choice” game. That means the handler can direct the dog through the performance of obstacles in the order and direction of his own choosing, or the dog’s choosing, as the case may be.

The team has 35 seconds to accumulate points. Point values are:

·        Jumps – 1 point,

·        Tunnels, tire and weaves poles – 3 points

·        Contacts – 5 points

The dog can perform each obstacle only twice for points.

The dog performing the same type of obstacle—same value—back-to-back earns a “copycat” penalty; for example, two one pointer, two three pointer or two five pointers. The dog earns a 5 point rather than scoring the value of the second obstacle.

Every full second over 35 seconds that it takes to cross the finish line will be penalized two points.

Scoring

Copycat is scored points then time. The dog with the highest number of points wins. Time is a tie breaker only. Note that in any game with a finite number of possible scores, time to the finish line will often determine placement.

The scorekeeper is responsible for determining faults for copycatting, repeating an obstacle of the same value in consecutive obstacle performance. The dog is not awarded the value of the second obstacle, and will be faulted 5 points instead.

Qualifying

·        Game I – score of 15 points or better

·        Game II - score of 20 points or better

·        Game III – score of 25 points or better

A Discussion of Strategy

Beyond the obvious – plotting a path for the dog in which each obstacle taken needs to be of a different value than the last – this is really a game of understanding how much work (and consequently point scoring) can be accomplished under the standard course time. The dog is penalized a point for every second over standard course time. The penalty for getting to the line too early of course is that the dog might have been productively working and scoring points, a thing that you can surely expect your competition to do.

This means that the handler needs to understand the dog’s rate of travel. It might be useful to do some sequencing of a measured path and then timing how long it takes the dog to do that performance. That is the key to understanding. Note also that technical obstacles, while they have a higher point value, also degrade the dog’s overall yards per second (YPS) performance.

As much as possible the handler should plot a smooth working path for the dog. Technical turns also tend to degrade the dog’s overall rate of travel.

A difficulty in a game like Copycat is that the handler might have to readapt the strategy on the fly. If a dog volunteers for an obstacle that was not in the plan, then the handler should make those quick mental calculations that prevent the Copycat fault.

A greater difficulty might arise from the unexpected fault. For example, if the handler is running a nice clean Tunnel-Jump-Tunnel sequence (for a 3-1-3) score, if the dog actually drops the bar on the jump then the 1-point is not earned so going on to the next pipe tunnel will be a Copycat fault. During the walk-through the handler needs to remind himself of the potential for this fault and steel himself for an alternate plan of action should the dog drop the bar. This will call for spot on timing and intrepid nerves.