​So what is a Dog Agility tunnel?
 
Most tunnels in use throughout the world are either hand made by tarpaulin manufacturers or made on a machine whose prime function is to manufacture air ducting.  In both cases the choice of fabric is a lightly woven base material which has been surface coated with a thermo-plastic resin (pvc or similar).  The choice of fabric is critical to the manufacturing process as both the hand-made and machine made tunnels rely on the material being able to be heat welded.
 
In the case of the hand-made variety, pockets are formed on the outside into which a reinforcing pipe is inserted as the method of holding the tunnel in the required shape.  These pipes are generally a plastic material approximately 15mm in diameter spaced at 150 – 200mm intervals and cause the floor of the tunnel to have bumps which can create a bruising hazard.  In the case of the machine made (air ducting type) the shape is retained by way of imbedded continuous spring steel wire usually around 3mm in diameter and most often spaced at 100mm intervals.  This dimension is referred to as pitch.  In poor quality tunnels of this kind, the wires are sometimes neither galvanised (which can cause rusting) nor tempered steel (which can cause the tunnels to go out of shape) plus some have a wide pitch.  Both kinds of tunnel need the thick coating of plastic to form the welds that hold the tunnel together and is possibly the worst fabric that could have been chosen as a base fabric for tunnel manufacture.  The plastic coating has a slippery surface and when wet can cause a dog to completely lose their footing.  There are at least two manufacturers (one in Poland and another in Canada) who surface treat their plastic to offer a surface that is vastly superior to the plain plastic.  However if our tunnels could be made from a fabric that is not plastic coated then the result would be considerably safer.
 
In 2012 I commissioned an Australian company to manufacture a tunnel from woven webbing.  From a technical stand point the prototype was a success but financially it would have meant a finished product far too expensive for our market plus it was difficult to hold the diameter dimension even.
 
For a number of years our company imported and sold an air ducting type of tunnel but we became increasingly disgruntled with the quality.  In a recent experiment we heated a portion of the fabric to melt away the plastic to expose the warp and weft fibres.  We were astounded to find that the base fabric represented little more than that which you would find in a gauze bandage.  It is no wonder that the combination of dog’s claws, the ever increasing speed of the dogs and our harsh levels of UV in New Zealand was leading to the premature demise of these tunnels.
 
Fixing methods
 
During my career in a different industry, I was struck by the comparison of the New Zealand and Australian economies.  In many instances trade custom was dictated in our case by our British heritage but in Australia was more influenced by American trends.  This has extended to agility in many aspects, not the least of which is our method of graduation.  In New Zealand graduation is earned by “winning out” but in Australia by the accumulation of “clear rounds”.  In my opinion this has led to a more aggressive style of agility in New Zealand which in turn puts more strain on the equipment.  This observation is not intended to classify the two agility populations as the best canine athletes of Australia and New Zealand are very much on a par but here we have a greater population of dogs with an aggressive agility style.
 
During my judging opportunities in Australia I quickly learned that it is necessary to adjust the tunnel mouths after every 6 – 10 dog passes ssince the tunnel bags in use in Australia allow the tunnels to move about which creates different experiences between competitors.  I often wondered why tunnel bags were so popular in Australia until I became more aware of the custom in America.  In that country a great many of the events are held indoors and pegging of any kind of tunnel “holder” is not practical.
 
It was probably these experiences that gave birth to my opinion that pegging of tunnels is superior to any kind of sand bag and led to the development of a soft collar that can be pegged.  Looking back I was probably influenced by the traditional methods of tunnel fixing in New Zealand even though I, like many others were nervous about any fixing method that used solid materials (notably timber and/or steel).
 
It is interesting to note that whilst New Zealand seems to be going through a phase of developing a thirst for tunnel bags, the Australians are tinkering with soft collars.

As an advocate of change I hate the expression “back in the good old days”, for I rarely find a situation cannot be improved upon given rational debate and original thinking.  But there is one noticeable exception and this relates to how organisers sometimes plan the layout and execution of large events.  Some take the view that a huge number of rings will ease the running of the schedule and this may be so, although I am not yet convinced.  I have a number of opinions and these are listed in no particular order:-

1. Obtaining and delivering many sets of equipment to the venue creates logistical problems and increases the chances of sub-standard equipment being deployed.  This is particularly so in the case of timers (and displays) plus the increased demand for wings as the new trend develops.
2. The area needed to cater for a large number of rings means that distances between rings has to be larger and areas for parking and camping are by inference further away.  For handlers with multiple dogs this increases stress when clashes occur.
3. More rings running at one time increases the chances of clashes and whilst it is always nice to finish early, that benefit comes a cost of increased incidence of clashes.
4. With a greatly spread out area it is no longer of value to purchase a ringside tent site as chances are you might never (or rarely) compete in the ring you purchase near.  This leads to folk using their car or camper as a base which is likely to be distant from the rings.
5. It is true that a large number of rings increases the time allocated to walk them but is this really of much value.  With an event such as the NZDAC two or three courses might be available for walking for 2-3 hours but it may then be another 1-2 hours before actually running the course. I would much prefer a printed course map.
6. The more rings running at the same time means more manpower which is usually filled by competitors and this only adds to their stress as a result of competition clashes and volunteer duties.
7. One suggestion for NZDAC worthy of note would be to reserve all four days to the traditional classes and schedule less popular events for the Thursday or maybe even the following Tuesday.
8. A second suggestion might be to lengthen the day rather than being hell bent on finishing early.  Hire companies have portable floodlights for rent and could easily extend the competing day from say 8 hours to 10 or more.  This concept would help spread the runs during the day and alleviate stress as was used at last year’s Australian National event in Adelaide.

​Start line procedure
 
The recent changes to regulations has in my opinion further confused competitors and is causing additional delays.  As a result, I thought I would put my thoughts on paper regarding the specific impacts of the changes plus a wider treatise on the way I like events to be organised and controlled when I am judging. In future I will be briefing the ring staff and competitors on these matters prior to the event starting.
 
It has been my observation that the discussion pertaining to these matters is causing delays especially when the scribe is not immediately visible to the competitor when they are preparing their dog.  To this end I now detail the scribe’s position on my course plan (usually in the centre of the holding area) and arrange the first obstacle in such a place that the competitor will be in direct line of sight of the scribe.
 
I will ensure that the event manager’s preference regarding confirmation of the dog’s permanent number is clearly spelled out both to the ring-staff and the competitors.  All too often lately I watch as competitors struggle to catch the eye of the scribe only to find they get no response implying that the scribe is happy with the scribe-sheet in front of them and are not interested in further confirmation.  Personally I like to see an organisation that utilises pads of scribe sheets or alternatively two clipboards (acting like pads) that get exchanged immediately following a dog’s run.  The new pad or clipboard should be handed to the scribe with the number (and handlers name) of the dog already notated.  There should not be more than one scribe-sheet in the hands of the scribe at any one time as this has also been the cause of great confusion on a number of occasions in recent months.  My theory has received some criticism from organisers claiming that too many helpers are needed to staff a ring in the manner described.  It is my experience that lead runners are necessary and that job and number taker can be easily be achieved by one person.  After the new number (and name) has been notated this one person can deliver the next pad to the scribe as they pass carrying the pervious dog’s lead to the end of the course.  On their way back to the next dog to start the pad that has just been used can be collected and filled in with the following dog’s number (and name).
 
I have long since held the view that is the judge’s responsibility to maintain a clear view of the handler even after an elimination has been scored.  This habit I find has the benefit of ensuring the dog breaks the finish wand of the timers so that if this is not the case I can signal to the scribe that the timer needs to be manually stopped.  I get asked at almost every event why a timer failed to record a correct time.  I estimate that the failure to complete this simple check is responsible for the bulk of occasions when a correct time is not recorded.  Personally I do enjoy when a club supplies ringside displays for a number of reasons.  The biggest single benefit is to help in the situation when the dog does not trip the end timer wands but also many a time I would love to have known the time of an eliminated (almost perfect) run just for the sake of my own curiosity and I suspect many a handler would feel the same.