ISC vs AKC Agility

Regular AKC here means Master Standard and Jumpers With Weaves, since that's the level most handlers compare ISC with. Every row comes from the AKC agility regulations.

In regular AKC the course speed for each height is set in the rules. In ISC the judge picks a speed from a range AKC gives, and even the slowest speed in that range is faster than the Master speed for the same height. So a dog that makes Master time with a little to spare can still pick up time faults in ISC.

All speeds are in yards per second. The course time is the length of the course divided by the speed, so a faster speed means less time. In ISC, dogs jumping 8 and 12 inches share the same course time.

These are the ones people usually learn in the ring, which is a fine way to learn and a less fine way to finish a run.

In ISC you choose between your dog's AKC height and its FCI height. The FCI categories are cut at different places from AKC's, so some dogs move up a height when they jump their FCI height. Here's every size, measured at the withers, with the rows where the ISC height is higher in bold:

If you're only running ISC for fun, your AKC height is the easy choice. The FCI height matters when you're counting runs toward the World Team Tryouts, because only clean ISC runs at the FCI height count. There's also no Preferred class in ISC: a Preferred dog jumps its Preferred height and is placed with the Regular dogs of the height above, so a P16 dog is placed with the 20s.

Both are where AKC handlers go for harder, more international-looking courses, but they're built for different things.

If you want a title to show for it, Premier is your class. If you want to see how your dog handles an international course and still get a placing when things go a little sideways, ISC is the friendlier ring.

A few quick questions, and what each answer means for your entry.

1. 1

   Is this a weekend for MACH points or double Qs?

   ISC won’t add anything to that count. Enter it for the fun and the practice, or save your dog’s legs for Master.

2. 2

   Does your dog love long, open lines?

   ISC courses are usually built to let dogs run, so a striding dog often enjoys them.

3. 3

   Can you send your dog to a back side and turn them with a word?

   Try Level 2 or 3. If not yet, Level 1 is a calm first look, and nobody minds.

4. 4

   Thinking about the World Team Tryouts?

   Enter at your dog’s FCI height, at Level 2 or 3, because those are the clean runs that can count.

5. 5

   Running a Preferred dog?

   Go for it, just know your dog is placed with the Regular dogs of the height above.

• Pick a level. Any level is open to your dog, and Level 1 is a gentle first look.
• Choose your height. Your AKC height is simplest, and your FCI height is the one that counts toward the World Team Tryouts.
• Read the premium list. It says which ISC classes are offered, whether the club uses FCI-style tire, broad jump or spread jump, and whether a class is a World Team Bye class.
• Expect a quicker course time than you’re used to at Master.
• If a bar comes down, keep going. The run can still place.
• Remember that a wrong course is an elimination.
• Write the run down afterwards, with the height you jumped in the notes.

ISC is based on FCI rules, so it's good practice for an event overseas, but a few things are stricter at a real FCI trial. Time faults are counted to the hundredth of a second, so running 3.72 seconds over costs 3.72 faults, and dogs run without a collar, which can feel strange the first time. Your dog also has to touch the up ramp of the dog walk and the A-frame with all four paws or the run is eliminated, and international FCI trials are only for dogs over 24 months with an FCI recognized pedigree. It's all in the FCI agility regulations.