Time 2 Beat Class (T2B)

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the Time 2 Beat Class? The American Kennel Club continues with innovations in the sport of agility by offering a new opportunity for exhibitors with the launch of the Time 2 Beat (T2B) titling class. It’s the most interactive class to date where the most accurate, quickest dog sets the pace and all levels – Novice, Open and Excellent – compete against each other on the same course in the same class according to jump height.

    A single course will be challenging for the excellent level, yet still fun for the novice team to run. The single course concept will make it a very time efficient class to run for clubs to add to the day.

    Courses will be built with obstacles from Jumpers With Weaves (JWW), with the option of having one to two contacts included on the course. The setting of the time by exhibitors is different than the current AKC classes (Standard and JWW) where the Standard Course Time (SCT) is set by the course yardage as wheeled by the judge.

    Demo Course 1  |  Demo Course 2  |  Demo Course 3

  2. Does the overall quickest dog set the Time 2 Beat?  No, the dog that posts the quickest time in each jump height sets the T2B for that jump height.
  3. If the dog with the quickest time in each jump height sets the time, how do we know what the maximum course time would be before we run?  Maximum Course Times (MCT) are preset for the T2B class.  They are as follows for each jump height:

    50 seconds for the 20, 24 & 26 inch jump heights
    55 seconds for the 16 inch jump height
    60 seconds for the 4, 8 &12 inch jump heights

  4. Do the Preferred dogs get more time? No, because the quickest Preferred dog in each jump height will set the T2B for the Preferred dogs in that height. 
  5. What is a qualifying score in T2B and how does the dog earn points? If a dog has no course faults and is under MCT for that jump height it will earn a Q and points. The dog within a jump height with the fastest time and no course faults will earn first place and 10 points.  All dogs within that jump height with no course faults and are within 10% of the first place dog’s time will earn 9 points. All dogs within that jump height with no course faults and are within 20% of the first place dog’s time will earn 8 points. This will continue down in 10% increments all the way to dogs who are within 90% or greater, but under the MCT with no course faults, will earn 1 point.
  6. What are the titles my dog can earn and how do they earn them? A dog will need to earn 100 points and 15 qualifying legs to earn a title. Once a dog is awarded a T2B title, points and qualifying legs will reset to zero. The next title would be T2B2, then T2B3 and so on.  T2B titles are not tied to any other AKC agility titles.
  7. I have a moderate speed dog why should I enter this class if it is based on speed?  While speed is a component of this class it is not the only factor. If you have a dog that can hold an efficient line while running the T2B course your dog should do very well. Dogs need to have clean runs to set the time and earn qualifying legs for the class.
  8. I have a novice dog, what is in it for me? It is a chance for you to test your skills on an upper level course allowing you to see where you are with your training.
  9. Is T2B judged the same as a Standard or Jumpers course? No, in T2B there will be no refusals or run-outs called.  Displaced jump bars, wrong course faults and missed contacts will result in a non-qualifying run.
  10. Since there is only one to two contacts (excluding the dog walk) used in T2B, will I know ahead of time what they will be? No, that is up to the judge to decide and exhibitors will know the day of the trial.
  11. How will T2B fit into the trial schedule? That will be up to the club hosting the trial and like the other classes may be run at any time during the trial.
  12. Who can judge T2B starting July 1, 2011 since one course is open to all levels?  The judging panel will still need to be approved by AKC; either an Approved or Provisional judge will be allowed to judge the T2B class. T2B does count toward judging limits like the other three classes.
  13. Can I try this class before July 1, 2011? There are sample T2B courses on the Time 2 Beat Class page on the AKC website that you can practice at home or in class. AKC clubs may still offer T2B as a Special Attraction at their trials, so keep an eye out and you may get a chance to try it at a show near you.