FCI Agility Rules 2026 - Obstacle Dimensions & Course Design Reference
Complete reference for dog agility course designers, judges and instructors. Covers obstacle dimensions, spacing requirements, competition categories and course design regulations under FCI rules - the international standard for dog agility competitions.
Whether you are designing an FCI-compliant competition course, planning your club's training layout, or studying for your judging exam, this page covers the essential obstacle dimensions and course design rules from the FCI agility regulations. Use it alongside the PixelGate course designer to build regulation-compliant courses at real metric scale.
§1 - Obstacle dimensions (top-down, meters)
Top-down ground footprint used by the PixelGate course editor for obstacle placement, spacing checks and AI import. Each obstacle's footprint determines its no-fly zone for the dog's trajectory.
| Obstacle | Width | Length | Category | Repeatable |
|---|
| Single hurdle | 1.25 | 0.5 | jump | ✅ |
| Spread hurdle | 1.25 | 0.5 | jump | - |
| Wall | 1.25 | 0.4 | jump | - |
| Tyre | 1.25 | 0.5 | jump | - |
| Long jump | 1.3 | 1.35 | jump | - |
| Weave poles | 0.8 | 6.6 | weave | - |
| Tunnel | 0.6 | 5.0 | tunnel | ✅ |
| Dog-walk | 0.3 | 10.5 | contact | - |
| A-frame | 1.15 | 4.2 | contact | - |
| See-saw | 0.3 | 3.7 | contact | - |
§2 - Severity model
| Level | Blocks? | Colour |
|---|
| ERROR Physics/structural | ✅ Prevented in editor | Red |
| WARNING FCI conformity | - | Amber |
| INFO Advice | - | Blue |
§3 - ERROR: physics & structural
- Min clearance between footprints: ≥ 1.0 m (
MIN_GAP_M) - only exception: tunnel under dog-walk/A-frame. - Illegal overlap: every other overlap is forbidden.
- Inside the ring: footprint must stay within field borders.
- Tunnel z-order: drawn below everything (draw-order 0).
- Auto-trajectory: avoids non-traversed obstacles (blocked areas).
- Numbering: start = 1, finish = last.
§4 - WARNING: FCI breaches (non-blocking)
Applied under FCI/CSEN profiles. Training shows physics only.
| Check | FCI value |
|---|
| Surrounding short side | ≥ 24 m |
| Field area | ≥ 960 m² |
| Obstacle count | 15-22 |
| Jumps (min) | ≥ 7 |
| Weave on every course | ≥ 1 |
| Weave used at most once | ≤ 1 |
| Tunnel performances max | ≤ 5 |
| First obstacle kind | jump, wall, tyre, long jump |
| Last obstacle kind | + spread |
| Jumping → no contacts | 0 contacts |
| Agility → contact types | ≥ 3 |
| Agility → total contacts | ≤ 4 |
| Spread in level 1 | not allowed |
| Min consecutive spacing | ≥ 5 m |
| Course length max | ≤ 220 m |
§5 - INFO: FCI advice
| Check | FCI value |
|---|
| Max straight-line spacing | ≤ 7 m |
| Course length min | ≥ 100 m |
§6 - Timing (SCT / MCT)
| Metric | Rule |
|---|
| Course length | Dog path (tunnels added, not wheeled) |
| SCT (national) | length ÷ chosen speed (m/s) |
| MCT | Agility: length ÷ 2.5 m/s · Jumping: ÷ 3.0 m/s |
§10.1 - FCI categories (withers height)
| Category | Height |
|---|
| S (Small) | < 35 cm |
| M (Medium) | ≥ 35 and < 43 cm |
| I (Intermediate) | ≥ 43 and < 48 cm |
| L (Large) | ≥ 48 cm |
§10.2 - Ring & course composition
| Item | Value |
|---|
| Ring (course area) | ≥ 20 × 40 m |
| Surrounding area | ≥ 24 × 40 m |
| Course length | 100-220 m |
| Obstacle count | 15-22 |
| Jumps (min) | ≥ 7 |
| Tunnel performances max | 5 |
Standard judge's set: 14 hurdles, 1 tyre, 1 wall, 1 dog-walk, 1 A-frame, 1 see-saw, 1 weave, 1 long jump, 4 tunnels.
§10.3 - Spacing & distances
| Measure | Value |
|---|
| Min on dog's path (consecutive) | ≥ 5 m |
| Max straight-line (consecutive) | ≤ 7 m |
| Max on dog's path (consecutive) | ≤ 9 m |
| Clearance around every obstacle | ≥ 1 m |
§10.4 - Course-design constraints
- Natural handling side changes: ≥ 2.
- First obstacle: single hurdle, wall, long jump or tyre.
- Last obstacle: single or spread hurdle, wall, long jump or tyre.
- Weave: required on every course.
- Jumping: no contacts. Agility: ≥ 3 contact types, ≤ 4 total contacts.
- Spread hurdle: not in level 1.
- Tunnel: always full length, one bend only (no S-shape).
- Between 1st and 2nd use of same hurdle: ≥ 6 obstacles (with primary) or ≥ 8 (without).
§10.5 - Obstacle dimensions (cm)
Jumps
| Obstacle | Height L/I/M/S | Width |
|---|
| Single hurdle | 55-60 / 45-50 / 35-40 / 25-30 | 120-130 |
| Spread hurdle | 55-60 / 45-50 / 35-40 / 25-30 | front 120-130, back +10-20 |
| Wall | 55-60 / 45-50 / 35-40 / 25-30 | 120-130 |
| Tyre | aperture 80 / 70 / 55 / 55 | aperture Ø 50-60 |
| Long jump | units 15→28 | front 120, back up to 150 |
Contacts & others
| Obstacle | Height | Length | Contact zone |
|---|
| Dog-walk | 120-130 | 360-380 per ramp | last 90 |
| See-saw | 60 at pivot | 360-380 | last 90 |
| A-frame | apex 170 | 265-275 per ramp | last 106 |
| Tunnel | - | 300-600 | - |
| Weave poles | poles 100-120 | 12 poles @ 60 | - |
§10.6 - Standard & Maximum Course Time
| Time | Rule |
|---|
| SCT (international) | Fastest dog with fewest faults, + 15%, rounded |
| SCT (national) | Course length ÷ chosen speed (m/s) |
| MCT | Agility: ÷ 2.5 · Jumping: ÷ 3.0 |
§10.7 - Start / Finish
- ≥ 6 m clear space for natural line at both start and finish.
- First & last must be a jump (hurdle, wall, tyre, long jump).
- If timing cannot sit on wall/tyre/long jump → first must be a single hurdle.
§10.8 - Obstacle-specific marking
| Obstacle | Outcome |
|---|
| Spread hurdle | judged as a single hurdle |
| Tyre | break-away on refusal = E; break-away while passing = 5 F |
| Long jump | not completed = R; knock a unit = 5 F |
| Dog-walk / A-frame | ascending ramp not touched = E; leave before down contact = R |
| See-saw | leave before pivot = R; board not touching ground = 5 F |
| Tunnel | incorrect attempt (e.g. jumping over) = R |
| Weave | wrong entry = R; back-weaving > 2 gates = E |
Legend: E = elimination · R = refusal (5 F) · F = fault (5 F).
§10.9 - Classes, levels & eligibility
- Classes: Agility (with contacts) · Jumping (no contacts).
- Levels 1/2/3 differ in course length, difficulty and SCT speed.
- International: dogs > 24 months, FCI pedigree, chipped/tattooed.
- National: dogs > 18 months, with or without pedigree.
§10.10 - Judge course-plan submission (championships)
- 4 plans: 2 Agility + 2 Jumping, all level 3.
- One plan per category: L, I, M, S.
- Ring 24 × 40, grid 1 × 1 m or 2 × 2 m.
- Show dog's path + judge's path + 3 equipment stewards.
- Across all 4 plans, every obstacle must be used at least once.
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