Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA)

The Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) runs an all-breed agility program — you don't need an Aussie. Three class types (Regular, Jumpers, Gamblers) each run through three levels (Novice, Open, Elite), and the premier title is the Agility Trial Champion (ATCH). ASCA's distinctive accessibility feature is ACE (Agility Competition Enthusiast): dogs jump one height lower with extra course time — a true lower-impact pathway that runs alongside the standard program rather than as a consolation track.

The Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) runs Rally under its Rally Program Rules, current edition June 2026. Trials are open to all breeds and mixes six months and older, except Specialty trials, which are for ASCA-registered Australian Shepherds only. Aussies enter on their ASCA registration; every other dog needs an ASCA QTracker number, which can be applied for at the trial during day-of-show entry. Every course has 16 to 19 stations worth 10 points each, with judge-marked Star stations worth 20, for 200 total; 170 qualifies, and time only breaks ties. Each level runs three classes: A for newer dogs and handlers who own the dog, B for any handler, and C for dogs that already hold that level's title, where a qualifying score is 190. Handlers may talk, praise and encourage throughout, but food, toys or any other reward carried into the ring is a non-qualifying score.

ASCA's Stockdog Program is rooted in Australian Shepherd working tradition but open to the other herding breeds listed in its rules (and crosses of them) via ASCA registration or a QTracker Number. The program is built around three stock classes — ducks/geese, sheep/goats, and cattle — with title abbreviations carrying a stock suffix (STDc for cattle, STDs for sheep, STDd for ducks). The current Stockdog Rules took effect June 1, 2026.

The Australian Shepherd Club of America (ASCA) runs obedience under its Obedience Program Rules, current edition June 2026. Classes are open to all breeds and mixes six months and older, except Specialty trials, which are for ASCA-registered Australian Shepherds only. Aussies enter on their ASCA registration; every other dog needs an ASCA QTracker number, which can be applied for at the trial. Every class is scored from 200, and a qualifying score needs more than half the points on each exercise and a total of 170 or more. Praise and petting are allowed between and after exercises, but food, toys and bait bags stay out of the ring. The Open level splits in two: Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) keeps the traditional closing exercises, and Open Dog Excellent (ODX) replaces them with two Directed Open Exercises that send the dog to a cone.

ASCA Scent Detection is the Australian Shepherd Club of America's titling scent program, run through ASCA Affiliate Clubs. It frames scent as a working stock dog's fundamental skill and explicitly welcomes veteran and physically challenged dogs. Four levels — Novice → Open → Advanced → Excellent — run across the four elements (containers, interiors, exteriors, vehicles); each element title takes three qualifying scores, and there's no odor-recognition test, so teams enter Novice directly. Open to purebred and mixed-breed dogs — only the National Specialty is limited to ASCA-registered Australian Shepherds.

Australian Shepherd Club of America. Breed-club tracking program (rules amended June 2026) open to any breed or mix: Aussies need ASCA registration, other dogs an ASCA QTracker number. Titles BTD, TD, TDU, TDX, UTDX, Master Tracker, and Tracking Champion — AKC-style names and pass/fail.

ASCA Dock Jumping is the Australian Shepherd Club of America's all-breed dock program, and it mostly works as a title-recognition overlay: a handler competes at an Ultimate Air Dogs (UAD) or International Dog Sports (IDS) event, then submits the results to ASCA with a recording fee to have them count as ASCA titles. Some ASCA Affiliate Clubs also run their own dock events. There are two titling classes — Launch (distance) and Fetch It — and the program is open to all breeds, not just Australian Shepherds. As of 2025, ASCA jumps also count toward IDS titles.