Competitions

**Competitions** (Japanese: **大会**, **Taikai**) are one of the main features of *Nintendogs* and *Nintendogs + Cats*. They are events that judge the player's dog by how well said dog has been trained in certain skills. Performing well enough will allow the dog to win prizes and possibly move onto a higher rank. In *Nintendogs* Ted Rumsworth and Archie Hubbs commentate over the competitions while in *Nintendogs + Cats* Ted Rumsworth commentates alone.

*Nintendogs* hosts the Disc Competition, Agility Trial, and the Obedience Trial. *Nintendogs + Cats* replaces the Agility Trial with Lure Coursing.

## Classes and Cups

*Nintendogs* defines the ranks by the term "classes" while *Nintendogs + Cats* uses "cups". The contests will become more difficult with every advance in rank and there may be new obstacles introduced, such as sand pits in the Disc Competition Pro Cup.

### ***Nintendogs***

All *Nintendogs* competitions have a Beginner Class, Open Class, Expert Class, Master Class, and Championship Class. When competing in a competition the player will be up against three other neighbors. The player must achieved a certain goal (like getting a certain amount of points) in order to pass up to the next rank. They do not need to be first place to win. If the player gets fourth place, they will not receive any prize money.

 Open
 Expert
 Master
 Championship

### ***Nintendogs + Cats***

In this game the play will always be up against two other neighbors, who the player will have to surpass in order to move onto the next rank.

## Disc Competition

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The competition revolves around flying discs and a dog's ability to catch them. The player must earn as many points as possible within a time limit to succeed. The farther the player throws a disc, the more points earned. They will also get one bonus point if their dog jumps to catch a disc. There are bonus areas introduced in *Nintendogs + Cats* Amateur Cup where two additional points will be added if a dog catches a disc in here. If a dog drops the disc or misses it before it hits the ground, no points will be earned.

To prepare for these competitions, the player should work on getting their dog to automatically return thrown items. Additionally they may want to work on getting to catch a disc at far distances and such training can be achieved at local parks, which have a bigger open area than the player's own home.

## Agility Trial

The Agility Trial tests the player's pets on how well they can maneuver throughout an obstacle course. During the trial the player must complete obstacles with few (or no) mistakes within a time limit in order to pass. The player must guide them by tapping on the various obstacles to encourage their dog to complete them, as well as dragging the stylus through other obstacles to guide or stop their dog. The player can train their pet at the gym and will encounter different gym layouts depending on what rank their dog is in.

## Obedience Trial

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Obedience Trials are revolved around a dog's ability to perform a variety of tricks and occasionally hold them for a certain period of time. Each trial rank has different tricks that will need to be performed, which the player must educate themselves on. The system will need a proper, working microphone in order to talk to dogs and complete trials, as the player is not allowed to perform tricks by using their stylus.

In *Nintendogs + Cats* the player will earn one extra point to their score if their pet shows up with their coat status being beautiful.

## Lure Coursing

Lure Coursing is a race against two other dogs, with the owners having to use lures to guide their dog along a set track. Dogs will chase the lures, but may give up if the lure is going too fast or catch the lure if it is going too slow. The player may need to slow down, speed up, or stop their lure completely to deal with certain obstacles. The player can honk their lure in order to either catch their dog's attention or honk to get their dog off a lure (in case the dog is playing with it).

## ​Trivia

* In *Nintendogs* the player can enter a dog that is filthy.
* There is a typo when the player tries to enter their dog into the competition when their dog is either thirsty or hungry. When the player tries to do it, the notice will say "You can't enter the competition when it's thirsty/hungry!" This was fixed in Nintendogs + Cats.