How to Start Competing in Agility in Belgium (licence, workbook, classes)

You've been training for a while, your dog loves the equipment and your instructor thinks you're ready. So how do you actually enter a competition in Belgium? The answer depends on which organisation you compete with. Belgium has several, each with its own paperwork. This guide walks through the practical steps for VOE and DSAB, the two organisations most of our readers start with, and then for KKUSH, the FCI route.

If you aren't sure how the organisations relate to each other, read Agility in Belgium: The Complete Guide first.

Before any organisation: the basics

Whichever path you choose, a few things are the same:

• Your dog must be registered. Dogs in Belgium must be microchipped and registered in DogID, the official registration platform of the three Belgian regions.
• Your dog must be healthy and fully grown. Every organisation sets a minimum age for competing, usually 18 months. Ask your vet to check your dog over before its first competition.
• You need a club. You can't really learn agility without one, and VOE and KKUSH tie their competition paperwork to club membership. See Finding an Agility Club in Belgium.
• Pick a competition. Upcoming competitions of all the organisations are listed together on our competition calendar.

Competing with VOE

The Hondenfederatie V.O.E. vzw welcomes pedigree dogs, dogs without papers and mixed breeds alike. Its rankings do not distinguish between them.

Step 1: join a VOE club

VOE publishes its member clubs by province on its Hondenscholen (dog schools) page. Not every club teaches agility, so check before you join. Club membership is also how you are insured: VOE's group policy, arranged through Dierenhobby's vzw, covers civil liability and personal accidents during agility competitions, recreational sessions and training (VOE insurance page; conditions updated from 1 July 2026).

Step 2: try the recreational class

VOE has a recreational class ("recreanten") designed for first-timers (VOE youth and recreational page):

• Your dog must never have run in an official VOE agility competition.
• No competition certificate is needed, but your dog's vaccinations must be up to date.
• The dog must be at least 18 months old.
• You run a jumping course and a standard course without weave poles.

It's an ideal way to experience a competition day, from finding the ring to walking the course, without much pressure.

Step 3: get a work certificate (werkcertificaat)

To move into the official classes you need a VOE werkcertificaat. At the time of writing, VOE's info/news page listed these fees, which it describes as recent changes:

• dog with a VOE pedigree: €4 for the booklet
• dog with another pedigree: €4 for the booklet + €12 registration
• dog without a pedigree: €4 for the booklet + €15 registration

Fees change, so ask your club secretary for the current amounts and the application procedure.

Step 4: classes and progression

The VOE sport calendar shows these agility classes at federal competitions:

• Recreational: for newcomers
• Grade 0: the first official grade
• Grade 1
• Open class
• Veterans

There are also youth classes. Young handlers take part in the VOE Belgian Championship and Superprestige, provided they run the required qualifying competitions. VOE's promotion criteria between grades are not published on its website, so ask your club or the VOE agility secretary (contact details are on the sport disciplines page).

Step 5: enter competitions online

VOE competitions are entered online through the VOE events agenda, which shows each event's host club, address, entry fee and whether entries are open. In September 2026, for example, the VOE Belgian Agility Championship (VOE members only) cost €12 to enter.

If you're with another federation

If you belong to another federation, you can still run VOE competitions. Request an IB number from the VOE general secretary. It costs a one-off €9 in administration fees and lets you enter as many competitions as you like. The catch is that you can't count towards the Superprestige or qualify for the VOE Belgian Championship (VOE agility page).

Competing with DSAB

DogSport Agility Belgium (DSAB) runs WAO-style competitions. As well as agility and jumping courses, these include games such as snooker and gamblers.

What we could verify:

• DSAB uses the World Agility Open's five jump heights: 250, 300, 400, 500 and 600 mm, based on your dog's height at the withers (WAO heights). Under WAO rules a dog may jump in a higher division than its measured height.
• DSAB's calendar, entry details and news are published mainly in its Facebook group.
• DSAB competitions count towards WAO selection. To enter the WAO try-outs, a dog must have run at least two DSAB competitions (not counting try-outs) in the 12 months before. It must have entered every discipline offered on those days (selection rules for WAO 2027).

DSAB does not publish its entry requirements on an open website. That includes any minimum age, measuring procedure, licence or proof of insurance. Ask in the Facebook group or contact the organisers before your first event, and check whether your federation's insurance covers you at DSAB events.

Competing with KKUSH (the FCI route)

Section 4C of the KKUSH is the route to FCI competitions and championships. It has the most steps:

1. Join a KKUSH-recognised club. Every handler must belong to a KKUSH-recognised club and name it when entering.
2. Pass the social behaviour test. This applies to dogs at least 9 months old, with or without a pedigree. The fee was €10 when we checked, and the handler must be at least 12 (Section 4C social test page). A test passed under another Belgian federation doesn't count if you switch to a KKUSH club.
3. Request a workbook (werkboekje / carnet de travail). You request the green Section 4C workbook through mykkush.be once your dog has passed the social test. According to the March 2026 procedure, you receive an invoice, and the workbook normally arrives about 14 days after payment.
4. Pass the TAP (Toelating tot Agility Programma / Licence Programme d'Agility). This is a simple course using every obstacle type and no more than five jumps, judged by two Belgian KKUSH judges. Dogs must be at least 15 months old, and you need fewer than 16 faults to pass. If you fail, you get one retry on the day (Section 4C TAP page).
5. Enter competitions through SmarterAgility once your dog is at least 18 months old.

Key KKUSH rules from the current Belgian competition regulation, which has applied since 9 May 2025 (Section 4C regulation, PDF):

• Measuring. Two Belgian agility judges measure your dog with a measuring arch and record its category (S, M, I or L) in the workbook. A dog that can't be measured can't take the TAP or compete.
• Pedigree. Dogs without a recognised pedigree compete with a crossed-out workbook. Prizes awarded under KMSH supervision go only to dogs with a pedigree recognised by the KMSH.
• Grades. Dogs move from Grade 1 to 2 and from Grade 2 to 3 based on clear rounds. Promotion from Grade 1 is compulsory after 15 clear agility rounds, and from Grade 2 after 10 valid results. There is also a veterans class (dogs over 7) and junior classes (U12, U15, U19).
• Entries. Entries open two months before an event and close three weeks before, or earlier if the event is full. You can't pay at the venue.
• FCI international competitions (CACIAg) are only for dogs over 24 months with an FCI-recognised pedigree. See FCI Agility Rules Explained.

KKUSH members are insured through the licence system, which has run since July 2021 (VdA-AdD licences).

Quick comparison

Your first competition day

Whichever organisation you choose, the day itself is similar: check in, have your documents ready, walk the course, warm up and wait for your turn. Our general guide, Your First Agility Competition: What to Expect, covers the day step by step. The Belgian agility calendar shows when the main events take place.

Useful links

• VOE federation site and VOE online entries
• DSAB on AgilityInfo and the DSAB Facebook group
• WAO jump heights
• Section 4C: taking part in competitions
• mykkush.be and SmarterAgility
• DogID