Agility trials are considered a sport for all dogs regardless of their pedigree.

LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — Two familiar names to ESPN Great Outdoor Games' Agility Dog fans will defend their gold medal titles this Sunday at the medal round of the popular event.

In the Small Dog Agility class, Taz, a Shetland Sheepdog handled by veterinarian Jean LaValley of Murfreesboro, Tenn., will make another run for the gold at the finals. On the Large Dog Agility side is Spring, the 2001 gold medal Border Collie owned by Julie Daniels of Sandwich, N.H.

Twenty dogs compete in the Large Dog class with 10 competing in the Small Dog category.

Taz and Spring will face stiff competition from their peers in this contest that combines speed and agility with the fewest mistakes in determining which dogs wear the medals. Taz will catch it from Shimmer, a Shetland Sheepdog handled by Barbara Davis from Newman Lake, Wash. Shimmer is the 2000 and 2001 silver medalist sharing a cumulative score of 130 points with Taz after round one of both the standard and speed rounds.

Spring will be challenged by two other Border Collies, Scout and Secret, the latter dog the defending silver medalist in the Large Dog category. Spring scored 140 points in the preliminaries with Scout and Secret close behind with 144 points each. Scout is handled by Rhonda Carter of Houston while Secret's owner is Stacy Peardot-Goudy of La Porte, Col.

"It's great to be back and compete for another medal in these games," said Peardot-Goudy, a professional agility trials trainer. "What we'll have on Sunday are the top dogs in the sport."

Agility trials are considered a sport for all dogs regardless of their pedigree. Most of the breeds represented here excel in the sport because of their stamina and loyalty to their handlers.

In this sport, a handler directs the dog over a timed obstacle course. At the Great Outdoor Games, there are 20 obstacles ranging from tunnels to teeter-totters and A-frame shaped ramps. The most popular obstacle is the weave, a series of offset poles spaced 19 inches apart.

Scores for the medal round were determined by combining the shortest running time matched to the fewest points deducted for faults such as missing contact with an obstacle. The dog and handler team that completes the rounds with the fewest number of faults is awarded the win.

While the smaller breeds excel at agility, the larger dogs make up in speed. Yet on Sunday what will count the most is consistence.