Well, heck, then OP - I’d start with NADAC - it’s local, the site will be familiar and I’m sure you’ll know a bunch of the folks there already!
That said - here’s a bit of a rundown on venues
AKC - it’s popular, and you can play with any breed or mix at most trials (there are a few trials that limit to dogs of a particular breed, and there are some rare trials that are not open to mixed breeds, but those are fewer and fewer). There are only 6 classes that you can enter in one given day, and two of those (Premier) are limited to Masters level dogs, so for the new team - you’ve got 4 classes (max) in one day. With the exception of FAST (sort of like gamblers choice) you will have to do weave poles on every course. You’ll also need to have good command of the teeter, the table and the tire. Courses vary as each judge designs their own for each trial. Oh, and your dog can do it’s measured jump height or 4" below (called Preferred). And scoring-wise, it’s pretty unforgiving.
NADAC - not as popular in my area, but open to all dogs. Has a wider variety of classes and games, including some that don’t have weaves, others that don’t have contacts, etc. No table, tire or teeter. Helps if you and your dog are comfortable working at distance. Lower max jump heights, and you can go even lower if you run the dog as a veteran. Run by one person, and she apparently designs most of the courses, so I remember hearing people say things like “I remember we did this course at ______ trial 2 years ago.” Dogs have to run without a collar. Titling is sort of complicated to me - but I’m used to AKC titles which are very simple/straightforward. Courses are usually fast and flowy. Sometimes the only difference between the courses for different levels is the time allowed (higher level teams have less time to complete the same course.)
CPE - lots of game classes, doesn’t seem to have as stringent requirements for qualifying scores - have heard it referred to as “Can’t Perform Elsewhere” which seems a bit mean to me. There are a couple of options to allow dogs to jump lower heights. The friend I have who runs it really enjoys it.
USDAA - I haven’t run it, but understand it’s pretty technical and has smaller contact zones, and the A-frame is higher. It used to be that USDAA people would say that AKC courses were easier, but apparently that’s changing. Has higher jump heights than AKC - my 8" dog would have to jump 12" in order to compete at Championship level, though I could drop her to 8" to run “Performance” level.
UKI - Once again, haven’t run it, but I hear it’s fun and can be technical. I think you can “transfer” in to start at a level that matches where you run at other venues - so my MACH dog wouldn’t have to run against true Novice dogs - I could just start her at an equivalent level.
As far as frequency of trialing? It depends - I used to say that I averaged one weekend a month (a weekend might be a 3 or 4 day trial), but then there were a couple of months with two or three trials nearby. And then I started wanting to do more trials because I wanted to finish a MACH, and now we’re trying to qualify for Invitationals, so that means trialing as often as my work schedule and checkbook allow - we’ve got a couple of 4-5 consecutive weekend runs coming up between now and the end of June. Some folks I know trial every weekend (and some weekdays) - so they could be doing 49 or 50 weekends a year. I know other folks who trial one or two days at local trials only, so they might only get 7 or 8 days a year - it’s really up to what you and your dog can handle.
