First USDAA Trial this weekend

[Dragoon 45]

Zipp and I are off to our first USDAA Trial this weekend in OKC. I entered him in 20" P-I, as I did not want him jumping 26" in Starters. Every measurement he has had so far has him just a hair over 21", which if I read the rules correctly would require him to jump 26" if he was in Starters.

 

I'm not a fan of AKC Trials, went to one and walked away with a very bad taste in my mouth. But I will say that the AKC Agility Program seems to be somewhat saner on the jump heights required for the dogs. Zipp is only required to jump 22" in AKC.

 

Can anyone tell me why there is such a difference in jump heights between the two?

[alligande]

26" is the international standard for big dogs, AKC has evolved to be agility for all types of dogs while USDAA is a competitive venue. Where I competed in the North East performance was a bigger class than regular, owners choice as to what they feel is right for their dogs. Have fun and enjoy my favorite venue.

[mum24dog]

Do you consider 21in to be on the small side? Seems perfectly normal to me and if I'm honest, if a dog of that size can't jump 26in easily and comfortably I would be wondering if there was something amiss. Certainly we would advise a club member to get their dog looked at.

 

I appreciate that you will have had it drummed into you that lower jumps are easier on the dog but in reality those of us who have been involved in competing over 26 or even 30in jumps for many years with dogs over 17in (or even shorter) know different. It seems to make sense that lower will be safer but it isn't as simple as that. Different heights of jump causes different stresses and how hard you train is going to have more of an effect on your dog than a few runs in competition every now and again. What you do with your dog in everyday life is even more significant.

 

If you haven't trained at 26in I wouldn't try it for the first time in competition though.

 

FCI international standard for Large dogs is 26in and many agility countries throughout the world are members of the FCI. The UK KC isn't a member but uses the same heights at present. Whatever you may think of the FCI as a pedigree only organisation (and my opinion isn't fit to express on here) you would think that it would have an interest in setting heights at a level that would show a wide range of breeds in a good light. I don't know why the AKC has chosen to do differently.

 

What one person considers "sane" can be very different from another. To me it makes no sense to invent a sport that involves jumping over obstacles and then to lower the height to a level that the dog can almost stride over. Sport to me involves physical effort and I love to see dogs fly.

 

We do have minor organisations offering lower heights and it's often those people whose dogs don't have a great height to weight ratio or conformation who take advantage. Interestingly, although Greg Derrett's own UKA offers lower heights he competes at 26in himself and has said in the past that he trains at 30in, although presumably not all the time, and his dogs are not big. He says that UKA offers the heights it does because that's what his customers want, not because he thinks they are safer.

[Root Beer]

If USDAA doesn't suit, you might want to look into UKI. It is developed as a competitive venue, but does not have the jump heights that USDAA does. I am fairly certain that I am going to go into UKI with Bandit. I tried it with Tessa and LOVED it, but she doesn't have the speed for it and I am very happy with CPE with her, anyway. (I only tried UKI with her because I wanted to see if it was something I might want to do with Bandit when the time comes).

 

Of course, CPE is my favorite, and it has gotten a lot tougher over the years (it is a worthy challenge for Team Tessa), but if you are looking for something more competitive, UKI might be worth looking into.

 

I hope all goes well for you at your trial this weekend! Enjoy!!

[gcv-border]

AFAIK, there is not a 22" jump class in AKC - either 20" or 24" or 26" (and of course the lower jump heights too). My dog was measured at 20.75 and jumps in the 20" class.

 

But, he is a very flat jumper. I have read anecdotes and opinions that jumping a little higher (24" or 26") may actually be less stressful on his shoulders. If anyone knows of any studies that have attempted to determine the different levels and types of stresses on a canine body (shoulder particularly) at different jump heights, I would love to read it.

 

I do occasionally train at 24" because IMHO he is a 'lazy' jumper - not having to elevate very much to get over the 20" jump height. The higher jump height makes him think about jumping rather than just banging through the course.

[mum24dog]

AFAIK, there is not a 22" jump class in AKC - either 20" or 24" or 26" (and of course the lower jump heights too). My dog was measured at 20.75 and jumps in the 20" class.

 

But, he is a very flat jumper. I have read anecdotes and opinions that jumping a little higher (24" or 26") may actually be less stressful on his shoulders. If anyone knows of any studies that have attempted to determine the different levels and types of stresses on a canine body (shoulder particularly) at different jump heights, I would love to read it.

 

I do occasionally train at 24" because IMHO he is a 'lazy' jumper - not having to elevate very much to get over the 20" jump height. The higher jump height makes him think about jumping rather than just banging through the course.

 

Sorry but I don't know how to copy links on this tablet. Google Schamhardt University of Utrecht on the kinetic forces of dog agility.

[gcv-border]

mum24dog -- Thanks for that suggestion. Looking forward to the read.