16.5" dog jumping 22"????

I was thinking....it seems that most dogs seem to jump well at about 2" higher than their height. It's clean, nice arcs, etc. Well, that's what I've noticed when we played with the heights during training. I started jumping Koji at 18-20 because his jumps were nicer, cleaner, and he collected when needed. Versus 16".

Another thought I've always had...is why in USDAA is the height difference 6" btwn 16 and 22. Versus all the other heights that have only a 4" difference. I never understood that either. Do dogs in the 16-22" height range jump differently or better?

And lastly...a vent. I'm still surprised AKC Rally doesn't have two jump options like agility. If i wanted to do Rally Advanced with Miko, my 13 y.o., he'd have to jump 12". That's high for an old pup like him. I'm sure I could get away with jumping 8", but if I was called on it, I'd have to jump 12". Crazy. Well, for Miko.

BTW, I never thought about a height guarantee. Interesting. I guess if I knew I was going to do some major competing, I'd want that too. Those 12" shelties are fast!
 
Just an interesting fun fact... I have two friends who competed in agility toward the beginning (nearly 20 years ago and still compete today). Around 1990, most of the jumps were solid wood, and some of the bigger 16" AKC dogs today at that time would've jumped 32" :x I couldn't imagine doing that with one of mine... It was really wild though. They had an old VHS tape from back then that I got to watch and it was so different from what it is now. Heeling through the courses, very few if any side changes, slow dogs, HUGE solid jumps, wooden contacts, etc.
I think on all of my dogs except Kai I've gotten exactly where I want height-wise for AKC. Mine either are 13.25-13.75 or 15.5-16, which puts them in the perfect height ranges for AKC's ISC classes. I don't mean that Kai is at a disadvantage because of the jump height. After all, 18 isn't a struggle for her, and she is put together nicely enough to where it's not going to hurt her. What I was most worried about was dogs having another 2" of leg on her being faster... but I've run her 18" ISC, and she has come away with the fastest time before. She's fast, and as a smaller dog is more efficient than the dogs pushing 16".
 
I hate to say it, but if you want to be competitive for USDAA's world team (and several other venues as well), you have to have a dog that is a certain height. A dog that is exactly at 15.75" (within the 16" jump height) is at an advantage over all other dogs--this is true in any competition (obviously the size varies between venues). It sort of echoes conformation in that anything over 16" just isn't going to cut it...same in agility. I know a lot of people who need size guarantees when buying an agility puppy (I seem to remember Clantyre mentioning this regarding one of her puppies from her last litter). When I go out to buy a serious agility dog, I am looking for a certain size...I'm not going to pick the biggest or the smallest puppy in the same way that I'm not going to pick one with bad front angulation, etc because USDAA is my venue of choice (and that is if my main goal with my dog is to join the agility world team).

I know this might be delving too deep...but think about what people want to be internationally competitive in flyball. They want speed, brains, endurance AND size. That's why there are a lot of mixed breeds coming onto the scene. Border collie/Staffordshire terrier mix comes to mind (speed and brains + strength and SIZE). These dogs can come in small packages which is beneficial to flyballers.

I say all this to say that people who want to compete on an international level basically have to get their dogs for that purpose. They pick a pup from an agility background, they start their pup as a baby, etc...I'm not saying that this is exclusively true, because there are many, many exceptions.


I guess that's the frustrating part. My pup wasn't expected to grow as big as he is - the breeder expected him to be well under the 16" mark. He had a growth spurt at 8 months. I got him at 8 weeks, and he's been doing foundation training since day 1. He's 16.5 months old right now, and I can't believe how rapidly he's progressing in agility. He's got speed, drive, power, intelligence...he's an awesome dog. In terms of his conformation, he's beautifully balanced - just slightly oversized.

He probably could jump at 22" with proper conditioning, but the general consensus on here is that jumping him at 22" risks his health and will shorten his career, and the thought of that makes me sick. If I have a dog who is fast, smart, athletic, competitive...but 16.5", why should he be less worthy of competing safely at international levels than a dog who is fast, smart, athletic, competitive...and 15.75"? Business or not, isn't the health and safety of the dog more important than anything else?

I wish we had a vet in this area that specialized in performance dogs. It would be nice to have someone to give me guidance on training/conditioning/performing from a medical point of view.
 
3Stars said:

I guess that's the frustrating part. My pup wasn't expected to grow as big as he is - the breeder expected him to be well under the 16" mark. He had a growth spurt at 8 months. I got him at 8 weeks, and he's been doing foundation training since day 1. He's 16.5 months old right now, and I can't believe how rapidly he's progressing in agility. He's got speed, drive, power, intelligence...he's an awesome dog. In terms of his conformation, he's beautifully balanced - just slightly oversized.

He probably could jump at 22" with proper conditioning, but the general consensus on here is that jumping him at 22" risks his health and will shorten his career, and the thought of that makes me sick. If I have a dog who is fast, smart, athletic, competitive...but 16.5", why should he be less worthy of competing safely at international levels than a dog who is fast, smart, athletic, competitive...and 15.75"? Business or not, isn't the health and safety of the dog more important than anything else?

I wish we had a vet in this area that specialized in performance dogs. It would be nice to have someone to give me guidance on training/conditioning/performing from a medical point of view.
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I definitely understand your frustration with the height thing. But, you do have the option of running your dog at the international level at the WAO (World Agility Open) and jumping him at 20". So your pup isn't excluded from competing internationally.

Here's some information on qualifying for the US' team in this event: http://www.worldagilityopen.com/teamdocs/usa_teamselection_2012.pdf

Not every venue is for everyone.
 
Thanks Ashley - I'm Canadian, but I found Team Canada's page as well. I appreciate the knowledge and advice :winkgrin:
 
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