Is shoulder height really the best way to set jump heights?

Today is Dog Agility Blogger Action Day, and the topic is “Improving Agility Organizations.”

Jump heights both within and across the various venues have long been a topic of concern for those of who want to run our dogs, want to be competitive, but also want to keep our dogs running for as long as possible. I have Shelties, a breed that quite often falls into “just over” territory, both due to the breed’s extreme variation in height, and their sometimes less-than-optimal structure. I am not going to argue the merits (or lack thereof) of the various organizations’ jump heights–but I do think we should consider HOW we measure dogs for Agility.

*PLEASE NOTE: This post does not address measuring for international competition at all. Obviously any competitor interested in competing internationally will have to comply with international standards.

Front structure impacts shoulder height

My second Agility dog, Charlie, I got as a rescue dog and at the time, had very little idea of how structure affects both the dog’s ability to extend over jumps, and the impact jumping has on the dog’s body. Charlie, it turned out, had very straight shoulders–so straight that measured at the normal spot for measuring (the top of the withers) he consistently got measurements of right at 15″ or slightly under–whereas if the wicket slipped at ALL behind the highest point of the withers, he measured closer to 13″. The effect of this was, of course, that he jumped 16″ (initially 18″ in USDAA) in the venues we competed in at the time–landing on straight, high shoulders that really couldn’t take the impact. Even with all the want-to in the world (and he had a lot of want-to!) eventually the impact took its toll, and while part of the problem was likely an injury that occurred before I got him, he retired much younger than I would have liked, with arthritis in his shoulders–so bad on one side that you could feel the bones grinding against each other when you picked him up.

Charlie, on the right, having a tug with baby Baci. Charlie was 10 years old and had been retired for close to a year at this point.

Shoulder height can vary

How many times have you watched a dog run and thought “really? That dog is REALLY under 18″?” (or 16″ or whatever). Competitors have many, many strategies for conditioning and setting up a dog in order to get the best possible measurement. Taking a LOT of weight off (so the dog is practically skeletal) is a fairly common practice, as is stacking the dog to get the shoulders as low as possible, or attempting to lower the dog’s head subtly while getting measured. I have known people to even teach a dog to crouch slightly when the wicket is set on the shoulders (sometimes not by the kindest means).

Most venues require final measurements once the dog is 2 years old. MOST Shelties (and I can assume that this holds true for at least some other breeds as well) chests don’t drop until they are closer to 3 years old. For a dog in an “iffy” range, this can be the difference between 16″ and 22″ (in USDAA) or 16″ and 20″ in AKC.

And then there’s the measurer…

Step up, folks with hairy dogs! How many times has the judge measured HAIR, not the dog? I am sure I am not the only one who has thinned the hair over my dog’s shoulders.

Can there be a better way to measure?

It would require some consideration and development to find the optimal heights for Agility jumping, but yes, I think there is. Flyball organization U-FLI has developed a measuring technique that isn’t impacted by the dog’s conformation, the handler’s strategies, or the measurer’s competence. It involves using a special device to measure the long bone of a dog’s foreleg from the point of the elbow to the accessory carpal bone (Pisiform), the bony protrusion just above the stop or carpal pad. Smaller dogs can be held by the handler to do the measurement, while taller dogs can stand on the floor. It’s extremely quick and much less stressful for the dog (it literally took SECONDS to do).

If it was possible to get an Agility organization interested in measuring this way, it seems to me that dogs could be measured at trials and a database started to cross-reference current jump height, current shoulder height, and foreleg length in order to develop optimal leg length for current jump heights, and eventually, all dogs’ jump heights could be set using this method.  I believe it would lead to a safer, fairer, more accurate means of determining Agility jump heights, and could only benefit our canine partners.

For information on U-FLI’s measuring protocol, check out u-fli.com