DockDogs Rules and Regulations 2004 Great Outdoor Games Qualifying Criteria DockDogs Titles DockDogs Dock Specifications DockDogs Rules and Regulations ... updated January 2004 BIG AIR DOGS Rules and Regulations DockDogs Rules and Regulations are protected by copyright law and international treaties. Copyright J4 Promotions, Inc. and ESPN Productions, Inc., 2004. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this material, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. General Rules General Rules The competition team will consist of one dog and one handler only. The handler must show the ability to throw the object while keeping the dog under control as well as then encouraging the dog to jump to the best of his ability. The handler, may, at his option, allow his dog to jump while wearing a collar. This collar can ONLY be a buckle-type collar and cannot include any hanging tags or brackets. Choke collars, prong collars or electronic collars are not allowed once the dog is on the dock. Any collars of this nature must be removed prior to stepping onto the dock. The dog may, of course, be run without any type of collar. Bitches in heat will not be allowed on the dock or within the competition venue. Should a dog appear to be injured or ill, it’s handler will be asked to cease competition until such time as the dog regains health. Examples of injury will include visible limping, bandages, stitches, and open wounds (A “hot spot” is not considered an open wound). Any member of the Competition Committee may notify the Judge of a possible injury or illness. The final decision on the competition status of a dog shall rest solely with the Judge. Should a dog be known to have had a recent injury or be exhibiting bandage wraps, a letter from an accredited veterinarian, on appropriate letterhead, must be presented to the Judge no less that 30 minutes prior to a Wave, stating that the dog is healthy and able to compete, which shall allow the dog to compete. A different, updated letter must be presented to the Judge at EACH event a team may wish to compete. The Dock The competition venue will consist of one dock 40 feet long by 8 feet wide. The dock shall rest no more or less than 24 inches off of the water surface. The surface of the dock shall be a rubber-like or stiff carpet surface that is non-slip when wet (An Astroturf-type surface is NOT acceptable). Scoring The official jump distance will be measured from the end of the dock to the point at which the dog breaks the water closest to the dock, not including the tail. A “dropped leg” that skims the surface of the water, but does not break the surface of the water as the dog enters will not be counted. The Head Judge will evaluate all jumps electronically using digital video stop-action technology developed by ESPN’s MIS Department. The dog / handler teams will be ranked within each round according to their jump distances – highest to lowest. At any time, a competitor may elect to “pass” on any jump and will receive a jump distance for that jump of 0 feet and 0 inches. A jump will be considered official upon the handler’s Chase Object hitting the water and the dog retrieves it (i.e. the jump will be counted regardless of whether the dog stops, jumps from a stand, jumps off the side of the dock, etc…) Resolving Ties Should there be a tie between two or more dogs, each dog’s second longest jump distance will be used as a tiebreaker. During the Medal Round of any event, should two or more dogs be tied at the end of the Round, a one jump “jump-off” will occur. The longest jump of the “jump-off” will be declared the winner. Competition Flow The running order for each Wave / Group will be determined by Random Draw. This running order will be announced in the staging area immediately preceding the start of the competition. The Head Judge or another DockDogs official will hold a Judges Briefing prior to the start of each Wave at all events. Attendance of competitors at this meeting is not required, but is highly recommended. Should an object to used to entice the dog to jump into the water, this object must be throwable, floatable and retrievable. Examples of an acceptable object would be a bumper, a ball, a Dead Fowl Trainer, a Frisbee, etc…. No other device will be allowed other than a throwable, floatable, retrievable object. The dog shall not be required to retrieve the object in order to receive a score. The handler may choose to release his dog at any time, regardless of when he releases his chase object. All competitors within each Wave will be broken down into Groups of no more than 15 dogs each. One group at a time, each dog will be given one jump in rotation order; after the rotation of all dogs has been completed, all dogs will then take a second jump in rotation order. Disqualifications Any abuse of dogs. This includes any harsh correction and collar jerks of a dog during or outside of competition. Any use of performance enhancing substances or devises is strictly prohibited. Use of such will result in immediate disqualification. Any unsportsmanlike behavior: the Head Judge and Event Committee will determine what is disrespectful, aggressive or questionable. Dog aggression will not be allowed in any form. Additionally, it is the responsibility of the handler to ensure their canine partners are not put in any conditions or situations that may provoke their dog or other dogs. The handler may NOT jump into the water at any time. Doing so may result in disqualification. Pushing or pulling a dog into the water, up the stairs to the dock or on the dock may result in disqualification. Practicing or training a dog on a competition dock within 24 hours of a competition on that dock without DockDogs personnel present may result in disqualification. Consumption of alcoholic beverages on the competition venue at any time during a competition, or display of drunkenness, may result in disqualification. Not “cleaning up” after your dog may result in disqualification. Likewise, allowing a dog to “mark” anywhere within the competition venue may results in disqualification. Event Formats Open Competition Format Number of Competitors: Limited only by event constraints Open Rounds Format The competition running order will be determined by random draw. Each dog will receive two competition jumps. Each dog will take a first jump and receive a jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a second jump and receive and second jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a third jump, if possible, and receive and third jump distance score. The longest of the two/three jumps will be assigned as that dog’s Open Round Score. At any time, a competitor may elect to “pass” on any jump and will receive a jump distance for that jump of 0 feet and 0 inches. The dogs will be ranked 1 – ?? based on the longest to shortest Open Round Score. Finals Format Number of Competitors: Twelve competitors Finals: Round One The competition running order will be determined by random draw. Each dog will take a first jump and receive a jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a second jump and receive and second jump distance score. The longest of the two jumps will be assigned as that dog’s Round One Score. At any time, a competitor may elect to “pass” on any jump and will receive a jump distance for that jump of 0 feet and 0 inches. The dogs will be ranked 1 – 12 based on the longest to shortest Round One Jump Distance. The top FOUR competitors will move onto the Medal Round. Finals: Medal Round The order of competition will be determined by the reverse order of the 1 – 4 rankings from Round One. Each dog will take a jump and receive a jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a second jump and receive and second jump distance score. The longer of the two jumps will be assigned as that dog’s Final Round Score. At any time, a competitor may elect to “pass” on any jump and will receive a jump distance for that jump of 0 feet and 0 inches. The dogs will be ranked 1 – 4 based on the longest to shortest Final Round Jump Distances. GOG, Championship Series & National Championship Formats Number of Competitors: Twelve competitors Round One The competition running order will be determined by random draw. Each dog will take a first jump and receive a jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a second jump and receive and second jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a third jump and receive and third jump distance score. The longest of the three jumps will be assigned as that dog’s Round One Score. At any time, a competitor may elect to “pass” on any jump and will receive a jump distance for that jump of 0 feet and 0 inches. The dogs will be ranked 1 – 12 based on the longest to shortest Round One Jump Distance. The top EIGHT competitors will move onto Round Two Round Two The order of competition will be determined by the reverse order of the 1 – 8 rankings from Round One. Each dog will take a jump and receive a jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a second jump and receive and second jump distance score. The longer of the two jumps will be assigned as that dog’s Round Two Score. At any time, a competitor may elect to “pass” on any jump and will receive a jump distance for that jump of 0 feet and 0 inches. The dogs will be ranked 1 – 8 based on the longest to shortest Round Two Jump Distances. The top FOUR competitors will move onto the Medal Round Medal Round The order of competition will be determined by the reverse order of the 1 – 4 rankings from Round Two. Each dog will take a jump and receive a jump distance score. Keeping the same order, each dog will then take a second jump and receive and second jump distance score. The longer of the two jumps will be assigned as that dog’s Final Round Score. At any time, a competitor may elect to “pass” on any jump and will receive a jump distance for that jump of 0 feet and 0 inches. The dogs will be ranked 1 - 4 based on the longest to shortest Final Round Jump Distances. Divisions and Titles Divisions and Titles Definitions DockDogs has developed the following Divisions in order to allow competitors to be competitive at their current level of jumping and work toward additional milestones in advancement. Division ribbons and titles are awarded to a Dog / Handler Team Title Jump Distance Range Novice 0’1” -- 9’ 11” Junior 10’0” -- 14’ 11” Senior 15’0” -- 19’ 11” Master 20’0” -- 22’ 11” Elite 23’0” and above Progression toward Titles Within each WAVE of competition within any sanctioned DockDogs event, a Team can secure ONE leg toward a title based on their overall SCORE If a Team competes in a Finals round at a sanctioned DockDogs event, they will earn a division leg based on their longest jump in the Finals. A Title is earned by accumulating FIVE legs within one division. Once a title has been earned, the Team may be referred to by the Title they have earned and the appropriate initials can be added to end of the dog’s name. A Team that has earned a Division Title will continue to compete for overall event standings within each event as well as a spot in the National Rankings. Divisions and Titles Specifics Event Formats Earning a LEG towards a Division Title in Open Rounds A Team earns a LEG toward a Division Title every time they compete in an Open Wave. A Team may compete in as many Waves as is allowed for that event. A dog may only compete once within each Wave. The Team’s longest recorded jump in a Wave will earn that Team a LEG towards a Division Title. Earning a LEG towards a Division Title in the Finals Round The Team’s longest recorded jump in the Finals will earn that team a LEG towards a Division Title, regardless of which Round within the Finals the jump occurred. Ribbons All Teams placing within a Division within each wave will be ranked. Ribbons will be awarded for all placements 1st through 5th. Dogs placing 6th or below will receive a Qualifying Ribbon within that Division. Divisional Ribbons will be awarded within fifteen minutes following each Wave or Finals Round. Handlers or a representative must be present to receive ribbons; ribbons and awards will NOT be mailed. Earning a Division Title A total of 5 matching legs are required to earn a Division Title. A Team may, over the course of competitions, earn legs in more than one division. A title will be awarded upon completion of five legs in one division. A more advanced title will be awarded upon completion of five legs in the next higher division, but not the lower. Competing with a Division Title Once a Team has earned a Division Title, they shall only earn ribbons in that Division or a higher Division. All dog and handler Teams, whether they are competing with a Division Title or not, still compete for an overall placement within an event. Every Team, weather they are competing with a Division Title or not, shall be included in the yearly national DockDogs rankings. Division Titles can only be earned at sanctioned DockDogs events. A dog can advance forward through the Divisions but can not move back. If at any time during a particular event a Team earns a Division Title or move up to a more advanced Division Title, the change will not be in effect until after the event is over.