Dog Measuring Policy

Introduction:

The Board of Directors of the Agility Dog Association of Australia Ltd is committed to ensuring that all Dogs competing in restricted classes at ADAA sanctioned events have a true and accurate height recorded.

Purpose:

The purpose of this Policy is to outline the dog measuring rules and avenues for the re-measuring of Dogs.

Policy Statement:

The Board of Directors of the Agility Dog Association of Australia Ltd is committed to supporting the first official measuring of a Dog by an ADAA Judge but recognises that there are situations that this height might change, or that the ability to get an accurate measure of the Dog might improve. The Board respects a registered Owner’s right to request their Dog be re-measured under specific circumstances. The Board also recognises the need for a Judge to be able to request a Dog be (re-)measured to ensure that it is in the correct class for its height. This Policy therefore provides Members and Judges with a means to formally request a re-measure of a Dog and describes those circumstances under which it is permissible.

Definitions:

Dog – a Dog registered on ADAA’s International Programme Register or Regular Programme Register.

Judge – Judge appointed and currently authorised to officiate at ADAA events.

Member – person who is a recognised under one of the categories of membership and is financial.

Owner – Member who is registered, by ADAA, as the Owner of a Dog.

Senior Judge – Level 4 or above Judge.

Responsibilities:

Board of Directors – responsible for assessing applications and authorising applications for height re-measurement.

Judges – responsible for measuring Dogs in accordance with ADAA’s Agility Regulations and this Policy.

Procedure:

1. General policy
   1. Dogs not entered in Maxi Class must be measured by at least one Judge, at a Competition, prior to competing. Dogs must be a minimum of 18 months of age at the date of measuring.
   2. A Dog must have been successfully measured by two Judges (at a Competition) prior to the Owner submitting an application for Title that includes Clear Round, Qualifying, International and/or JHOT Certificates for Toy, Mini and/or Midi Class.
   3. Clear Round, Qualifying, International and/or JHOT Certificates dated on or after 1 July 2006 issued for Dogs that have not been measured, as required under clauses 1.1 and 1.2, may not be used when submitting an application for Title.
   4. The height recorded at the Dog’s first measuring will remain the official ADAA height for the life of the Dog except under the following circumstances:
      1. The Judge(s) noted that the Dog did not stand upright and/or still during the measuring to the extent that the Dog’s correct height Class cannot be determined. In this case the Dog may compete on the day in the higher height Class, however no permanent/ongoing measurement will be recorded and the dog must be re-measured.
      2. All Dogs up to and including 24 months of age at the date of measuring, that are within 20 mm of their height class maximum, must be re-measured after the Dog reaches 24 months of age and before it reaches 30 months of age (unless they are in excess of 500 mm in height, measured at the wither).
      3. Although not usually the case, ADAA reserves the right to nominate specific events in which all Dogs not entered in Maxi Class may be required to be submitted for re-measurement to be eligible to compete in said events. In such case, ADAA will ensure the re-measurement requirement is clearly stated in the Competition Schedule. When an event does have a re-measurement requirement, in case of variation (outside the height class entered and/or previously measured), the measurement must be confirmed at the Competition (prior to competing) by two Judges, at least one of which is a Senior Judge. If a Senior Judge is not available, the measurement must be confirmed at the Competition (prior to competing) by two Judges, at least one of which is a Level 3 (or above) Judge. Once the measurement is confirmed, the most recent measurement will be recorded as the Dog’s official height.
      4. A Dog is re-measured in accordance with this Policy.
2. Policy regarding requests for re-measuring of Dogs by Members and Judges
   1. Members registered with ADAA as the Owner of a Dog that has been measured in accordance with this Policy may apply for the Dog to be re-measured:
      1. The application for re-measuring may be submitted at any time after the first measuring.
      2. Applications are to be made using the “Application for Height Re-measurement” form and submitted to the ADAA Secretary.
      3. The Member must provide an acceptable reason for the re-measure. For example, the Dog has lost weight, or the Dog has been trained to stand better for measuring.
      4. The Director Judging, or their nominated appointee, will assess all Applications for Height Re-measurement. The Director Judging (or nominated appointee) may approve applications (and will advise the Board of Directors accordingly) however recommendations to decline an application will be referred to the Board of Directors for final decision.
      5. As soon as practicable after the review of the application is concluded, the Member must be advised of the outcome and arrangements made for a mutually convenient competition for the Dog to be re-measured.
      6. ADAA reserves the right to select Judges for re-measuring and will normally use Senior Judges.
      7. Members who have had a remeasure of their Dog approved and carried out are entitled to apply for a second re-measure. This second application must be at least six months after the previous date of the actual remeasure.
      8. If a second re-measure is approved, at least one of the Judges must be a Level 4 Judge. Due to circumstances that do not allow a Level 4 Judge to carry out the measurement a Level 3 Judge may be appointed by the Director Judging.
      9. Approval for re-measuring is to remain at ADAA’s discretion.
   2. Judges may submit a request in writing and/or by email to the ADAA Secretary for any Dog to be (re)measured:
      1. The Director Judging (or appointed nominee) will assess all Judges’ requests for height (re)measurement. The Director Judging (or appointed nominee) may approve applications (and will advise the Board of Directors accordingly) however recommendations to decline an application will be referred to the Board of Directors for final decision.
      2. As soon as practicable after the review of the application is concluded, the Judge requesting the (re)measure and the Owner(s) of the Dog must be advised and arrangements made for a mutually convenient competition for the Dog to be re-measured.
      3. ADAA reserves the right to select Judges for (re)measuring and will attempt to use Senior Judges when possible.
   3. Clear Round, Qualifying, International and/or JHOT Certificates for a Dog that has been re-measured will be accepted provided the Dog has competed within the Class(es) it is eligible for in accordance with the most recent prior measurement except if a Member does not make his/her Dog available for measurement at the request of ADAA, as a result of a request by a Judge, within a reasonable timeframe. In the latter case, Clear Round, Qualifying, International and/or JHOT Certificates, dated on or after the initial request by ADAA to present the Dog for measuring, must be within the Class(es) it is eligible for in accordance with the subsequent measurement.
   4. Members cannot present their Dogs for re-measuring without approval. If in the event that a Member does present a Dog for re-measuring without approval and the height is sufficiently different to allow the Dog to enter a lower height class, the second height will be rejected until such time as the process is followed and all Clear Round, Qualifying, International and/or JHOT Certificates awarded under that Class will be cancelled. The original measuring will therefore stand.
3. Method of Measuring
   Height at the withers is measured on the top of the shoulder blade with the Dog standing square with legs perpendicular to the ground line. When measuring the Dog, the surface should be flat and even.
   1. Height Classes
      There are four different height classes, which compete separately. All heights are measured at the wither:
      1. Toy – Restricted to Dogs up to and including 300mm
      2. Mini – Restricted to Dogs up to and including 400mm
      3. Midi – Restricted to Dogs up to and including 500mm
      4. Maxi – No restriction in Dog height

Stakeholders to be consulted prior to policy change:

Board of Directors

Related documents:

Agility Regulations POL-AR-001
Dog Measuring Report FOR-JDG-012
Application for Height Re-measurement Form FOR-MEM-030

Document Number: POL-MEM-030/5
26 November 2019