Clean Run - April 2014 - 5

Creating Consistency
and Equity in Spread Jumps
By Nancy Gyes

On January 1, 2014 USDAA changed the jump heights in the
Performance and Championship classes as well as how bars are
set on single jumps. Until January 1, one-bar jumps were allowed
only in Masters classes. Jumps in Starters/Novice and Advanced classes were
required to have two bars placed horizontally with each end of the bar resting on a jump cup. USDAA has now
eliminated this second jump bar for all
levels of competition, essentially allowing all jumps to be one-bar jumps.
I do advocate the use of just one bar
on each jump, but I have concerns that
judges are now allowed at all levels to
place a second bar, not horizontally,
but on an angle, with one end in the
cup just below the jump height and the other end on the ground.
In the past this angled ground bar was used only on spread
jumps, and its primary use was on the parallel double jump to
enable the dog to read the width of the jump. In USDAA and
AKC, we normally see the parallel double jump presented with
two angled ground bars that are crossed underneath the back
bar. AKC requires the jump to be set this way. USDAA is now
leaving the use of either one or two angled bars up to the judge.
So the picture that dogs see of a parallel double jump could be
very similar to a single jump should a judge decide to place an
angled ground bar on some, or even all, of the jumps. Some
judges like to use two bars on a jump, and it is their prerogative
to do so. But when those angled ground bars are used on both
singles and spreads, the potential for dogs confusing a single
jump with a spread jump becomes an issue. I think that if angled ground bars are used, it should only be to differentiate a
parallel double jump from a single jump.
A judge could also choose to use one or two angled ground bars
on the ascending double or triple jump. There have been no
formal research studies regarding whether the use of multiple
bars on jumps helps or hinders the dog. Anecdotal evidence and
vision research done by those of us involved in early takeoff
studies suggests that the more bars there are on a jump, the
more difficult it might be for a dog to find the top bar. These
extra bars can turn an easily visible ascending double jump into
a blurry grey wall.
I feel that spread jumps with two ascending bars and no angled
bars under them, like those used in Europe by FCI, are easier
for a dog to read than parallel or ascending spreads with angled
April 14 | Clean Run

bars in the back. I also believe the ascending double jump is
safer for dogs than a parallel spread or a triple jump with extra angled bars because of the visual confusion the bars can
cause, as I mentioned previously, and
because the more bars on a jump, the
easier it is for a dog to get tangled up
in them if he doesn't clear the jump.
In AKC all dogs use the parallel
double jump and the triple jump, but
in USDAA only 22" and 26" jump
heights use these jumps. I don't know
how that came about, but as long as I
have done agility I cannot recall small
dogs doing a parallel double or a triple. USDAA now has six jump heights
and only two of them use parallel doubles or triples. The four
jump heights for small and medium dogs (12", 14", 16", and
18") use an ascending double jump to take the place of both
the parallel double and the triple jump. Does USDAA feel that
the parallel double jump and triple are unfair or confusing for
the other four jump heights? I think it is time to eliminate the
parallel spread for all dogs. If it is not needed to test skills in the
other USDAA jump heights, maybe it is due for retirement in
the 22" and 26" heights.
A triple jump without diagonal ground bars is normally a
jump that is easy for a dog to discriminate from other jumps.
The ascending format of the bars creates a picture of depth,
eliminating the need for angled ground bars at the back. However, I do have safety concerns regarding the triple. Without
going into details on jump construction, I have found that
the triple can often cause problems when it is placed on an
awkward approach angle where fixed metal wings can make
it dangerous. I think it's time for USDAA to phase out the
triple as well. If it is not an appropriate jump for 12", 14",
16", and 18" heights, is it needed in the 22" and 26" classes?
USDAA judges can choose the widths they wish to use on all
of the spreads. This means handlers cannot train just one spread
jump width, and it makes it difficult to purchase training equipment. It also means that at a multi-ring trial you could have
spreads set at different widths in each ring, or even in the same
ring. With the new jump heights there are going to be lots of
errors when setting heights; I have seen those errors at recent
trials. Ring crews are confused and handlers can't as easily
see from the sidelines whether a jump has been set incorrectly.
Under competition rules it is the handler who is responsible
5

Clean Run - April 2014

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