Tire Jump Standards and Safety Review

The USDAA Rules and Competition Standards Board is considering adoption of the saloon door design for the tire jump.  As part of a field study, the Board will be looking at safety concerns on how the tire jump is used in course designs.  The field study is being conducted to gather data in the evaluation of the different models of the tire jump currently in use for purposes of making a data-driven and safety-focused decision regarding specifications and usage of the tire jump on different types of courses.

Effective immediately, groups may elect to use saloon door tires at USDAA licensed events as part of the field study, subject to requirements stated below.  The current tire jump design of a tire suspended within a sturdy frame set forth in Appendix A of USDAA Rules & Regulations shall continue in use and is also a part of this study. 

When a saloon door tire jump is to be used at an event:

• Use of the saloon door tire jump must be stated on the cover of the Agility Test Schedule (a.k.a., premium list) published after the date of this announcement so that competitors may make an informed decision when entering events. 
• For events whose Test Schedules have already been published, a group must provide communications directly to competitors via email and allow for withdrawal of entry without any fees or financial penalties.  
• A saloon door tire should be made available in the warm-up area for competitor familiarization during this field study. 
• A Tire Performance section has been added to the Judges Report seeking feedback on performance of the Tire Jump. Judges must complete this new section when filing their report following each event assignment.  
• Groups should provide feedback In their event’s Organizing Committee Report, which should be emailed to:  GroupServices@USDAA.com, or by writing separately to: Rules@USDAA.com.  
• Competitors may provide feedback by writing to Rules@USDAA.com.

Saloon door tires must meet the following specifications:

The saloon tire consists of a breakaway tire supported by two uprights on each side of the tire. The tire shall be adjustable to jumping heights in 4” increments from 4” to 24” when measured at the lowest point of the tire aperture. The overall construction must provide sufficient stability to ensure that the obstacle does not tip over when impacted. 

The uprights must—

• not extend past the top of the tire
• shall have no sharp edges, and
• must be padded to protect dogs in case of accidental impact 

The supporting legs for the uprights—

• shall not exceed 2” in height, and
• shall not have any sharp edges

The breakaway tire shall—

• have an aperture range of 20”-24” with a sidewall width of no less than 4”, 
• be wrapped or filled such that a dog’s paw may not be caught on the inside of the tire walls while jumping through,
• be banded or striped in contrasting colors to aid visibility,
• be made of material and/or be padded to minimize the force of impact should a dog make contact with the tire,
• be connected firmly to the uprights on the outer edge at the mid-point of each side,
• have the sides separate (i.e., give way) when hit with approximately eighteen pounds (18#) of force (plus or minus 2#) 
• remain suspended from the uprights when separated, and
• be easily reset in its original circular form with minimal effort. 

Photos courtesy of Max200.