It's high time to standardize the teeter!
Hi guys,
Val with Jaldi has been currently working on repairing her little dog's trust in the Teeter after a scare on a substandard teeter Jaldi has encountered at a trial which scared her greatly and left her emotionally traumatized.. Thank goodness Jaldi didn't have any long lasting physical trauma from that teeter accident.
And while Val and Jaldi are making very good progress on the teeter, Val is now super vigilant when it comes to teeters..
Below is a quote from Val's post on the Coaching Forum that I think warrants an open discussion:
"Last weekend we went to a tiral where I videoed the teeters. Unfortunately I seem to have taped over it tonight. They were the bounciest, flexiest teeters I have ever seen. They actually flexed side-to-side as well as from front to end. I saw 2 dogs in different rings get hit by the rebounding teeter hard enough to cause them to yelp. The judges did not call it unsafe. How do you train for that? There is no standard for the teeter, so it is probably the most variable obstacle from trial to trial. The dogs at that trial that were club members had the advantage of having trained on those same teeters. Out-of-town dogs did not. That is unfair in my opinion. And I don't think I am being ultrasensitive. I am not the only one who complained about the teeters.
Val"
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What do you all think?
Olga.
Re: It's high time to standardize the teeter!
Well, since I just posted this topic, I will tell you what I think, ;-)..
I, being a well known equipment safety fanatic, totally agree that Teeter in particular (but also all the Agility equipment) is in need of its standards being revised and made more strict.
I don't really care if some club members or other had been knocking themselves out practicing on their substandard teeter and if they have gained some kind of competitive advantage. I do though care that no dog should be subjected to practicing or performing on lousy 19th century equipment!
Now, what can be done about it?
It took 5 years (I am not joking) to get USDAA to lower the AF.. and it's still too high, IMO. But they did lower it. So, the first step is to write to the Agility organizations that allow clubs the use of the substandard equipment. Too bad that Val has taped over the videos of the horrible teeter. Val needs to make an effort to take a video of it again and send it to the orgs.
The club should be notified about the problem equipment they have. And not in the form of complaints, but in a constructive informative manner. A letter signed by a bunch of concerned competitors may be a good way to make the club take a look.
Figure out who the manufacturer of the Teeter is and write to them. Most folks who make equipment don't have the foggiest idea that it's unsafe..
Ok.. this will take a long time for the change to happen.. Meanwhile, I always inspect equipment I am going to put my dogs on and if I deem it unsafe, I inquire if the club would be willing to replace it. If not, I am not putting my dog on it. Thanks you very much.
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At the moment I am actively pursueing the Tire specifications changes with USDAA and the length of the Long (Broad) jump. I'd like to encourage all the students to take an active stance in the matters of equipment safety and help our sport to become safer for our canine partners.
Olga.
Re: It's high time to standardize the teeter!
There's no way to train a dog for unsafe equipment, just the handler to voice their opinion to the judge, club and everyone else in the chain of command. If it is an AKC trial, and the judge continues with unsafe equipment, then a letter should also be sent to the agility representative. At the trial, it helps if several people approach the judge (and trial giving club) at the same time. I have seen this have results whereas a single person is more easily written off.
Besides keeping track of all equipment that should be tied down to be safe, I have found other equipment needs to be watched. Tunnels need to be watched during the class to make sure the end is still past the tie down frame. As a jump setter, that is one thing I have kept an eye on - also keep any eye on whether or not the tunnel is backed up against a barrier or getting pushed towards a barrier. There even was one tunnel in the invitational that that had to be watched.
Another piece of equipment to watch that I found out the hard way is the chute. If more than one sand bag is put in, you need to make sure the chute is still loose. Poor little Night, when she hit the end of the chute, "hit a wall" as the bags were put at each side of the end of the chute and all she could get out was the end of her nose.Â
And then there is the ground around jumps - gotta make sure the surface is okay and call for a filler or request a jump not to be placed in a certain spot. Â
Lots of stuff to watch out for our dogs.
ChrisÂ
Re: It's high time to standardize the teeter!
Hi Olga,
I have taken your suggestion to heart and written an email to the show chairman of the club that had the bouncy teeters. I also cc'd it to the manufacturer. Hopefully they will try and reinforce the teeters. I think the problem may be that they are just too light. But in the effort to make equipment lighter and easier to move, we seem to have also made them less stable. Clean Run did a study of teeters and I would like to find that article and read it again. I know that NADAC has studied the issue and their conclusion was that a heavier teeter offered a more reliable performance.
ValÂ
Re: It's high time to standardize the teeter!
Val,
You didnt say which venue it was,but an email to the AKC rep would be good, as well, if it was AKC. If the judge approved the teeter and it wobbled from side to side,AKC would want to know.
Jean
Re: It's high time to standardize the teeter!
Hi Jean,
It was not an AKC trial. I think it is best to talk to the club first before complaining to the sanctioning organization. I know that at least one person from my club has talked to their equipment manager about it. Hopefully they will take our concerns seriously.
Aside from this one club, the teeter seems to be one of, if not the, most variable piece of equipment that we ask our dogs to perform. Weave poles can be quite different too, but I don't recall ever seeing a set I thought was unsafe.
ValÂ
Re: It's high time to standardize the teeter!
It's fine to be polite and try hard not to cause trouble. However, we should always look for a way to keep our dogs' safety on the forefront of any and all decisions we may make.
I am not talking about "complaining". I am talking about making Agility safe.
Clean Run teeter survey can surely be obtained from Monica. Just write her and ask. It's very enlightening. But it's useless.. because nobody is doing anything about it, ;-(..
As far as weave poles.. there are plenty horrible weave poles sets used in competition. Primarily in USDAA. Any weave poles where the pole sticks on the rod on the base is unsafe. Any unstable (narrow or split base) is unsafe. Not to mention that all the pretty striping skins the dogs' faces. And I am not even talking about the narrow spacing that the US orgs allow. IMO, any spacing shorter then 24" is detrimental to the dogs' spines.
P.S.: If any of the students are involved in a club activity, please check your club's equipment and see if improvements are needed to assure safety.
Olga.