Hi Sharon!
Count us IN for supporting LOWERING the height of the dogwalk!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We have ALWAYS liked the 8 foot plank, 36 inch high dog walk that a couple of other venues used at times. However, we realize that would be a MAJOR expense for most clubs to make that switch. We have experienced a 12 foot plant, 36 inch high dog walk in another venure; and our experienced dogs were, shall we say, a bit "confused" with their initial experiences with it...................mostly by the flatter angles of the ascent and descent ramps.
How "high" the center plank is, is of NO real consequence.......................but we think that, at minimum, the height should be somewhere in the 24-30 inch range.
It's a concept worth experimenting with at FunRaisers, at least in our humble opinions. Naturally, there will be nay-sayers and other negativists; but the same sort of thing happend when the teeter-totter went away..................jump heights were lowered......................slats were removed from the contacts......................hoops were introduced into classes other than Hoopers............................
We've been around this wonderful sport long enough to have watched our dogs play on "museum pieces" such as the infamous Crossover, the water hurdle, the sliding board obstacle..........................all that "fun" stuff from a time when we didn't know any better......................then again, our ancestors believed that the Earth was flat and that the sun revolved around the earth!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We think that you and NADAC should GO FOR IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SAFETY FIRST!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hugs & wags,
Al & Barb Ceranko, Gael, Pellinore & Caitlin
I can't find this topic, but I am sure it must have been discussed at some point in the past. I hope NADAC is considering being perhaps the first venue to switch the dogwalk to a lower height. I have only been trialing for less than five years, but I have seen several dogs hurt on the dogwalk; from cuts and bruises to dislocations. I have never personally witnessed an injury on any other piece of equipment.
It doesn't make sense to me that we require our dogs to run across a fairly narrow board at high rates of speed at a height that leads to injuries. One of the things I have been impressed with in NADAC is that the safety of the dog seems to be a paramount concern; unlike some other venues, in my opinion. Let's go the next step and make the dogwalk safer for our working companions.
We did that back in the early 2000's.... I loved it........ wanted to continue it and no one agreed with me!!
Sharon