Splash Dogs is a dog enthusiast company, formed in 2003, which organizes sanctions and promotes dock jumping competitions in the United States. Splash Dogs rules and regulations were derived from rules in practice across the United States and have evolved within a framework to maintain and promote the sport.

Rules of Conduct

Splash Dogs events are open to any and all persons without discrimination. Competitors, officials and event personnel shall exhibit good sportsmanship and uphold the standards set forth in these rules and regulations at every event they attend. Anyone exhibiting disruptive or potentially dangerous behavior may be asked to leave the venue by a Splash Dogs official.

All competitors, officials and event personnel shall be responsible for cleaning up after their own dogs at the Splash Dog's event venue. It is requested that you also be responsible in cleaning up after your dogs at your hotels and any other area associated with the event.

All persons enrolling in or serving in official capacity at Splash dog events agree by their engagement of service to comply with all aspects of these regulations and to recognize and accept the decisions rendered through due process of disciplinary rules of actions as set forth herein without recourse.

General Rules

The Dock and Crating Areas

The dock shall be between 36 and 40 feet long and will sit 24 inches above the water surface. Competitors may use any amount of the dock when competing.

Pushing or shoving of your dog into the water is not allowed. Doing so is grounds for dismissal from the Splash Dogs venue.

Dogs must be kept on a leash of 4 feet or less. Flexi leashes are not allowed in the Splash Dogs venue.

Choke, prong, electronic collars and haltis must be removed prior to the dog using the dock, pool or exit ramp.

Flip flops are not allowed on the dock. Handlers must remove them before entering the dock.

There is a 3 minute time limit on the dock during competition. Open practice time limits will be set by event manager at individual events.

Human participants are not allowed to climb on the exit ramp to retrieve their dog.

Any participant showing abusive behavior towards their dog will be immediately dismissed from the Splash Dogs competition area.

The Handler/Dog Team

The key elements of the sport are to demonstrate the competitor's skill and expertise in training and performance, which in turn highlights the fundamental elements of dock diving dogs – strength, confidence, speed and all around athleticism.

The Handler/Dog Team shall consist of one dog and one handler, unless competing in our Junior Handler Program. Two handlers will be allowed during Open Practice time The Junior Handler Program is for handlers between the ages of 6yrs and 15 yrs of age. (See Junior Handler Program)

Handlers may compete with multiple dogs in any competition Wave.

An individual dog may only compete once within a competition Wave.

Only the handler of the dog competing may verbally cue the dog to perform, double handling may result in disqualification.

All pure breeds and mixed breeds are welcome to compete in Splash Dog events. It is suggested that dogs be at least 6 months of age to compete. All competing dogs must be current on vaccinations and owner shall carry proof of current rabies vaccinations.

Dogs suffering from any deformity, injury or illness which may be viewed to affect the dog's performance, and dogs demonstrating signs of aggression toward people or other dogs shall not be eligible to compete in Splash Dog events. Bitches in season are not allowed at any Splash Dogs venue. Dogs found to meet any of the foregoing conditions after entry at an event shall be immediately dismissed from the event.

Handler substitutions are allowed as long as the confirmed change has been made with the registration desk prior to the start of the competition wave. If a dog is entered in an event by more than one handler and qualifies for the finals round, the dog will qualify for the finals with its highest jump, regardless of the handler. If a handler substitution is requested in the finals, the substitute handler must have competed with the dog in at least one wave for which the finals round is associated.

Collars & Leashes

All dogs must be leashed in the Splash Dogs venue unless they are taking their turn on the dock or in the pool. Dogs shall not be on a leash longer than 4 feet. All dogs should be kept under close handler control, please keep your dog to yourself without prior consent from the other dog's owner. Retractable leashes are not allowed in the Splash Dogs venue.

Dogs may compete with or without a collar. Prong, Pinch, Choke, Electronic collars and Haltis must be removed when entering the pool, dock or exit ramp. Dogs are allowed to wear dog vests (neoprene hunting vests), bandannas, other clothing items as well as flotation devices.

Super Air Competition

Splash Dogs is pleased to bring the sport of dock diving to competitors and spectators alike. We take pride in demonstrating responsible pet ownership to the many spectators that visit our competitions. Super Air is our distance class of competition. Open to any dog no matter their breed or size.

Registration & Check in Procedures

Pre Registration may be completed online via the Splash Dog website, as far as one month in advance to the event date. Online pre registration will close 24 hours prior to the start of an event.

On site Registration will be accepted at all competitions as space permits. On site Registration will close one hour prior to the competition Wave, as long as space permits. Registration for the competition wave may close sooner if they have exceeded 40 dogs in the competition wave. This number can change depending on the event; this is at the discretion of the Splash Dog management at the event. In the event that a Wave is full, online registrations will take priority.

Multiple Dog owners will receive a discount for the number of dogs they register in any given competition wave. The first dog will be a full wave entry fee, each additional dog registered will be ½ of the posted entry fee for that wave. Dogs must be registered within the same competition wave to receive this discount. If abuse of this discount is foreseen, the handler registering will be sited by the Rules Committee for further action.

All competitors must check in with the event registration table one hour prior to each of the competition Waves they have entered. If you do not check in, you may be scratched from the Wave in question.

There will be a Handler's Meeting which will take place approximately 15 minutes prior to each Competition Wave. All handlers must be in attendance.

Open Practice

Splash Dogs will allocate and schedule practice times throughout competition events as time permits. Practice times for each event will be listed on the Event Schedule and may be updated at the event due to attendance or time constraints. Practice time may close 30 minutes prior to a competition wave to competitors for that wave only. Open practice is conducted under the same rules as competition with the exception that more than one handler can be on the dock during practice.

Waves

If more than 12 Teams are entered in any given Wave, the Wave may be broken into heats (groups of 12 or less). Each heat shall have a maximum of 12 dogs in it, overfill will be at the judges discretion.

There will be a Handlers meeting 15 minutes prior to every competition Wave. All competitors must be present at the handlers meeting, or risk being scratched from the Wave. The Handlers meeting will include going through the running order, a review of the competition rules and specific wave announcements.

As each heat is run, each Team will be given one jump per the running order. After all dogs in the given heat have taken their first jump, each will get a second jump. The higher of the two jumps will be the Teams official score for that wave. Each additional heat in the Wave will run subsequently after the first heat.

Splash Dogs may choose to cancel or adjust the Wave schedule due to environmental or event schedule issues.

The Object:

A chase object may be used to entice the dog to jump, however it is not required. The chase object must be throwable, floatable and retrievable. This object should not sink, dissolve or be a live/dead animal (no feathers or hides put on toy) and not be an edible item for a dog. The dog is not required to retrieve the object in order to receive a score. Examples of chase objects: dead fowl trainer, tennis ball, frisbee and bumpers.

The Distance/Scoring

The distance of each dog is measured using the Splash Dogs Ruler, a state of the art measuring system created specifically for Splash Dogs. Jumps are measured from the front edge of the dock to the point where the base of the dog's tail first enters the water.

Jumps are considered official once the handler cues the dog to proceed with the jump. If the dog jumps prior to being cued or the toy being thrown, the Team may receive a re-run, per the judge's discretion. Repeat offenders may not be allowed a re-jump if the judge has determined the team has a clear pattern of negligence to this rule.

A Team may pass at any time. The Team will not receive a score for any jump they have passed on. The handler must inform the wrangler as soon as the handler has made the decision to do so. A "Pass" shall be noted on the score sheet for that particular jump. Event personnel and judges cannot recommend whether a Team should pass, however they may advise a Team on how passing will likely affect the standings.

Finals

Each event may have a specified Finals competition at the end of the event. Teams who have competed throughout an event will be broken down into class/divisions for Finals competition based on their overall event rankings. Throughout the event, a bubble is set for the finals over the course of the competition. This bubble changes throughout the event and Teams are advised to check it as the competition progresses. Splash Dogs is not responsible to notify the team of their placement in the bubble.

The format of the Finals for an event will be announced when registration opens for an event. There are a few possible formats for the Finals.

1. Open/Pro Finals. In this format, the top 12 teams from the bubble will be placed in the Pro Finals; the next 12 teams (13-24) will be placed in the Open Finals. If a competitor who has qualified for the Finals is not present, we will take the next competitor for the bubble. In the event that there are 13-23 teams present for the Finals, we will split the field in half for the Pro and Open Finals. If there is an odd number, the "extra" dog will be placed in the Pro Finals. For example, if there are 15 dogs present for the Finals, the top 8 dogs will participate in the Pro Finals and the next 7 dogs will participate in the Open Finals. If there are 12 or fewer teams, then all teams will compete in the Pro Finals.

2. A final four round may also be added to the Pro finals, this is at the Event Managers discretion. The top 4 Teams will run in a rotation based on their top score from the first Pro Finals round from lowest to highest. The final Team score from this round will determine the 1^st, 2^nd 3^rd and 4^th place for the Pro Division.

3. Divisional Finals. In this format we take the top teams from each division (Splash, Junior, Senior, Pro, and Extreme). The number of teams taken from each division will be announced with the event details. Also, the Pro and Extreme Finals may be combined – this will also be predetermined by the Event Manager.

4. Lap Dog and Junior Handler Finals. Lap Dog and Junior Handler Finals may also be held at Events. These Finals will be predetermined at larger events; however the judge may elect to hold these Finals at his/her discretion.

Each Finals round will allow up to 12 Teams to compete depending on the format of the finals determined for the event. Each Team will be ranked by their farthest competition jump over the event competition. Each Team must check in 1 hour prior to the start of the event finals or possibly be disqualified. Handler's may have a representative check them.

The running order for each Final will be determined by the qualifying jumps from shortest to longest. Each Team will take their first jump in their specified rotation and then proceed with their second jump. The Team may choose to pass. The longer of the two jumps will be the Team's score.

Resolving Ties

When there is a tie between two or more Teams in a Wave, each Team's second jump distance in that Wave will be used as a tiebreaker. If each Team's second jump of the Wave also results in a tie, each Team's second longest jump distance from all previous jumps within that event shall be ranked and the tiebreaker determined. If a Team whom is tied chooses to "pass" on their subsequent jump, the passing Team will lose the tie.

If there is a tie for a spot in the Finals, the next largest jump throughout the competition weekend will be used as the tie breaker. If a Team is tied for First Place with another Team at the end of the Finals Medal Round, a one jump "jump-off" shall occur. The Team with the longest jump shall be declared the winner.

Divisions, Classes & Titles

Divisions

Splash Dogs has developed the following Dock Jumping Divisions in order to allow competitors to compete at their current level of jumping and work towards advancement on larger jumps.

For the Open Class:
Splash Division - 0'1" to 9'11"
Junior Division - 10'0" to 14'11"
Senior Division - 15'0" to 19'11"
Pro Division - 20'0" to 22'11"
Extreme Division - 23'0" and above

For the Lap Dog Class:
Splash Division - 0'1" to 4'11"
Junior Division - 5'0" to 8'11"
Senior Division - 9'0" to 12'11"
Pro Division - 13'0" to 17'11"
Extreme Division - 18'0" and above

Classes

Splash Dogs has developed two classes of competition, Open and Lap Dog classes. Open class allows any dog to compete in all division levels of competition. The Lap Dog class allows dogs 16.00" or less the withers to compete against dogs in the same height range. Lap Dog class competitors may achieve all Titles that Open class dogs do except they may compete in their own finals round. Official measurement will be provided if needed by a Splash Dog official.

A competitor may choose to compete in Lap Dog or Open classes when they register. Once the handler has declared their dog in the Lap Dog class, the competitor will compete in the Lap Dog Finals. In the event there is no Lap Dog Finals at an event, the dog may qualify for the Open class Finals instead.

Titles

Within each Wave of competition at a Splash Dogs event, a Team can secure one leg toward a Division Title based on their longest jump. A Title is earned by accumulating five legs within one division, (prior to January 1, 2008 required four legs). If a Team competes in the Finals, they will also earn one division leg based on their longest Finals jump.

Additional title levels have been added to allow teams to continue to accomplish new titles and goals as they continue to compete with Splash Dogs; Bronze – 10 jumps within a division, Silver – 25 jumps within a division, Gold – 50 jumps within a division and Platinum – 100 jumps within a division. Once a title has been earned, the Team may be referred to by its Title and the appropriate initials can be added to the end of the dog's name.

Splash Dogs Titles

Splash Dog	SPD	Junior Dog	JD
Bronze	SPD-B	Bronze	JD-B
Silver	SPD-S	Silver	JD-S
Gold	SPD-G	Gold	JD-G
Platinum	SPD-P	Platinum	JD-P

Senior Dog	SRD	Pro Dog	PD
Bronze	SRD-B	Bronze	PD-B
Silver	SRD-S	Silver	PD-S
Gold	SRD-G	Gold	PD-G
Platinum	SRD-P	Platinum	PD-P

Extreme Dog	ED
Bronze	ED-B
Silver	ED-S
Gold	ED-G
Platinum	ED-P

Ribbons and Prizes

All Teams competing in a Wave will be ranked within their Division. Placement Ribbons are awarded for placements 1st through 4th. Dogs placing 5th or below will receive a Qualifying Ribbon within that Division.

Awards will be presented following each Wave or Final round or as scheduled per event manager. You must be present to accept your ribbon or have a representative present, as no awards will be mailed. The following primary colors shall be used for placement ribbons and rosettes:

1st Place	Blue	6th Place	Green
2nd Place	Red	7th Place	Purple
3rd Place	Yellow	8th Place	Brown
4th Place	White	9th Place	Gray
5th Place	Pink	10th Place	Lt. Blue

Prizes will be awarded to the top finalists of the Final round of the event at the discretion of the event coordinator. Prizes are not guaranteed.

Frequent Flyer Program

The Frequent Flyer Program is a special achievement award which tracks the total distance a team has achieved in its career with Splash Dogs. All jumps including 1^st and 2^nd jumps in a competition wave are tracked.

Frequent Flyer Bronze 660 Feet (1/8 mile)

Frequent Flyer Silver 1320 Feet (1/4 mile)

Frequent Flyer Gold 2640 (1/2 mile)

Frequent Flyer Platinum 5280 (1 mile)

Junior Handler Program

The Junior Handler Program was designed to encourage youth involvement in the sport of dock diving as a fun, recreational, family sport and to promote responsible pet ownership.

Junior Handlers are between 6 yrs and 15 yrs of age. A junior handler must specify when they register that they would like to compete in the Junior Handler Program in order to participate. If a Junior Handler starts the calendar year at 15yrs of age, their participation in the Junior Handler program will continue throughout the calendar year, even if they turn 16yrs of age inside of that calendar year. The Junior Handler must be able to control the dog on their own, however under the judge's discretion; a Junior Handler may have assistance from a parent or guardian. Junior Handlers and their dogs will also be considered for the Divisional finals, as long as the dog that qualifies them has not competed with someone else throughout the event with a higher Team score than they received together.

Junior Handler Teams shall be both ranked nationally among all competitors and ranked separately among all Junior Handler Teams

Super Vertical Competition

The Super Vertical extender:

The Super Vertical extender is a Splash Dogs approved device which extends 8 feet out over the pool. The Super Vertical extender hangs a bumper parallel to the surface of the water at a height which is measured from the surface of the dock to the bottom of the bumper. The dock is between 0" – 24" above the water surface and must be at least 20 feet long. The bumper used is a standard white foam "puppy" bumper that is approximately 1½ inches in diameter and 12 inches long. Splash Dogs reserves the right to modify the Super Vertical equipment at any time.

Scoring

Super Vertical competition height starts at 4'0, however each team will predetermine which height they will enter competition at.

Super Vertical scoring is based on 2 factors: a Catch and a Miss. A catch is achieved when the dog grabs or completely removes the bumper from the Super Vertical extender. The dog does not have to carry the bumper into the water. For example, if the dog fails to grab the bumper but knocks it down, it is scored as a catch. A miss is when the bumper is still attached to the Super Vertical extender. Each team will receive two chances at knocking the bumper down at each height that they remain active in the SV competition round.

Competitors may choose to use a "pass" at any time through a Super Vertical competition. However, they must make a catch at their next attempted level or they will not continue on in the round. A competitor must inform the Wrangler of his intention to pass before he is called on to the dock for his first attempt at each given height.

Super Vertical Competition Flow

Super Vertical competition height starts at 4'0; however each team will predetermine which height they will enter competition at. The competition running order will be predetermined by the height at which each team enters the competition at.

The number of dog / handler Teams will be limited to 20 per event. Each dog / handler Team will make a maximum of two back-to-back attempts at grabbing the bumper from the Super Vertical extender at 2 inch increments in height.

Due to safety, we ask that all dogs run without any type of collar, harness or neck bandannas. Body Vests are accepted on the dog during competition.

The competition will continue with the bumper moving up until only one dog remains with a clean catch. If no dog achieves a clean catch the height will be moved down in 1 inch increments until a clean catch is achieved by one Team, declaring the First Place Finalist.

In the case of a tie for first place, the event will go to a jump off. Using 1" increments and only one turn at each height, the dogs will attempt to make a catch starting 1" below the failed catch and will then go up in 1" increments until there is a clear winner. If there is any reason that the two dogs in question still tie after several rounds the Super Vertical judge may declare a tie between the competitors.

If there is a tie for any of the other placement order, it will be determined by highest number of completed catches with the lowest number of attempts throughout the finals round.

All Teams who receive a score within a competition year, in any Splash Dog's competition Wave, shall be ranked against all other Teams competing in Splash Dog events via the Splash Dog's Competitor Database. The rankings will take 5 longest jumps scores each Team has received during the competition ranking period. National rankings will for a competition year, dates to be set annually by Splash dogs.

National Rankings

Rules and Regulations Committee
The Rules and Regulations Committee shall be made up of 3-5 individuals to be appointed by Splash Dogs management. The Rules and Regulations Committee will revise the rules as needed. Rule changes will be announced publicly via the Splash Dogs message forum within 24 hours of any rule change. Turn over of the Rules Committee shall be by Splash Dogs Managements discretion.

Judges

Judges must complete an apprenticeship determined by Splash Dogs prior to becoming a certified judge. They must have thorough knowledge of all Splash Dog Rules and Regulations and be certified by the Splash Dogs Rules and Regulations Committee.

A judge shall not judge any dog that is owned or co-owned by themselves, an immediate family member or member of the household in which the dog resides. A second judge must verify the score of the dog in question.

The Head Judge is responsible for set up and calibration of the digital scoring system, conducting the Judge's Briefing (prior to each Wave) and being decisive in scoring of all competitors jumps.

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