General Competition Rules

Canine Welfare

Competitors are responsible for the safety and welfare of their dogs. Competing canines must be supervised and under the care and control of their throwers/owners at all times. Only the competing dog, thrower (throwers if Pairs Distance/Accuracy or Pairs Freestyle), and contest officials are allowed on the field during competition. Dogs must be leashed at all times, except when competing.

There are presently no limitations as to the number of events you or your dog may enter, or in which divisions. However, the same thrower/dog combination may only compete once per division/class. It is the owner/trainer’s responsibility to ensure that competing canines do not compete in more events than would be advisable given the prevailing weather conditions, with specific consideration given to the fitness and general health of the competing canine. At all Skyhoundz Championships, the Chief Judge will have final authority on the issue of whether a dog is fit to compete.

Abusive treatment of a canine, or any conduct of a competitor that might be perceived by spectators at a Skyhoundz event (on or off the field) as such, will not be tolerated. Contest officials may disqualify any competitor who engages in this type of behavior.

The wearing of electronic (or chemical training aids), of any sort (active or inactive), choke chains, or prong collars, will not be permitted during competition.

Competitors with overly aggressive dogs may not be permitted to compete if such canines are believed to pose a danger to people or other canines.

Freestyle vaults, utilizing the trainer’s body as a launch pad, should be minimized or excluded from routines altogether. If attempted, vaults should be performed in a controlled and safe manner. Excessive height, or frequent repetitions of vaults, will not increase the likelihood of a higher score.

2023-2024 Year Season Updates

General Competition Update:

Rollers/Long Lines: The primary focus of the Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship series has always been two-fold: to honor disc dogs for catching flying discs and to encourage new participants to engage in the sport. We have frequently been asked whether novice disc dogs (regardless of their thrower’s experience) are permitted in competition to chase rollers (a throw where the disc is rolled on the ground, not thrown in the air) to build confidence and experience in front of other dogs, people, and spectators. Additionally, we have been asked if they could participate with their dogs on a long line (a long leash). Our response has consistently been affirmative.

To formalize this into a rule without conflicting with competitors vying for disc-catching awards, World Records, and World Championship Qualifier slots, we will allow individuals who believe this would benefit their dogs to compete by throwing rollers (except in Freestyle) and/or participating with their dogs on a long line. The condition is that anyone choosing to do so must compete in an “Audit” class, understanding that they will not be eligible for awards, records, or Q slots. Furthermore, we advise all our hosts not to charge these competitors any fees to participate or, if they feel they must, charge them a minimal amount.

Notwithstanding the above, due to the time constraints, no competitor will be accepted in any LCQ Audit class.

Open Qualifiers:

At any Skyhoundz Qualifier that includes Freestyle (DiscDogathon/Skyhoundz Classic) Skyhoundz Hosts should strive to utilize a separate judge for each Freestyle scoring category whenever possible, but no less than three different judges are required.

For competitors competing in Open Qualifiers, there are no longer any geographic limitations to receive Qs. Any competitor living anywhere in the world may now compete in any Open Qualifier anywhere in the world to qualify for the World Championship.

In Skyhoundz Classic Open Qualifiers, we are adding a Sport Youth Division (on an exhibition/trial basis). This means that we will record the results, and award discs given, but there will not be any Qs awarded and the event will not be held at the World Championship.

Last Chance Qualifiers:

At all LCQs, the number of Q spots awarded, per competitor, will be the same as the number offered at Open Qualifiers (two per competitor plus any Pairs Distance/Accuracy or Pairs Freestyle earned). Please note: This rule modification does not affect the total number of Qs available at LCQs, just per-person limits.

Important World Championship announcements:

Camp Jordan competitor tent set-up: This year, an AKC dog racing event will take place the weekend before our event, concluding by 3 pm on Sunday. Consequently, the field setup on Sunday will be delayed (probably until 4 pm at the earliest), and competitors may only set up their tents after MAD Dogs’ completes its activities and clears the competitor tent setup area.

DiscDogathon World Championship Schedule: If you have participated in the DiscDogathon World Championship in recent years, you are familiar with the high number of entries we receive, making it unfeasible to complete the event all on Wednesday (under optimal weather conditions). While there are several ways we could reduce the number of entries, currently, as the Xtreme Distance World Championship held the day before (Tuesday) is considerably less crowded, we will conduct all DiscDogathon Bullseye, Spot Landing, and TimeTrial competition rounds on that day. Nevertheless, the Xtreme Distance World Championship contest will maintain priority regarding the running order.

Discs

Skyhoundz has selected Hyperflite flying discs as the exclusive flying discs of the Skyhoundz World Canine Disc Championship Series.

At all Skyhoundz competitions (including, but not limited to, Local Championships, State Championships, DiscDogathon Qualifiers, Skyhoundz Classic Qualifiers, Xtreme Distance Qualifiers, DiscDogathon World Championship, Skyhoundz Classic World Championship, and Xtreme Distance World Championship), all competitors are required to use genuine Hyperflite discs. This change will ensure that the Skyhoundz Series will be around for future generations of canine disc enthusiasts to enjoy. Specific Skyhoundz disc-use rules can be found on the Event Rules tab in the Competition section of the Skyhoundz website.

Female Dogs / Heat

Female dogs in any stage of heat will not be permitted to compete and must not be brought to the competition site.

Food / Treats

No food treats are permitted to be given to dogs while on the competition field. This will prevent dropped or uneaten treats from remaining on the field and distracting competing canines.

Hosts

In exceptional circumstances, Organizers (after consulting with the Chief Judge) have the discretion to modify Skyhoundz rules, but only to the extent necessary to safely, efficiently, and fairly run a Skyhoundz event.

Interruptions

If a spectator’s dog runs onto the field during a competitor’s round, time will be suspended. Once the spectator’s dog is leashed and has been removed from the field, time will resume from the point of interruption. Officials will use every effort to allow the interrupted team to be returned to their status on the field, including physical field location and time remaining, at the point of the interruption.

Judges

The judges’ decisions are final and are not subject to video review.

For consistency in scoring, regardless of the competitive event, judges should not be substituted in the middle of a competitive round. Judges should never compete in any event/class that they are also judging even if a substitute judge is available.

Judges shall not compete in any event/class that they are also judging.

Language / Measurements

For consistency and clarity across all levels of events, the official language of Skyhoundz events is English and measurements are in yards, feet, and (for Xtreme Distance-decimal) inches. Coming up Next. On Deck, In The Hole, Are you Ready, Go, and all countdowns should be made in English. All field measurements and markings should be in yards, feet, and inches.

Long Lines

Long lines are essentially long leashes that are commonly used to train recall for beginner dogs. We permit their use, as such, in competition for beginner dogs to gain real-world competition experience. However, they are not to be used to enhance a dog’s play, i.e. increase the speed of a dog’s return for another throw, and are only to be used to prevent a dog from running away.

Nature Breaks

Dog owners/trainers are required to clean up after their dog’s nature breaks. If a “nature break” takes place during a competitive round, at any Skyhoundz competition, the timing clock will continue to run. A competitor should not interfere physically with a canine during a nature break but may call the canine in an effort to expedite the canine’s return to playing status. Any clean-up necessary must be accomplished by the human team member upon completion of the round.

Practice Throws

Because of time constraints, no practice throws will be permitted at any Hyperflite Skyhoundz events.

Props

No props of any kind, including capes, vests, or other adornments (other than simple/basic bandanas, collars, or harnesses) worn by canines, are permitted in competition.

Sportsmanship

Although not every team can finish in the top positions at a Skyhoundz competition, you are all winners in the eyes of your canines. So, when you’re out on the field competing, don’t forget to have fun with your best friend. Skyhoundz will not tolerate displays of unsportsmanlike conduct at any level of competition in the Skyhoundz Series.

We urge you to familiarize yourself with our rules regarding unsportsmanlike behavior and understand that we will have a zero-tolerance policy for unseemly displays of poor sportsmanship at our series of family-friendly competitions.

Whether or not you agree with your scores, you will be well served to treat the judges, officials, and organizers with respect and interact with them as you would want others to interact with you.

The Hyperflite Skyhoundz Championship Series represents family entertainment at its finest. Accordingly, competitors should avoid confrontations with other competitors or challenges of contest officials. Abusive language or other inappropriate or unsportsmanlike behavior may result in a contestant’s disqualification from competition.

Finally, please review the section on Sportsmanship at the beginning of the Competition Section of Disc Dogs! The Complete Guide.

Toys

In addition, other than the discs permitted for the particular competitive event, toys (including but not limited to tug toys, balls, chew toys, rawhide bones, towels, etc.) are not permitted on the competition field during competition. In addition, other than the discs permitted for the particular competitive event, toys (including but not limited to tug toys, balls, chew toys, rawhide bones, towels, etc.) are not permitted on the competition field during competition. Towels are only permitted on the field, to clean discs or a thrower’s hands, but may not be used during competition as tug toys/lures or otherwise waived in the air to coax or encourage a competing canine.

Vaccinations

Where required by local ordinance, all participating dogs must have proof of Rabies inoculation and license. Parvo and Kennel Cough vaccinations are strongly recommended.

Waiver

Each contestant must read and sign, without modification, the Hyperflite Skyhoundz Registration Form, which contains a liability waiver and publicity release. Competitors are responsible for reading and understanding the competition rules before they compete.

Skyhoundz reserves the right to refuse participation, in any Skyhoundz event, to any competing team if it is determined, in the sole discretion of Skyhoundz, that a team’s participation might result in the potential for reputational harm to Skyhoundz, Hyperflite, or any other event sponsor. In such a case, the sole obligation of Skyhoundz to a competing team is to refund any entry fees paid by such competing team.

Whistles

Contestants are not permitted to use any device which creates a sound or whistle in competition.