The New AKC High Jump Rule: Raising Concerns for Rally Obedience

By July 2025, AKC will require all trial hosting clubs to use displaceable panel high jumps — a decision intended to improve "safety and welfare for dogs and exhibitors."

Ensuring the safety and well-being of our dogs is a priority I think we can all agree on. However, sometimes the solutions to perceived problems create new challenges and raise questions about its unintended effects.

Is Safety Actually an Issue in Rally?

Before I get into potential unintended effects, I'm first left wondering, does this new rule achieve its goal in the first place? Has Rally and Obedience been unsafe all this time?

Which factors do you think most affect safety and potential for injury when jumping? I'd start with these: jump height, number of jumps, velocity, approach angle and fatigue. There may be others but I've chosen these to illustrate the contrasting potential for injury between Rally and Agility, where I understand and agree with the need for displaceable jumps in Agility, but I question the need for them in Rally.

Rally and Agility Compared

In Rally, jump heights are modest — 4", 8", 12", and 16" — with the maximum height being significantly lower than those found in Obedience or Agility. Dogs in Rally jump far fewer times than agility, even at the highest levels: once in Advanced and Master and twice in Excellent, for a maximum of four jumps in a trial. Four, that's it! 

Rally is performed at a "Brisk" pace, not an all-out sprint so jumps are generally executed at a moderate speed and they're all executed from a head-on approach. And lastly, Rally is designed to test teamwork rather than speed or athleticism, so with fewer jumps at slower speeds, fatigue shouldn’t be a factor and high speed impact is minimized.

Contrast this with Agility where dogs are truly tested athletically as they navigate numerous jumps, at incredible speeds, from a variety of approach angles. Plus, this high-performance athletic nature of Agility combined with the potential number of runs makes fatigue much more likely.

Weighing it out like this should make it clear that Agility has a much greater potential for crashing a jump and resulting injury. Displaceable panels make sense!

So with Rally’s minimal jumping, lower speeds, direct approaches and lower overall inherent risks, is this equipment change really necessary and does it outweigh the unintended effects?

Scoring Challenges: A Displaceable Dilemma

The first potential unintended effect involves scoring. The current system treats ticking a jump as a Minor Deduction (1 to 2 points), hitting a jump as a Minor or Substantial Deduction (1-10 points) and knocking over the jump or upright or knocking a bar off as an IP (10 points). However, the new rule could change this dynamic significantly. Ticking a displaceable panel jump may result in a displaced panel, escalating what would have been a minor deduction to the equivalent of knocking a bar off—an IP and full 10-point deduction. No one wants to see their qualifying run or hard-earned RACH points teetering on the edge because of a minor error. This scoring disparity feels particularly unfair.

Fear Factor: Dogs and Crashing Panels

Here’s what might be an even bigger issue: the noise and chaos of displaceable panels crashing to the ground, especially on hard indoor surfaces in loud echoey buildings. For many dogs, this could be a confidence-shattering moment, possibly undoing months of training. Rally is supposed to build trust and teamwork, not create new fears.

I recently spoke with a judge who shared this specific concern. They mentioned hearing stories from peers about dogs being spooked by these jumps as the panels came crashing down. To avoid the risk altogether, they're considering course designs using bar jumps instead of high jumps. While practical, this decision limits the variety and creativity of Rally courses, shrinking an already small pool of options. If a judge also avoids broad jumps—and some do—the sport could lose even more diversity in course design.

My concerns aren’t limited to dogs in the ring. The environment surrounding the performance area also plays a significant role. At some venues, like the Del Mar Fairgrounds in California, the largest Rally trials in San Diego County are held indoors in a very loud, echoey building — on asphalt. The sound of displaceable panels crashing to the ground could reverberate dramatically, unsettling dogs waiting their turn or competing in adjacent rings. Even if my own dog didn’t knock the panels over, the noise alone could disrupt his focus. For sound-sensitive dogs, this could turn a normally welcoming sport into a far more stressful experience.

Fortunately for me, in Southern California, most trials are held outdoors on grass, where noise from falling panels may be less of an issue. However, I recognize that handlers in other regions might not have the luxury of avoiding indoor, hard-surface venues. For them, the challenge isn’t just about performing in the ring but also preparing their dogs for the potential stress of the environments.

Financial Impact on Trial Hosts

The impacts aren't just affecting dogs and handlers — trial hosting clubs will also feel the heat. Displaceable panel jumps are an added expense. For smaller clubs operating on tight budgets, this cost could represent a significant hurdle. Unlike larger clubs with more resources, smaller clubs may find it impossible to make such a capital investment and may decide to stop holding trials instead. This is far from a good outcome, as fewer trials mean fewer opportunities for participants and could ultimately harm the growth and accessibility of the sport.

I belong to a local breed club that hosts Rally trials, where we typically earn a modest profit that helps sustain our club. If we need to purchase a new displaceable jump, that expense will negate our profit entirely, potentially turning it into a loss. We’ll likely evaluate whether the investment will pay off enough to justify the purchase and continuing trials.

A Personal Anecdote: My Dog and the Bar Jump

Before diving into this anecdote, I want to acknowledge that my views are based on, and limited by, my own personal experiences and observations — I don't have access to statistical data. I’ve been a participant in Rally and Obedience, and served as a trial chairperson, and steward at numerous trials over the years, and I’ve never seen a hard crash into a high jump. That said, I recognize that my perspective represents a small sample size and is just one piece of the puzzle. It’s entirely possible that others, perhaps even some reading this, have seen or experienced this firsthand.

That's not to say I've never seen a dog crash a jump, I have. Crashing a jump is one thing; crashing it so spectacularly that it looks like your dog is in a demolition derby is quite another. I’ve been there. My own dog has crashed bar jumps a couple times. The issue isn't poor conditioning or lack of training or poor handling (I think), but likely poor visibility: the black-and-white striped bar blending with white scissor fencing backdrop. The bar and ring fence likely appeared on the same plane, creating a depth-of-field challenge leading to a misjudged takeoff — on one occasion he wasn't even close to clearing the jump — he was closer to landing on the take-off side than the landing side. He has never misjudged a high jump, as its solid design provides a clear picture of an obstacle. So even with this experience, I would never avoid entering a trial because of non-displaceable panels.

More Questions than Answers

My personal experiences and observations make me question how much thought is given to how equipment interacts with the environment. Like in baseball, where a batter’s eye is provided in centerfield to block distractions and ensure a clean view of the pitch. This thoughtful design plays a crucial role in safety and the integrity of the game. As the Rally evolves, keeping it safe and inclusive means considering not only the equipment and rules but also how they interact with the environments we ask our dogs to perform in because the potential consequences are not insignificant.

As food for thought for future safety measures, why not consider a “preferred” class like in agility and obedience, allowing owners to choose a reduced jump height for their dog? These owner-driven options ensure the sport remains accessible and safe to dogs of varying capabilities while maintaining the spirit of competition. Rally’s uniformity lacks such flexibility, which could make its rules more challenging for some breed types than others. Future decisions could benefit from similar adaptability, ensuring Rally remains inclusive and welcoming for all.

Rally’s Future: Where Do We Go From Here?

The rule has now been fully incorporated into the regulations (on page 25 if anyone wants to read it), so there’s no turning back. Judges must follow the scoring guidelines, and clubs must meet the equipment requirements. But we can’t ignore the potential for unintended consequences: more severe deductions, heightened stress for dogs, increased financial strain on clubs, and a potential for fewer trials and a narrowing of course design.

What can we do? Start by talking about it. Share your thoughts with fellow handlers, judges, and trial hosts. Advocate for thoughtful changes that prioritize the well-being of dogs and the integrity of the sport from every perspective. And most importantly, let’s remind ourselves why we love Rally. Despite its quirks, it’s a sport that celebrates teamwork and joy—and that’s something worth preserving.