So you’ve worked on your dog’s stand at home, and now your dog is ready to be measured! How exactly do you find a measurer? What should you bring along on the day? How long will it take?
How old does my dog need to be?
Your dog must be within four weeks of turning 18 months old (i.e. 17 months + a few days) to be measured. Dogs under two years of age can only have an interim measure, and will need to be measured again later.
Once your dog is within two weeks of turning two years old, she can have her permanent measure. This is valid for the lifetime of the dog, except in some circumstances if the height cutoffs are changed.
Who can measure my dog?
You will need two measurers – one must be a main measurer, while the other one can be a main or an assistant measurer. There is a list of all of the measurers on the Agility Committee website with their contact details.
Measurers are volunteers who have done some training and been approved by the Agility Committee. They don’t receive any payment (beyond a grant if they travel to do a measuring clinic) and they are giving up their time to help you, so please remember to be nice to them.
When can I get my dog measured?
If you are lucky enough to have two measurers in your club, you could ask them to do it at club training – easy and convenient for everyone! In urban areas your club might organise a measuring clinic where measurers from another clubs come to visit, or you might be invited to one elsewhere.
If you can’t get your dog measured at club, contact your nearest main measurer and ask them to suggest a time and place that would be suitable – this may be at a nearby show, at their club training, or even at their house.
Getting measured at your first show is a last resort, but sometimes it has to be done if you really can’t arrange anything else – particularly if you don’t have many measurers near you. If you decide to go down this route, it’s still nice to contact some measurers who may be at the show in advance to arrange a time that suits everyone.
What should I bring?
- Your dog’s Dogs NZ (formerly NZKC) pedigree papers or registration papers, if she has them. If not, the measurer will need to know her date of birth so you might want to write that down on a piece of paper.
- Your dog’s previous measurement certificate, if she has one.
- Plenty of treats. Measuring will take longer than you expect and your dog will get bored and fidgety. Bribery helps – bring twice as many treats as you think you need.
- A muzzle, if you have one and you think there’s a chance your dog might snap at the measurer – particularly if she has past history of similar behaviour at the vet’s or the groomer’s. It will make things less stressful for the humans, and the job will be done quicker, which is less stressful for your dog too.
- A good book to keep you entertained – it usually takes 10 to 20 minutes to measure each dog, so you may wait a while before your turn.
What exactly will happen?
Each measurer will measure your dog several times. They will then compare their results and may want to take more measurements until they can get a number that they can both agree on. It’s not uncommon for dogs to “grow” during the session as they become more relaxed and confident about what’s going on.
Your dog’s height will be measured down to the millimetre, which may seem pedantic if you are not near a height cutoff. Every few years there is a review of the height cutoffs and sometimes they are changed as a result, so your dog that is in the middle of its height group now may be a borderline case later on. The data collected from dogs around the country is also used to assess the impact of potential changes, so it is important that it is as accurate as possible.
After your dog is measured, the measurer will give you a certificate for your records. They will also record the measurement against your dog’s permanent number on the dogagility.org.nz website.