What is Quadruped and how to get started with this discipline?

On our blog, we have already written about dogfrisbee, a sport where dogs catch flying discs. Its advantage is that both the dog and the owner play sports together. Dogfrisbee is also a great sport for its diversity – it includes various disciplines that differ in content and difficulty. Thanks to that, everyone can choose their favourite. The first discipline that competitors can experience in Dogfrisbee is Quadruped, as introduced to us by the competitor Martina Bolehovská.

What is the main goal of Quadruped?

The main goal of this discipline is to throw the disc as far as possible so that the dog can catch it. If the dog does not catch the disc, the throw does not count.

 

Is it a mixed competition or are there separate categories for women and men?

In Quadruped, the categories are separate. Men and women race separately because men have more strength and throw farther than women. What’s interesting, though, is that in the Czech Republic, the opposite is true: many women throw farther than men.

 

How does a race take place? Is it preceded by a participant qualification?

In each race, there is a qualifying round where the competitor has one attempt without a dog. Only throws that land on the marked field count. Competitors whose disc landed outside the marked area are given 0 meters in the qualification. Based on the qualification performances, teams are divided into groups and the order of competitors with dogs is determined. The final number of groups is announced by the organizer before the start of the competition. Depending on the number of starting competitors, it is possible to create three to five groups. Grouping is done starting with teams with the shortest attempts in qualifying. The team with the shortest throw in the qualification starts first in the 1st group, the team with the second shortest throw starts first in the 2nd group, etc. The best teams then start in groups last. One finalist from each semi-final group will advance. All teams that did not advance from the semi-final groups directly to the final have a chance to compete in the “last chance” round for one final place.

 

How does it go from there?

Each team has one regular round (three throws) in the reverse order of the qualification. Last chance throws count towards the longest throws of the individual teams as well as records. Depending on the number of semi-final groups, four to six teams take part in the final, and this takes place in the same way as the semi-final group. The final ranking of the finalists is determined by their performance in the final. The rest of the competitors is then ranked according to the longest valid attempt of each team during the entire competition (qualifying round does not count).

 

Who assesses the performances?

The discipline described above is judged by one main judge. There are also two helpers on the field. One watches over foot faults and the other assists the referee in determining the distance.

 

Are there any special rules for this discipline?

Yes. One of the main ones is, for example, that each competitor may participate with only one dog. On the other hand, two different competitors can share one dog. The dog may cross the starting line before the disc is thrown, this step is called free start, but the dog must continue to move forward until the disc is thrown. It is not allowed to send the dog to the field to wait for the disc. So if the dog stops or starts moving back before the disc is thrown, the attempt is invalid. However, the rules are relatively extensive and all can be found on the website of the Czech Discdog Club.

 

Can newcomers also enter the race?

Definitely. Many races also host the FUN category, where newcomers or players who throw shorter distances compete.

 

What are the levels of these races?

Quadruped has no levels. It is only divided into women, men, FUN women and FUN men.

 

Does the dog have to meet any special requirements before entering the race?

The dog must be fit to run such long distances.

 

Is there a pre-race qualification or can anyone take part in it?

You only need to qualify for the Czech Championship. To participate in the Czech Quadruped Championship, you need to demonstrate a valid attempt at any qualifying competition of at least 45 meters for women and 50 meters for men.

Related articles

How to teach a dog to wear a muzzle

In the life of any dog, a situation might come up, when it is necessary to put on a muzzle. And if the dog is not used to wearing it, it might mean a stressful situation. I will advise you on how to avoid stress and how to get your dog used to wearing...

Don’t underestimate regular veterinary check-ups

Same as in people, also our pets should go to regular check-ups to a doctor. We might neglect this quite often, but it is still something else in animals. A dog or a cat won’t come up to you to tell you, that they’re not feeling well. That’s why an...

Four-legged diabetics

You probably have someone among your friends, who has diabetes. However, do you know, that cats and dogs also suffer from this disease quite often?

What our pets dream about

Do you know, what dreams our pets have? Besides myself, also a number of scientists were interested in this question and they came up with various hypotheses. Would you guess what our four-legged friends dream about?

5 tips for taking pictures of your pets

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.3px 'Times New Roman'; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} All of us surely likes to take pictures of our pets. However, the photographs don’t always turn out according to our...