For 2014, the United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA) added new jump heights to their dog courses. I think it is interesting that championship classes now have a different number of heights than performance classes have.
How does the USDAA decide the heights of jumps, especially the new jumps that they added?
For USDAA, the jumps are meant to be at equal or greater height than the dog's shoulders. The goal of the new classes is to try and even the playing field for the many dogs at the low end of the 16" and 22" jump classes. By adding a 14" and 18" jump class, they hope to keep the dogs better matched.
More detailed information about the change can be found in Jump Heights Revealed.
