NEW: Microdog Division!

Minnesota Disc Dog Club MicroDog Division (MNMicro)

The Minnesota Disc Dog Club is proud to present our newest event Division: MicroDog! We’ll be calling it MNMicro to avoid any confusion with other venue small dog designations. This Division is open to all handlers of any age or skill level, the dog determines the division in this case!

Please note, that some disc venues have their own small dog rules, and those will supersede any MNDDC rules. We’ve tried to clarify those rules below as best we can.

In very exciting news, this also means our Annual State Championships will have an Overall MicroDog Winner!!! 🥳

Qualifying Dogs for MNMicro

Any dog that measures 16” or less at the withers (the highest point of the shoulder blades while standing). This height runs from the withers to ground while the dog is standing in an upright position. More details below!

Other Venue Exceptions

Please note, that when MNDDC offers any of the following venues for competitive disc play, we will be following their rules for small dogs.

Skyhoundz Microdog rules: under 17” at the withers and must use small hyperflite discs.

Toss & Fetch League rules: under 15.75” at the withers.

While UpDog offers height divisions at the host’s discretion, we will only use your UpDog height division to determine your jump height in crossover games. MNMicro Division will be used for awards and placements. For ease of clarification, UpDog’s two smaller dog categories are Mini (under 15” at withers) and Midi (15-18” at withers).

AWI no longer offers a Small Dog Division.

Disc Types

For MNMicro, any disc approved by the competition venue type (UpDog, T&F, etc) will be allowed for our small dog division. You do not need to exclusively use small discs.

Measuring Rules

Dogs over 2 years old can have an official MNDDC height on record after two different club officials have taken a measurement (can be done on the same day). Dogs under 2 years old will need to be re-measured at every event until they are 2 years of age. The club will also accept certain height cards from other sports, detailed below, in lieu of on-site measurements.

MNDDC will have an appropriate measuring wicket on site for dog measurements on the morning of events. Measuring times will be announced for each event, and will likely occur in the morning before any games start.

There will be at least two club officials for measuring on site:

1. Official #1: One official to do the actual measurement (touching of the dog’s shoulders, moving of the wicket arm, minor adjustments to dog’s position with verbal permission from handler, etc). No dogs will be touched without handler permission first, and handlers may provide some guidance on working with their specific dog.

2. Official #2: One official to verbally confirm to Official #1 and the Handler that the dog is in a proper upright standing position*, not leaning or being physically supported by the handler, and ready for a measurement. This official will also provide a visual confirm of Official #1’s measurement on the wicket.

3. One official to record the measurement, this can be combined with Official #2’s duties.

4. After one measurement has been confirmed in this style, the handler may opt for their second measurement to be done immediately and Officials #1 and #2 will swap roles for a second measurement. Alternatively, if the dog would like a break, the Handler may return later in the measurement window for their second reading.

*Measuring Proper Stance

• Front legs will be vertical (an imaginary line could be drawn perpendicular to the ground that runs from the highest point of the dog’s shoulders down to the elbow and further down to the ground along the rear of the front legs to their wrist.

• Back legs will be positioned with the dog’s hocks perpendicular to the ground and spread no wider than the width of the dog.

• The dog’s head must be in an upright position and their jaw line should run parallel to the floor.

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Example:

This measuring protocol was developed based on NAFA and some agility venue protocols. What we want most within the measuring process is for dogs to feel comfortable. Please bring any dog specific concerns to the measuring officials and we can try our best to find a compromise that works for the dogs but also upholds the measuring protocol validity.

Club Officials may not measure their own dog or a dog in which they co-own.

Accepted Height Cards

The following venues provide height cards or official measurements that MNDDC accepts use in lieu of on-site measurements.

• NAFA: Only once a dog has had two measurements for the same jump height. A single measurement from NAFA will not qualify.

• Agility: Permanent height cards from agility venues that specify a dog’s actual height will be accepted. We cannot accept cards that only state the dog’s jump height.

Disclaimer

This Division is brand new in 2026 and may be subject to some tweaking of the rules and policies as we try something new to MNDDC :) We appreciate your patience, feedback, and understanding as we develop something new and fun for our small disc dogs!