Road to Worlds 2025

2025 Road to World Championship Qualifying Criteria

The following is a detailed breakdown of how teams can qualify for an invitation to the 2025 World Championships. All final invitations are dependent upon the team’s participation during the 2025 season at either (2) National caliber DockDogs® events or (1) National and (1) Club event (The 2024 DockDogs® World Championship Event does not count as one of the National events), on or before September 30th, 2025. The team must hold an Active 2025 DockDogs® Worldwide membership to be considered for an invitation. For Dueling DogsTM Worlds you must be a 2025 member of Dueling DogsTM only if you do not hold an Active 2025 DockDogs® membership. All other required qualifications still apply.

Invitations for teams are determined based on the following Qualifying Avenues in the order that they appear below:

1. Scheels Series

To be considered for the Scheels Series you must have attended a minimum of (2) of the 2025 Scheels Series events (separate event locations).

Upon completion of the above noted requirements the top (3) ranked teams within each Division of each Discipline (Big Air; Speed Retrieve, Extreme Vertical & Iron Dog) will receive an invitation to the 2025 World Championships. This includes the Specialty Classes (Youth Handler; Lap Dog; Veteran Dog; Legend Dog).

Rankings are based on a team’s best two qualifying scores within each discipline of all 2025 Scheels Series events they have attended (i.e. there will be individual rankings for one top score per event for Big Air, Speed Retrieve, Extreme Vertical, Iron Dog). Please note that only the 2 best qualifying scores of all 2025 Scheels Series events will be considered for this ranking, and not all jumps from each event.

2. Sanctioned Facility – Wild Card & Wild Card Double Header Events

The Wild Card & Wild Card Double Header event(s) that occur during the 2025 competition season at DOGZ

Sanctioned Facilities; and the top (4) Ranked teams per event, within each division of each discipline (Big Air;

Speed Retrieve, Extreme Vertical & Iron Dog), based on event rankings, will receive an invitation to the 2025

World Championships. Event Rankings for these Events will be based on the average of the two top scores from Waves & any Finals. This includes the Specialty Classes (Youth Handler, Lap Dog, Veteran Dog, Legend Dog). Please note that to be ranked for a possible invite in Big Air a team must have at least three (3) Big Air scores from competition waves from that event. Also, if a division is unfilled (4 qualifying teams) we may fill the division with a team whose performance average is within one (1) division lower than their current title.

3. National Rig – Wild Card & Wild Card Double Header Events

These Wild Card & Wild Card Double Header event(s) will consist of events selected by DOGZ Events; and the top (2) Ranked teams per event, within each division of each discipline (Big Air; Speed Retrieve, Extreme Vertical & Iron Dog), based on event rankings, will receive an invitation to the 2025 World Championships. Event Rankings for these Events will be based on the average of the two top scores from Waves & any Finals. This includes the Specialty Classes (Youth Handler, Lap Dog, Veteran Dog, Legend Dog). Please note that to be ranked for a possible invite in Big Air a team must have at least three (3) Big Air scores from competition waves from that event. Also, if a division is unfilled (2 qualifying teams) we may fill the division with a team whose performance average is within one (1) division lower than their current title.

4. Year End Rankings

Overall by Country

Overall Rankings by Country take into consideration a team’s (5) best jumps (including Finals) within Big Air, and the (3) best scores within Speed Retrieve, Extreme Vertical & Iron Dog to date for National caliber events within a Country. The top (4 ranked teams within each Division in each Discipline (including Specialty Classes) will receive an invitation to the 2025 World Championships. Country specific invites will be based on specific Countries including USA/Canada/Italy/Australia.

Note: If a team were ranked within the parameters of a division higher than which they are titled, they would not be considered for a Rankings invitation based on their titled division; but could potentially qualify for an invite based on the higher division within which they are ranked.

Overall Worldwide

Overall Rankings take into consideration a team’s (5) best scores (including Finals) within Big Air, and the team’s (3) best scores within Speed Retrieve, Extreme Vertical & Iron Dog to date. The top (4) ranked teams within each Division in each Discipline (including Specialty Classes) will receive an invitation to the 2025 World Championships.

4. Dueling Dogs

The top 8 Teams per Class that achieve a score during the Dueling Dogs Finals at 2025 Season events will be issued an invite to the 2025 World Championships; Teams must be a 2025 member of Dueling DogsTM only if they do not hold an Active 2025 membership with DockDogs®.

IMPORTANT – Additional World Championship Qualifying & Competition Information

One round of pass down invites will be issued to the “Next Qualified Team” in the instance that one of the original Qualifying Teams does not accept their invitation for that specific qualifying avenue. The pass downs are only applicable to the following Qualifying Avenues (please note that there will not be pass down invites for Dueling Dogs):
1. Scheels Series (DockDogs®)
2. Facility Wild Card & Wild Card Double Headers (DockDogs®)
3. Rig Wild Card Events & Wild Card Double Headers (DockDogs®)
If a team turns down an invite, they will not have the opportunity to qualify for an invite within that performance division through another qualifying avenue. However, a team could qualify for an invite within a higher performance division than the original “declined” invitation.
If a Youth Handler competes and earns an invitation to the 2025 World Championships within the Youth Handler Specialty Class, and they turn 16 years of age prior to the start of the World Championships, they will still compete as a Youth Handler at the World Championship event.
In the case of Specialty Class Invitations (Youth Handler, Lap Dog, Veteran Dog, Legend Dog):

a. If a Youth Handler qualifies with multiple dogs resulting in multiple invitations to the 2025 World Championships for the Big Air Youth Handler Specialty Class, they may only accept one invitation (with their qualifying dog of choice). Youth handlers may still accept additional invitations for other Big Air Specialty Classes.

b. If a Dog qualifies with multiple handlers resulting in multiple invitations to the 2025 World Championships for any of the following Big Air Specialty Classes, (Lap Dog, Veteran Dog, Legend Dog), they may accept one invitation per Specialty Class with their qualifying Handler of choice, as applicable. Any entry fees previously paid will follow the dog.

5. Each discipline’s Finals selection (aside from the Specialty Classes) will be based on a Floating Bubble system, with Tiered Finals:

Big Air (6) six Tiers
Speed Retrieve (4) four Tiers

Extreme Vertical (3) three Tiers
Iron Dog (4) four TiersTeams will compete in (2) Qualifying Rounds. Once Qualifying is complete the teams will be sorted from highest to lowest score with exception of Speed Retrieve, which will be sorted fastest to slowest. During the Qualifying rounds, any team that did not achieve a score at a minimum within the range of their Current Title or Division in which they earned their World’s Invite (if the team isn’t Titled) will not be considered for Finals; this includes Teams that Scratched or DNQ’d. “Tiered Lines” will then be drawn based upon the Number of remaining teams per Division “New Count”. The Tiers will define the Top 6 Finalists for each Discipline’s Floating Bubble.
A dog cannot participate in the same Tiered Finals with (2) two different Handlers; in this instance the team with the Higher Qualifying score would compete in the Designated Tiered Finals.
A dog can qualify & compete in two different Tiered Finals within the same discipline with (2) two different Handlers.