By Dog Gone Fun Agility, doggonefunagility.com
Dock Jumping (a.k.a. Dock Diving, Dog Diving, Dog Jumping), is a family-friendly fun sport, that almost any dog can do!
Dogs have been jumping off docks for years, but the first time Dock Jumping was seen on TV as a competition, was in 1997 at the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge produced by Carson Events. In 2000, ESPN featured Dock Jumping on it’s Great Outdoor Games, and from those two features, the sport really “took off”!!!
With that, several organizations were formed: Dock Dogs, Ultimate Air Dogs, and Splash Dogs were the Big 3, bringing their mobile docks to fairs and expos across the country.
How it works: A handler puts their dog into a sit position at the far end of the dock. If the dog has a good sit-stay, they don’t need a holder, but to get the family involved, the handler is encouraged to use a holder… which can be a strong advantage, because the holder can really rev the dog up for a great jump! Dogs run down a 40’ x 8’ dock, jump into the air, and land into a pool of water. The distance is measured from the end of the dock (closest to the pool) to where the base of the tail breaks the water plane. Organizations that hold these events have divisions so that it’s fair for dogs of all sizes to compete.
Most organizations have other games that they play as well: Chase-It is a timed swimming race; Fetch-It is where a toy is suspended 4ft above the water and started no less than 10ft, and moved out in 1ft increments as the dog Fetches the toy. Catch-It is where the dog catches the toy and gets 2 scores: 1 where the catch is made, and the other where the dog lands. The 2 scores are then added together.
Dog Gone Fun Agility is home to the only INDOOR dock diving facility in Texas. Dog Gone Fun offers a large variety of swim classes, Dock diving classes, private lessons, rentals and more!
If you have a dog that loves to swim, and loves to chase toys, then you probably have the next great dock jumper! For more information and a schedule of events, check out www.ultimateairdogs.com and www.Doggonefunagility.com.
