Dock Diving

Last year, I was at the Midwest Pet Expo and learned about this sport called Dock Diving. There were dogs such as Labrador Retrievers, Portugese Water Dogs and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers plus a couple of other breeds. Dock diving first began on ESPN's Great Outdoor Games in 2000 as a filler event. It was a huge phenomenon and clubs started sprouting all over the country, and in other parts of the world.

It's set up similar to a platform that is shaped like a dock. The dogs stand on the dock and an owner will grab a floatable toy shaped like a cylinder and throw it really far ahead into the water. The dog does a running jump and leaps into the water after the toy. This is known as Horizontal Dock Diving, Some dogs can jump over 25 feet. One dog owner is hoping his dog will reach 28 feet.

There is another aspect of the sport where the dogs go for height as you will notice in the video below. This is a new sport where innovations are constantly being made. The third type of dock diving is over water catching. It's the most difficult because the toy will be thrown in the air and the dog has to catch it in mid-jump before it hits the water.



Dogs who are best in agility are great candidates for this sport. A love of water is one of the most important factors in getting your dog to participate. One of the benefits of this sport is that it doesn't take alot of time to learn as a sport. It's a great way to exercise your dog and enjoy the summer. If you'd like to learn more about the sport or where you can catch some events, you may want to visit these websites:

Dock Dogs
Splash Dogs

Well guys thanks for stopping in. If any of you all have had a dog in this sport I would love for you to share. As always, don't be shy about leaving a comment. Happy Friday TKD readers and I hope you have a great weekend!