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Agility | Conformation | Disc Dogs | Dock Diving | Earth Dog Trials | Flyball | Herding
| Field Trials & Hunting | Lure Coursing Obedience | Rally-
Home | Dog Sports | What’s New | About | Contact | Store | Links
Agility | Conformation | Disc Dogs | Dock Diving | Earth Dog Trials | Flyball | Herding
| Field Trials & Hunting | Lure Coursing Obedience | Rally-
Dock Diving Training and Equipment
One of the great features of the dock dog sport is that it requires minimal training and equipment to compete successfully. Still, there are a few skills every dog and handler team need to master:
- Basic Obedience All athletic dogs must be experts in basic obedience. That is, they must follow your commands and signals (sit, stay, stand, heel, etc.) without fail and not be distracted by other people, dogs, or activity around them. The AthleticDogs.com ebook series, Basic Training for the Athletic Dog, walks you through every fundamental skill your dog needs to succeed in any dog sport.
- Conditioning Both dog and handler must be in top physical condition to compete in most dog sports. Check out AthleticDogs.com’s conditioning tools and resources here.
- Fetch: Successful dock diving must be very driven for their chase object (toy). Any dog that is naturally attracted to fetching (and isn’t afraid of water) is an ideal candidate for dock dog competitions. Most dogs do have some natural retrieve drive that can be built upon with time and practice.
- Straight Run: The run down the dock is the first factor in achieving great jumps.
Optimal speed is good, but even slower dogs can alter their jump angle to increase
distance (higher launch equals longer distance). The dog must be well-
trained to run a straight line down the dock path before launch. - Jump: Dock Diving jump using the same skills as any long jumper – speed and a strong launch. Ideally, your dock dog will learn to contact the very end of the dock on launch, such that his or her toes actually wrap around the end of the dock to push off. The angle of the jump is another factor to be mastered.
- Water Work: The dog must be completely comfortable jumping into and returning from the water. The younger a dog starts with water work, the better, though some dogs are naturally attracted to water sources regardless of age and training. Learning to focus on the chase object (rather than the water) and returning quickly to the handler are critical in successful dock dog competitions.
- Handler’s Throw: Believe it or not, the way the handler throws the chase object is critical. You must practice accurate tosses to the best distance for your dog, and the dog must be trained for ultimate drive to the chase object.
Check out the basic dock diving techniques here.
Dock Diving equipment needs include:
- Water: Dock Diving competitions use all types of water bodies, including pools, for competition. The pool must be at least 4 feet deep and the world record jump distance is currently almost 29 feet...so the pool must be at least this long.
- Dock: Competition docks are usually 40 feet long by 8 feet wide and are set 24 inches
above the surface of the water. The dock is usually covered with turf-
like carpet for traction and safety. - Chase Object: The dog’s favorite toy, the handler throws the chase object into the water and the dog jumps to retrieve it.
Check out the AthleticDogs.com store for the best in
Dock Diving training aids and equipment!
