PLEASE READ INFORMATION BELOW BEFORE ATTENDING AN EVENT OR PRACTICE.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR YOUR FIRST PRACTICE OR EVENT
If you and your dog have never tried jumping off a dock and you would like to give it a try, we recommend that you attend one of our member lead Practices. For a $20 fee during the non-member time posted, you can try to jump your dog and get great advice from our on-site members on how to get your dog started on their dock dogging adventure. Please ask all the questions you would like. You'll find that our members enjoy sharing their experiences and knowledge about the sport and are always willing to help others get started. For more details about your first practice, visit our First Timers section.
To begin, the first thing you need when attempting your first few jumps off the dock is a floatable toy. Any toy that floats is acceptable by DockDog rules. The best toy to use is one your dog is wild for; that way, when you throw it in the pool, they'll actually want to jump in to get it! Making sure your dog has some "toy drive" and enjoys the water are two key components with DockDogs. Put those two together and you've got a great dock diving combination.
Handlers may use any technique to get their dog into the water, but you must not push, pull, or throw your dog in the pool at an event. This will result in a "no score." You may, however, lay down on the dock, splash the water and make as many encouraging sounds/motions as you like! You may also use any throwing technique. Beginners usually start with "place and send," where you throw the toy in the water and back the dog up a few strides so they can run and jump to get it. A more advanced technique is "chase," where the dog sits toward the back of the dock and then runs toward the front while the handler throws the toy so the dog can attempt to grab it mid-air. The trick is to try out various methods and see which works best for you and your dog. The only rule about this is that in competition you only get 60 seconds from when your dog sets foot on the dock until the dog is in motion toward the end of the dock. If it takes you longer to get the dog moving forward, you will be given a "timeout," which is also no score.
Distance is measured from the base of the dog's tail. At club events they are judged manually by two certified judges, while at national events jumps are judged using a camera that captures the dog's entry into the water and can be reviewed by the DockDogs event staff frame by frame. Both methods are very accurate.
Once your dog has figured out the name of the game you can take the time to perfect your own skills such as throwing.... any handler will tell you "It's all in the throw"!
There are only a few simple rules you need to remember:
To begin, the first thing you need when attempting your first few jumps off the dock is a floatable toy. Any toy that floats is acceptable by DockDog rules. The best toy to use is one your dog is wild for; that way, when you throw it in the pool, they'll actually want to jump in to get it! Making sure your dog has some "toy drive" and enjoys the water are two key components with DockDogs. Put those two together and you've got a great dock diving combination.
Handlers may use any technique to get their dog into the water, but you must not push, pull, or throw your dog in the pool at an event. This will result in a "no score." You may, however, lay down on the dock, splash the water and make as many encouraging sounds/motions as you like! You may also use any throwing technique. Beginners usually start with "place and send," where you throw the toy in the water and back the dog up a few strides so they can run and jump to get it. A more advanced technique is "chase," where the dog sits toward the back of the dock and then runs toward the front while the handler throws the toy so the dog can attempt to grab it mid-air. The trick is to try out various methods and see which works best for you and your dog. The only rule about this is that in competition you only get 60 seconds from when your dog sets foot on the dock until the dog is in motion toward the end of the dock. If it takes you longer to get the dog moving forward, you will be given a "timeout," which is also no score.
Distance is measured from the base of the dog's tail. At club events they are judged manually by two certified judges, while at national events jumps are judged using a camera that captures the dog's entry into the water and can be reviewed by the DockDogs event staff frame by frame. Both methods are very accurate.
Once your dog has figured out the name of the game you can take the time to perfect your own skills such as throwing.... any handler will tell you "It's all in the throw"!
There are only a few simple rules you need to remember:
- When not on the dock, keep your dog on a leash (no longer than 4 ft.) or in a crate. No retractable (flexi) leashes.
- Your throw object must float and not be edible or anything that is live or has been live.
- Only one handler on the dock at a time.
- No training collars allowed on the dock, only flat buckle and material only martingale collars are allowed
- No pushing your dog off the dock
- No abusive behavior toward dogs, other competitors, or workers
- No dogs in heat
- Keep your dogs at least 8’ from other dogs
- Only the dog on the dock may be off leash
- You must clean up after your dog at BOTH the event area and hotel
- You, or a representative, MUST be at the judge’s/handler’s meeting in order to compete in that wave.