Dock Dogs! HELP!

[CavePaws]

Okay, I really really really want to get my retrievers into Dock Diving. Not only are they all retrieving freaks but they are water freaks too. We have lake property with docks, but I'm pretty sure there are regulations right?

This summer I'll be hosting Water Works classes for dogs down at our property here in Austin, and I would love to learn more about Dock Diving so eventually I can in cooperate it into the training program!

Northwoods, I know Nallah and Morgan are beasts when it comes to dock diving, right? Lemme know how you got them doing it and what that entailed please. :D

[RawFedDogs]

I guess you've already Googled dock diving dogs?

[CavePaws]

Lol, of course I have RFD. But there are people on this board who I can talk to about it, I want to know about how competitions are, what venues they compete in/like the best, tips/advice. You know, from anyone who has been there done that.

[Northwoods10]

One of my favorite subjects besides raw feeding of course!!

What would you like to know? I guess get them used to being up on the dock and see if they will jump off first. Throw the toy short and just let them build confidence. Lots of time up on the dock practicing and gaining confidence of launching themselves into the water....for most labs...this comes naturally!

Nallah took 3 events before she would jump willingly. Her first "jump" was more of a "fall" and her official distance was 2'4".

Morgan took 3 events to jump as well and she ended up winning the novice division of that event with a 9'11" jump.

This will be Nallah's 3rd year of dock dogs and Morgan's 2nd and they are both jumping very well. Nallah is consistent 20-21' and Morgan is consistent between 17-18.

The biggest thing to remember at an actual event is that usually you are jumping into a pool. The pool's water is usually *not always* very clear water and that throws them off. They can't tell how deep it is. So starting out I always take the dog to the end of the dock, toss the toy short just a few feet out and encourage them to jump after it. Some dogs jump right away, some dogs get scared & they end up letting them go in off the ramp so they can get a feel for the pool.

Divisions for Big Air are as follows:
Novice 0'-9'11"
Junior 10'-14'11"
Senior 15'-19'11"
Master 20'-22'11"
Elite 23'-24'11"
Super Elite 25'+

Nallah has her Masters title (5 jumps in that division) and Morgan has her Senior Title (5 jumps in that division). Once you gain a title you are invited to their national year end event in the fall.

Dock is 40' long and you can use the entire thing for Big Air. It sits 2' above the water and I believe it is 4' wide.

Pretty soon, you'll be having fun watching your dogs fly...like this:
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I'm not sure if it will work for you, it wasn't playing for me.If the video doesn't work here are some photos for inspiration:

I believe this was Nallah's personal best jump of 22'2"






And Morgan's personal best jump of 19'7"


Timing is everything on your throws!

[CavePaws]

Hey this is really exciting for me now that summer is coming around so I looked it up again! I'd love to give it a whirl, are there any dvds or books on it? Would you recommend a class?
We have lake property and a dock to practice on so I could dedicate quite a bit of time to it. Do you need to have a certain size dock to do it that is a certain height off the water for training? I think my labby dogs will absolutely love this. :D

Morgan and Nallah are awesome jumpers! I hope I can one day get my pups doing it!

[Love my lab]

looks like a lot of fun!!!! The pics of your dogs jumping are GREAT!!!!!! Reahven has never jumped from a dock....wonder what she will do when I get her on one. Her brothers owners have a cabin w/ a pond and they invited us to come have a puppy play date and swim so it should be intersting to see if she follows her brother off the dock. lol

[Northwoods10]

Regulation size dock is 40' long x 4' wide and its 2' above the water. I'd be more worried about the length of the dock than anything else to get your strides down. In order for Nallah to reach full stride at the very end of the dock (so she isn't jumping early) she needs to start at 38' back. They have a tape on the dock at the events so you know where to place your dog.

There are two different methods for jumping. One is called place & Send. This is when you take your dog to the end of the dock near the pool, throw the bumper, take the dog back to their starting point and send them. This is a more popular method for beginners who may not have a consistent sit/wait with their dog.

The other is called the Chase method. This is going to create the most drive & ensure "pop" off the end of the dock, if you have a good throw for them to CHASE. So, I put Nallah in a sit/wait at 38' back and give her the cue "Nallah, come". Before I leave her at the end of the dock, she gets a little pep talk from me and a few words to get her pumped up. She is usually shaking at the end of the dock in anticipation to run & fly off the end.

Here is Nallah in a sit wait.....


And her Launch (first year photo, a little flat)


And here is Nallah by the end of her first season, BIG improvement, and perfect chase method:



And here is Morgan's launch, it must have been good use of the dock b/c she popped up so well I cut off her head in the picture. Perfect use of the chase method:



If you want some good advice, check out this website:

SportMutt - Premium Dock Dog TRAINING and Dock Jumping TRAINING

Tom Dropik is a member of our Dock Dogs Club, Dock Dogs Northern Stars and he's been to the Worlds Championship quite a few times with Tucker & Rocky. He's got some excellent advice which has helped me and Jim tremendously. Here is Tom with Nallah at one of our first events trying to teach her "pop".

[CavePaws]

Thanks Kelley!! That's such an awesome website, lots of great info there. I'll definitely be looking it over...would you suggest me start working on foundational work on the ground and then maybe look into taking a few lessons with a trainer in the area?

I have a feeling Indi is going to go absolutely nuts over this. If a toy is involved the girl is bonkers. If water is involved she's a loon! This just seems like the perfect sport for crazy fish-dogs. :p

[Northwoods10]

I'd definitely start with foundation work on the ground, and add in distraction. Remember, its not only that you're up on a dock in front of a gigantic pool of water, but also lots of other people & dogs around too! Once they get the hang of what they're up there for though, they almost get into a zone and forget about everything else around them.

We're heading to a friends cabin this weekend for lots of dock jumping (unofficial), so I'll get some pictures and hopefully some video too. We'll see if Remi aka kangaroo has some hops off the dock too. :) If I can get that boy to concentrate I think he'll be rivaling his big sisters.

[CavePaws]

Yes, this is why I think Indi will be really prepared for it. We go to lots of agility trials, seminars, and classes and actually can't use a toy when we are running in agility. I think the toy during competition might attract her so much she'll start loving the sport more than agility. :[ :[ I think she'll be nervous the first few times of course, but once she realizes it's mommy all day and the toys I think she's just going to fall in love.

Paris is another story all together, she is a naturally nervous dog around other dogs but she has a heck of a prey drive! Seriously a little fire ball with springs for legs. I haven't done agility with her because, unfortunately, Indi is a VERY jealous type :/ That's how she injured herself of course, I was running another dog and she was flipping out. O_O I'm so scared at a trial Indi would go nuts barking when Paris is running and a lot of agility people frown upon that. I heard one person yell at a national champion at the last trial I went to, because his handler was running his dog Sterling, another national champion. It was so ridiculous, especially because the guys wife was there and I think it would have been up to her to correct the dog. Not some random stranger sitting by them. :|

The last thing Indi needs is someone yelling at her because she's being noisy. :p

edit: And yes! Get lots of pics of the girls! I'd be so excited to see them. :D