Dog Care 101 Tip #185: Dog Sports – Dock Jumping
Sometimes called the easiest of all Dog Sports, Dock Jumping is certainly an entertaining event to watch and be involved with. Not only is this Dog Sport easy and fun, but it’s also open to any dog willing to take a jump off a short pier. BestBullySticks.com outlines the great world of Dock Jumping in today’s Dog Care 101 spotlight on Dog Sports!
What is Dock Jumping?
Also called Dock Diving, this dog sport is a competition of jump distance and jump height off of a dock into a body of water. This sport is governed by a few different organizations including Dock Dogs, SplashDogs and Ultimate Air Dogs, who partners through the United Kennel Club. For these clubs, there are two basic kinds of play: Long Distance Jumping and Vertical Height Jumping.
History
This sport really doesn’t have one particular point of origin. However, it can be pretty well guessed. Most likely a couple of guys were with their loyal companions for a romp down by the lake. One guy probably said, “Hey, Watch this!” and threw a tennis ball off the dock, into the water and his dog soared far through the air after his favorite toy. Voila! Dock Jumping was born.
Even though there is not a definitive account of who thought of Dock Jumping or where it originated, it is known that in 1997 Dock Jumping first appeared in Purina’s Incredible Dog Challenge. Since then, many clubs have sprung up and some dog’s can earn titles in the UKC for their competitions. Dock Jumping competitions are now in the UK and Australia. Read more
