The details....

Hey all! I have been meaning to get you guys the next instillation of dock jumping 101 for a few days and it jus didn’t happen. I love having the time freedom to hang with our dogs and my kiddo. Just means I pack our schedule even more full.

Let’s pick up where we left off last time. So last time your dog has gotten use to the water, the dock and the atmosphere. You have picked out their favorite toy. Now what? How do we get more and more distance from our dogs?

Well lets start with different technique. Also different clubs and how they run their rules. There are three main organizations: UAD, NADD and Dock dogs. These are the ones we see the most of. But being on the East side of the country we may just not see and hear as much about others as in the past there have also been SRS and Splash Dogs. But for today we will focus on the three we are familiar with. Both UAD and NADD allow two people to be on the dock at one time when jumping a dog. Three if the handler who is throwing is needing the physical assistance. Dock Dogs only allows one handler on the dock and also does a stop watch for counting down the amount of time you have on the dock. So be aware of those things.

There are two methods of throwing the toy for your dog. The basic lingo is “place and send” or “chase” method. During the place and send method the toy is thrown into the pool and the dog watches it land in the water and then the dog is “sent” after the toy. So the toy is already in the water. During the chase method the dog is going to start away from you, start running down the dock and as you throw the toy the dog will jump and chase after the toy. Think of this like a dog jumping and going after a Frisbee in the air. The dog is following the toy and chasing it through the air.

Typically the chase method does get more distance. The key to both methods is finding the timing and right distance on the dock for the dog. Dogs will hit their max speed within a certain number of feet. So not all dogs are needing the same amount of dock to get the best distance. This is a hit and miss of each dog and figuring out where is best for them. Each of of our dogs starts differently. Tucson is a place and send dog, right now so is Talia. Phoenix, Rumor and Vader all are chase. With Vader just starting to learn it. Many dogs start with place and send to build their confidence on the dock. Then change over to chasing.

To change over we always work on land first having one handler hold the dog and the other out front throwing the toy out and having the dog chase it on the ground. Yes they will jump up slightly but this isn’t the key. The key is for them to focus on the toy and go after it. This can then be started on the dock. We start wit the dog just short distance back. This build trust. Trust from the dog to you that you will throw the toy. From there it is gradual building further back distance and timing the throws.

So get out there. Start practicing and have fun with your dogs. I think I will start doing posts about each dog over the next week or so as well! I hope you enjoy the information.