I get emails all the time asking, “How do I get involved with Splash Dogs?” The best answer is to bring your dog to an event and enjoy the day!
How did I get involved? It started when Sierra, now 11½ years old, became part of our family in 2001. Sierra loved water and I was looking for an activity she could participate in. In 2002 I watched the dock jumping competition during ESPN’s Great Outdoor Games and knew this was for Sierra.
We participated in our first event at Purina’s Incredible Dog Challenge in San Francisco. Sierra had a great time and we began to search for more dock jumping opportunities. We traveled to events throughout the West, with Sierra doing better each time. When Sierra took first place at the Bass Pro event in Katy, Texas in 2003, we were hooked. When I was asked by a sports expo to organize a dock jumping event, Splash Dogs was born. Splash Dogs now holds about 50 events across the country each year.
Splash Dogs does provide some instruction to help you get your dog started. However, we recommend that you first take your dog to a body of water and let him play. Comfort in the water is critical to your dog’s confidence and success with this spot. Some dogs take right to the water with no problem, others need time to get adjusted. And with some dogs, no matter how much you want them to like water, they never do. If this is the case with your canine companion, keep looking until you find a sport he can enjoy.
When you take your dog to a Splash Dogs event, bring along her favorite floatable toy. A high toy drive is very important to the training process. The next step for newcomers is to familiarize dogs with the Splash Dogs environment, starting with the exit ramp, which is the way dogs get in and out of the pool. We have novice dogs walk up the ramp and stand on what we call the ramp’s table top, where they can look out over the pool. At this point we’ll have you throw your dog’s toy out into the pool and encourage her to fetch it and swim back. This lets the dog know the pool is fun, and shows her how to exit the water. This step is repeated a couple of times to build your dog’s confidence.
The next step is to bring your dog onto the dock, which is 40 feet long, 8 feet wide, and located 2 feet above the water. Dogs are invited to run back and forth and play on the dock so they learn this is a fun activity. It’s now time to bring your dog to the edge of the dock above the pool for her first jump. Throw her toy no more than 10 feet away in the water to keep her focus on it (too far and the toy is out of attention range). Some dogs will jump right in and some will be a little hesitant to jump. You can encourage your dog by lying down and splashing the water, or have someone splash around the toy so the dog gets a perspective of the water.
Once your dog jumps without hesitation, try different techniques to help her progress in the sport and learn to jump further. In the Place and Send technique, you throw a training bumper into the pool from the end of the dock and allow your dog to mark it. You then take your dog to the beginning of the dock and release her to run, jump into the pool, and retrieve the bumper. In the Chase technique, you place your dog in a sit position at the beginning of the dock then call her, run down the dock, and throw the bumper into the pool. The goal is to get your dog to launch and catch the bumper in the air. Mastering this throw technique can be as challenging for the handler as mastering the catch is for the dog!
Now that your dog is jumping off the dock, she is on her way to becoming a Splash Dog. At Splash Dogs events, dogs compete for two types of titles. The United Kennel Club title permits one or two handlers on the dock, while the Splash Dogs title allows only one handler.
To see Splash Dogs in action, join us at the Pet Food Express Pet Fair and Adoptathon October 5 and 6 in San Rafael. Look for more dock jumping events at splashdogs.com/events, or signup for our email announcements.
Tony Reed founded Splash Dogs in 2003. Since then, he and his black Labrador, Sierra, have traveled more than 400,000 miles to dock jumping events across the country. Last year they were joined by another black Lab, 1½- year-old Buddy. You can reach Tony at tony@splashdogs.com.
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Main article photo by: dawn nelson
