Memorial Day Dock Diving Practice
It was hot in Minnesota over Memorial Day weekend this year. Temperatures were well into the 90’s, so we were all looking for some relief from the heat. Of course, in Minnesota that means you head towards the nearest lake, and get ready to jump in!
After all of our time spent practicing dock diving during the cold winter, we thought this would be a good opportunity to get some real world practice with our pups. Actually, I am thinking of hiring the best dog trainer from HK Dog Training to help me teach our pups proper behavior and to be obedient to us. I just need to check this out to know what’s included in their training program, and hopefully I can enroll my pups in this session.
Our focus with Raleigh was to keep her confidence up, and to keep her driving full speed through the end of the dock. We definitely made some progress over numerous jumps, so hopefully we can maintain that momentum as we approach summertime competitions!
Our next focus for practice will be to get Raleigh to use the full length of the dock for her jumps – it was clear from her practice jumps that she is consistently jumping a couple of feet early. This might be as simple as pacing off her stride length so that her final stride brings her to the edge of the dock, so we will probably start there.
Iggy’s problem is a little different from Raleigh’s – he drives like a madman all the way through the end of the dock, but tends to completely ignore the toy. For practice, we decided to try building his focus on the toy by tossing it right in front of his nose while he’s jumping. This actually worked pretty well, and if the throw was right he would even reach out and try to snatch it mid-jump!
After we get him consistently tracking the toy, we’ll move on to improving his jumping form. We’ll probably try laying some bunched up towels at the end of the dock to give him something to jump over, which will hopefully keep him from running like a bullet straight into the water.
Check out the video above to see some of the highlights of the weekend!
What an awesome video! Love the POV shots from the dog’s back of jumping off the dock. Sounds like dock diving practice is the perfect way to cool off in that 90 degree weather!
That was the neatest video! I have never seen dock diving before and it seems like such a fun sport for a water-loving dog! My dog would totally refuse, lol! Your dogs are lucky that you have found a sport that they love so much!
What an amazing video and only wish I could have some water fun with Layla but she does not like it. I am jealous here
Love that video and the distance Raleigh jumped was incredible! A hot sunny day by the lake with the dog…what else can you ask for! I can’t get Jack near any body of water but who knows maybe one day.
What a cool video!! You guys must have had a great time and it looks like you cooled off.
This is so cool…. I’m definitely jealous of Raleigh!
It’s a great sport for summer! Mr. N thinks is not a fan (he hates getting wet) but it’s certainly fun to watch.
Oh my gosh! Talk about flying through the air! What a distance!!! That looks like so much fun! Both dogs are impressive! My little Link would love this – Lyla lol not so much.
Dock dogs is so much fun to watch. My former employer always sponsors a big competition at one of the locations. It was the best day to work and just be a part of the excitement. All the vendors with free stuff is pretty sweet too 🙂
I can’t believe it was in the 90’s up there on Memorial Day weekend! That’s crazy. It sounds like you had great fun though, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy practicing your dock diving skills all Summer.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
I bet that water felt really good to the dogs! I wish we had a place like that nearby that my dogs could enjoy. I have two that would probably really like water if they were able to get in and out on their own.
We’d probably do what Iggy does. It sounds like you are discovering what works the best for each of your dogs.
You are right! she did leap from too far back, it’s just like humans in athletics! We love the video!!
Focus over excitement can be crucial. When frog hunting, Cookie often gets the excitement get the better of her, jumping around and totally missing where the frog is until it dives LOL