Dock jumping
Encyclopedia
Dock jumping also known as dock diving is a dog sport in which dog
s compete in jumping for distance or height from a dock
into a body of water.
There are dock jumping events in the United States and other countries such as United Kingdom,
and Australia.
.
There are now a number of organizations that run dock jumping competitions in different countries.
In the United States, DockDogs was established in 2000; its first event was at the ESPN
2000 Great Outdoor Games
competition.
Splash Dogs was started in 2003.
Ultimate Air Dogs was founded in 2005, by former Major League Baseball
player Milt Wilcox
.
In 2008, UAD partnered with the United Kennel Club
(UKC) which added dock jumping as a recognized UKC sport.
In 2009, UKC also recognized competitions run by Splash Dogs.
Dogs can get UKC titles by competing in dock distance or height jumping like they can in agility
, obedience
, weight pulling, and others.
In the United Kingdom, Dash 'n' Splash, which runs competitions across southern England,
was established in 2005,
followed by JettyDogs (the UK name for DockDogs) in 2007.
but may differ depending on the sanctioning organization. Any body of water or pool that is at least 4 ft (1.2 m) deep can be used. The dock is covered in artificial turf
, carpet, or a rubber mat for better traction and safety for the competitors. The handler may use any amount of the dock and they may start their dog from any point on the dock when competing.
The jump distance is measured, by most organizations, from the lateral midpoint of the end of the dock to the point at which the base of the dog’s tail (where the tail meets the body) breaks the water’s surface. Purina's Incredible Diving Dog event measures the distance to the point that the dog's nose is at when its body enters the water.
The jump distance is measured electronically using digital video
freeze frame technology or, in some cases, is measured manually by judges.
Each team takes two jumps in round-robin format. The longer of the two jumps is that team's score for that competition.
A jump in which the dog’s tail enters the water at a point further from the dock than another part of the dog’s body is scored using the point of the dog (for example, the head/nose) that breaks the surface of the water closest to the dock.
If the dog’s strides are off so that the dog starts its jump before the end of the dock, that is a disadvantage, because the jump is always judged from the edge of the dock, not from where the dog leaves the dock.
A jump is only official if or when the toy leaves the handler's hand. The dog is not required to retrieve the toy for the jump to count.
A dog that jumps up at the end of the dock is said to have a good "pop". A dog that jumps straight out at the end of the dock is said to be "flat". Two different techniques can be used to encourage the dog to jump into the water.
The goal is to use this method to get the dog at the optimum launch angle to increase distance by getting him to jump up, instead of just out or flat, as with place and send.
The chase method is difficult to master. However, if the dog is toy-driven, he can be trained to follow the toy.
Purina's Incredible Dog Challenge event measures distance according the placement of the dog's nose at the time its body lands in the water, therefore its jump distances will be different.
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
s compete in jumping for distance or height from a dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
into a body of water.
There are dock jumping events in the United States and other countries such as United Kingdom,
and Australia.
History
Dock jumping first appeared in 1997 at the Incredible Dog Challenge, an event sponsored and produced by pet food manufacturer PurinaNestlé Purina PetCare
Nestlé Purina PetCare Company is the pet food division of Swiss-based Nestlé S.A., following its acquisition of the American Ralston Purina Company on December 12, 2001 and subsequent merger with Nestlé's Friskies PetCare Company. As a wholly owned subsidiary, it is headquartered at the General...
.
There are now a number of organizations that run dock jumping competitions in different countries.
In the United States, DockDogs was established in 2000; its first event was at the ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
2000 Great Outdoor Games
Great Outdoor Games
The Great Outdoor Games is a series of outdoor games created by ESPN. The program was cancelled in 2006.Great Outdoor Games individual events include:* Fishing Events** Fly Fishing** Freshwater Doubles* Sporting Dog Events** Agility...
competition.
Splash Dogs was started in 2003.
Ultimate Air Dogs was founded in 2005, by former Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
player Milt Wilcox
Milt Wilcox
Milton Edward Wilcox was a pitcher who had a sixteen-year career from 1970 to 1975, 1977–1986. He played for the Cincinnati Reds and Chicago Cubs of the National League and the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Seattle Mariners of the American League...
.
In 2008, UAD partnered with the United Kennel Club
United Kennel Club
The United Kennel Club is the second oldest all-breed registry of purebred dog pedigrees in the United States and the second largest in the world. According to the website, the club records 250,000 registrations annually. The UKC is not part of the International Canine Organisation, Fédération...
(UKC) which added dock jumping as a recognized UKC sport.
In 2009, UKC also recognized competitions run by Splash Dogs.
Dogs can get UKC titles by competing in dock distance or height jumping like they can in agility
Dog agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles...
, obedience
Obedience trial
An obedience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler. According the American Kennel Club obedience regulations...
, weight pulling, and others.
In the United Kingdom, Dash 'n' Splash, which runs competitions across southern England,
was established in 2005,
followed by JettyDogs (the UK name for DockDogs) in 2007.
Dock
The dock is usually 35 to 40 ft (10.7 to 12.2 m) long by 8 ft (2.4 m) wide and 2 ft (0.6096 m) above the water surface,but may differ depending on the sanctioning organization. Any body of water or pool that is at least 4 ft (1.2 m) deep can be used. The dock is covered in artificial turf
Artificial turf
Artificial turf is a surface manufactured from synthetic fibers made to look like natural grass. It is most often used in arenas for sports that were originally or are normally played on grass. However, it is now being used on residential lawns and commercial applications as well...
, carpet, or a rubber mat for better traction and safety for the competitors. The handler may use any amount of the dock and they may start their dog from any point on the dock when competing.
Official jump distance
The jump distance is measured electronically using digital video
Digital video
Digital video is a type of digital recording system that works by using a digital rather than an analog video signal.The terms camera, video camera, and camcorder are used interchangeably in this article.- History :...
freeze frame technology or, in some cases, is measured manually by judges.
Each team takes two jumps in round-robin format. The longer of the two jumps is that team's score for that competition.
A jump in which the dog’s tail enters the water at a point further from the dock than another part of the dog’s body is scored using the point of the dog (for example, the head/nose) that breaks the surface of the water closest to the dock.
If the dog’s strides are off so that the dog starts its jump before the end of the dock, that is a disadvantage, because the jump is always judged from the edge of the dock, not from where the dog leaves the dock.
A jump is only official if or when the toy leaves the handler's hand. The dog is not required to retrieve the toy for the jump to count.
Techniques
A dog that jumps up at the end of the dock is said to have a good "pop". A dog that jumps straight out at the end of the dock is said to be "flat". Two different techniques can be used to encourage the dog to jump into the water.
Place and send
Walk the dog to the end of the dock and or, hold the dog back while throwing the toy into the water. Walk the dog back to the starting point, place the dog, then release or send the dog to go get the toy. This is effective for dogs that are not trained to wait or stay on the dock, especially if they have a lot of speed and can compensate for the lack of lift at the end of the dock.Chase
The dog is placed in a stay or wait at its starting position on the dock. The handler walks to the end of the dock holding the toy, then calls the dog and throws the toy, trying to keep the toy just in front of the dog's nose so they chase it into the water.The goal is to use this method to get the dog at the optimum launch angle to increase distance by getting him to jump up, instead of just out or flat, as with place and send.
The chase method is difficult to master. However, if the dog is toy-driven, he can be trained to follow the toy.
Divisions
There are many divisions depending on the sanctioning organization. All teams are ranked according to how far they jump and are rated against teams within their own divisions for placements. Even small dogs have their own division, "lap dogs", along with older dogs (8 years and older), the "veteran" division.| Ultimate Air Dogs | Splash Dogs | Dock Dogs | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Distance | Division | Distance | Division | Distance |
| Novice | up to 9 inch | Splash | up to 9 inch | Novice | up to 9 inch |
| Junior | 10 ft (3.05 m) to 14 inch | Junior | 10 ft (3.05 m) to 14 inch | Junior | 10 ft (3.05 m) to 14 inch |
| Senior | 15 ft (4.57 m) to 19 inch | Senior | 15 ft (4.57 m) to 19 inch | Senior | 15 ft (4.57 m) to 19 inch |
| Master | 20 ft (6.1 m) to 22 inch | Pro | 20 ft (6.1 m) to 22 inch | Master | 20 ft (6.1 m) to 22 inch |
| Ultimate | over 22 inch | Extreme | over 23 ft (7.01 m) | Elite | 23 ft (7.01 m) to 24 inch |
| Super Elite | over 25 ft (7.62 m) |
Records
| Date | Distance | Dog | Handler | Event | Location | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 July 2000 | 22 inch | Heidi | Beth Gutteridge | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... Great Outdoor Games Great Outdoor Games The Great Outdoor Games is a series of outdoor games created by ESPN. The program was cancelled in 2006.Great Outdoor Games individual events include:* Fishing Events** Fly Fishing** Freshwater Doubles* Sporting Dog Events** Agility... |
Lake Placid, NY | |
| 8 July 2001 | 23 inch | Jerry | Mike Wallace | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... Great Outdoor Games Great Outdoor Games The Great Outdoor Games is a series of outdoor games created by ESPN. The program was cancelled in 2006.Great Outdoor Games individual events include:* Fishing Events** Fly Fishing** Freshwater Doubles* Sporting Dog Events** Agility... |
Lake Placid, NY | |
| 20 February 2002 | 23 inch | Little Morgan | Mike Jackson | Indianapolis Boat, Sport & Travel Show | Indianapolis, IN | |
| 1 May 2002 | 23 inch | Haley | John Kline | ESPN2 ESPN2 ESPN2 is an American sports cable television network owned by ESPN. The channel debuted on October 1, 1993.Originally nicknamed "the deuce," ESPN2 was initially branded as a network for a younger generation of sports fans featuring edgier graphics as well as extreme sports like motocross,... Super Retriever Series |
Northfield, MN | |
| 6 July 2002 | 26 inch | Little Morgan | Mike Jackson | ESPN ESPN Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming.... Great Outdoor Games Great Outdoor Games The Great Outdoor Games is a series of outdoor games created by ESPN. The program was cancelled in 2006.Great Outdoor Games individual events include:* Fishing Events** Fly Fishing** Freshwater Doubles* Sporting Dog Events** Agility... |
Lake Placid, NY | |
| 7 August 2005 | 27 inch | Country | Kevin Meese | Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops is a privately held retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Bass Pro Shops is known for a large selection of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor gear.-History:The owner, John L... |
Baltimore, MD | |
| 21 August 2005 | 28 inch | Country | Kevin Meese | Big Nickle time Cabela's Cabela's Cabela's is a direct marketer and specialty retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise, based in Sidney, Nebraska. It also has "Trophy Properties LLC , "Outdoor Adventures" , and the "Gun Library"... |
Hamburg, PA | |
| 9 October 2005 | 28 inch | Country | Kevin Meese | Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops Bass Pro Shops is a privately held retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and related outdoor recreation merchandise. Bass Pro Shops is known for a large selection of hunting, fishing, and other outdoor gear.-History:The owner, John L... |
Baltimore, MD | |
| 30 May 2010 | 28 foot | Quasi | Rande Murphy | Super Retriever Series Crown Championship | Little Rock, AR | |
| 11 July 2010 | 29 inch | Smoke | Melissa Ness | 2010 UKC Premier | Richmond, IN | |
| 29 May 2011 | 29 inch | Baxter | Tony Lampert | Super Retriever Series Crown Championship | Little Rock, AR | |
Purina's Incredible Dog Challenge event measures distance according the placement of the dog's nose at the time its body lands in the water, therefore its jump distances will be different.