Learning About Dog Training

If you have a dog who is active, likes to run and jump, and you have a hard time keeping out of the water, you may be looking for an activity you can do with them that will capitalize on all of their favorite things. You can try several things, but one that might work well for you and your dog is dock jumping. 

Dock Jumping

This activity is basically exactly what it sounds like, your dog jumps off a dock and into the water. Of course, that's not all it is. There is more to it; otherwise, your dog would just be getting wet. There are two parts to dock jumping. One is a distance jump, the other is a high jump. The distance jump involves you tossing a toy into a pool while your dog is waiting on a 40-foot-long dock. When you give the dog the go sign, it will run the length of the dock and jump as far as it can into the water, trying to retrieve the toy. The high jump involves a target hanging over the pool. The goal is for your dog to jump off the dock and try to grab the target. After each round, the target gets raised a couple of inches until only one dog hits the target. What are some benefits of dock jumping?

Any Dog

It doesn't matter if your dog is a golden retriever or a shih tzu, all dogs are welcome to try dock jumping. The competitions are broken down by experience and by size so that the newbie shih tzus aren't competing against the expert golden retriever.

Competing Against Themselves

The competition is also more about the dog competing against themselves than it is competing against other dogs. Yes, it is a competition, and the furthest and highest jumps will be rewarded, but the dog who only jumps two feet off the dock in their first competition will be just as celebrated as the dogs who go the furthest, and the goal will be to help that dog go further the next time they jump. This is beneficial for your dog because that encouragement is going to help them keep going and have fun. 

If you are looking for something for your dog to do, you might want to check into dock jumping. Your dog can have a lot of fun and work off some of their energy. There are dock jumping facilities in a lot of places, so you should be able to find a place to train.

To learn more about dock jumping for dogs, contact a professional near you.