Why Dogs Jump Off Docks

Some dogs love being in water; others love to fetch. A good dock jumping dog loves both.

Also known as dock diving, this dog sport emerged at the 1997 Purina Dog Challenge.

The premise of dock jumping is simple. A dog and his or her handler compete to see how far or how high the dog can jump off of a dock and into a body of water. Dock jumping is much like the human long jump or high jump, but with water. All the handler has to do is throw a toy into the water. The rest is up to the dog.

There are no barriers to entry with regard to breed or type of dog, but water loving athletic dogs like Labrador Retrievers are ideally suited to the sport. A dog does not need to be AKC registered; mixed breed dogs are welcome.

There are two kinds of dock jumping competitions.

In distance jumping, or "Ultimate Air," the handler throws a toy off of the dock to get the dog to jump as far away as possible. Distance is measured at the place where the tail base meets the water. The number of tries per dog varies by event.

In the high jump, or "Ultimate Vertical," a bumper is placed at a predetermined height and as competing dogs reach it, the height is recorded and the bumper is moved up, much the same as with a track-and-field high jump. The winner is the dog that reaches the bumper at a higher position than any other dog.