01/09/2025
This is for those starting out in dock-diving, whether brand new to the sport, or if you are intro’s another pup to the sport.
What is written below is 99% true for most any breed of pup.
Don’t rush your pup to jump from the dock too soon. You want your pup to be a confident swimmer from the ramp. You should be able to throw the bumper to any part of the pool and your pup should confidently swim for and retrieve the bumper.
What we really like to see is your pup lunging from the ramp, to get the bumper. By lunging, I mean running or jumping into the water as it anticipates you throwing the bumper. This action is a good sign of drive and confidence.
Going to the dock for the first jump. Just work at the end of the dock, closest to the water. Do not worry about sit-stays, or any kind of pre-set-up. You just want to get your pup to jump. This is one of the biggest errors we see. Newbies go to events and see experienced folks doing just the opposite but they are experienced; that makes all of the difference.
Most pups will hesitate a bit at first. Think about it; 2’ from the water to the dock turf is a pretty good distance. It is normal amd expected that the pup will also be nervous, especially if your pup is small.
Do not throw the toy more than a few feet from the dock. It is common for folks to think that the further they throw the toy, the further the pup will jump. This is not true at this point, or really, at any other point. The goal right now is repeatable jumps with less and less hesitation to no hesitation. You’ll know when your pup is having a great time.
Once your pup jumps, if they swim and retrieve the bumper, this is a great sign of them not being stressed with what they just did. They’ll likely repeat the jump again pretty quick.
If they jump and swim right to the ramp, without grabbing the bumper, this is a sign of them not being confident enough yet. You know your pup and can make the judgement call on whether to return to the ramp for more training, or go back on the dock and continue the dock training.
Now, once your pup has jumped a few times, it is good to have two identical toys on the dock. The goal now is to get your pup to readily jump without thinking. Don’t do any kind of set up, like a sit-stay, or a holder yet.
As soon as your pup comes up the ramp, throw the second toy. You want your pup to come thru the gate which means onto the dock, and you want them to jump into the pool immediately. Do not do a sit/stay at this point.
Once your pup is jumping in repeatedly, then you can start to work on sit-stays, but within the first 10’ of the front of the dock. This is another area in which folks often think that the further you go back the dock, the further your pup is going to jump.
