My dog cannot swim. Can it learn?
Yes, if you take it slowly and keep the pressure off. A life jacket and a ramp with a gentle slope into the water both help. Never throw a dog in to teach it to swim.
Discs, balls and retrieving
Dock Diving
The dog sprints down a dock and launches into the water after a toy. Distance is scored, sometimes height or speed. Because the dog lands in water, the joints take far less than they would on any jump over land.
About the discipline
What Dock Diving is
The dock is a standardised build, set over a pool or a natural stretch of water. You throw the toy, the dog picks up speed along the boards and jumps after it.
Competitions run in several formats. Distance is the most popular. In height, the toy hangs a little higher after each jump. In speed, the clock runs while the dog retrieves a fixed object.
The effort is explosive, but the dog lands in water, so there's no impact on the joints. Few sports are this easy on a dog's body. Only one thing really matters: the dog has to like water.
How it works in practice
How it works
- a standardised dock with a non-slip surface
- you throw the toy into the water
- the dog builds speed and takes off from the end of the dock
- distance is measured from the end of the dock
- other formats: height and speed
- an exit ramp out of the water is compulsory
Which dogs it suits
- water-loving dogs of any breed
- dogs that go crazy for toys
- dogs for whom jumping on land would be risky
If a dog won't go into the water happily, don't force it. A dog pushed into a pool can carry that fear for a long time.
What you need
- access to a pool or a purpose-built dock
- a toy that floats
- a towel and time to dry off
- a life jacket while the dog gets used to the water
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about Dock Diving
What distances are reached?
Top dogs clear nine metres. An ordinary dog jumping for fun lands somewhere between two and four metres, and that's plenty for the amateur classes.
Is it safe for the joints?
Among sports with explosive effort, it's one of the safest, precisely because the dog lands in water. You still need a warm-up first, as with any hard effort.
From the same category
Related sports
Air Retrieve
The dog jumps off the dock to grab or touch an object hanging over the water.
Disc Dog
The dog catches the disc, in distance events or freestyle routines.
Fetch and Retrieve
Trials where the dog finds an object and brings it to you.
Flyball
A team relay over hurdles, with a ball to fetch.
We do not run Dock Diving
This page is informational. We work in mantrailing, search and rescue and preparation for the TSAC and BH exams - but if you want an honest opinion on what would suit your dog, write to us anytime.