We all know social media is a highlight reel, predominantly showcasing snap shots of our successful moments and high points. It is easy to feel like you are falling behind. I receive a lot of messages about dock diving- where to start, how to get your dog comfortable with water, and what to do when they refuse to jump. I love pulling back the curtain and telling people our story. Chief wasn’t always the high flying “Red Blue Blur” which makes me even more proud of where he is today in this sport.
Before Chief was even earth side, I knew I wanted to pursue dock diving with a fun, driven dog. Our trainer was very active in dock diving and suggested it to me. Both his mal and red heeler absolutely love the sport and were very successful. About a year later, Chief came home in August. One of the first things he did was run into our yard, and cannon ball into the kiddie pool we set up for the dogs. He had the zoomies all over the place and kept falling head over heels into the little pool. I was sure he would be a water dog just like the generational lines that preceded him.
August quickly turned to fall, and we didn’t have much more opportunity to introduce Chief to water. Over the winter, we brought him to the local indoor dock diving pool for lessons. At around five months he seemed terrified of the pool. He would very cautiously work his way down the ramp, lean as far forward as possible to grab his toy out of the water, and run back to the “safety” of the dock. When the instructor took him into the pool, he was more than capable of swimming independently but didn’t seem to enjoy it. We took 3 or 4 lessons then decided to throw in the towel and try again in the spring.
In May we joined Seacoast Dock Dogs, our local Dock Dogs club. They were extremely welcoming and supportive of Chief as he continued to be wary of the water. We showed up to practice almost every weekend to give Chief the opportunity to build his confidence. Outside of practice, we went to the beach and my in law’s pool as much as possible to allow him to have positive associations with swimming and build his water toy drive. Finally, he did a little leap off the ramp and I cheered like he won the gold! This is your reminder to always celebrate the little wins.
Summer continued to pass at lightning speed, and Chief still refused to jump off of the “big dock”. We tried everything- splashing the toy, moving the toy around in the water, even me getting in the pool to entice him to join me. One day in late July, he finally half jumped-half fell off the dock into the pool. I couldn’t believe it, after months of trying he finally went for it. By the end of the hour, he was jumping close to 10 feet consistently and with plenty of enthusiasm and confidence!
Now that we knew he was capable and truly enjoyed the sport (this part is very important), we signed Chief up for his first Dock Dogs competition. It was a hot August day and I was nervous as ever. Chief and I took the dock, and my only goal was for him to attempt to jump. To my surprise, the MC announced that Chief jumped 12 feet! I celebrated like crazy and the crowd cheered with me. By the end of the competition, Chief jumped 16’1” and I knew right away how special this journey was about to be for us.
Chief went on to finish the season with a personal best of almost 23 feet. He qualified for Dock Dogs Nationals and was named the number one ranked dog in the Senior Division nationwide. The sense of pride I feel in our accomplishments is beyond compare. I wouldn’t have cared if he never jumped more than a few feet- my goal was for us to have fun and challenge ourselves to learn something new. Chief’s personal best now sits at 24’3” and we compete again in late August, a little over a year after his first competition ever.
There is a difference between your dog doing what you ask out of obedience, and your dog truly enjoying what they are doing. Please consider this when you participate in dog sports. The environment can feel high stakes and stressful. Advocate for your dog in every situation, and show up to have FUN no matter what you are doing. These days, I enjoy our private pool rentals far more than competitions, but we do both because Chief doesn’t care where we are as long as we are dock diving. Support your dog, figure out what their drivers are, and give them all the patience they need to succeed. You and your dog are capable of incredible things together, you just have to figure out what those things are!
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