Dock Diving - Sheila Cook - How to Compete and Train for AKC Invitational Rules

Oct 28, 2026

Upload by lilac

Dock Diving by Sheila Cook explains how her Weimaraner, Arran, was introduced to dock jumping and what makes the sport accessible, exciting, and highly regulated. It covers club options with a focus on Dock Dogs and AKC Invitational events, entry requirements, safety and equipment rules, and how competitions run through waves and judge briefings. The text details typical handling styles, timing limits, scoring by tail-impact camera measurements, divisions by distance and age ranks, and how titles depend on qualifying scores and avoiding unwanted division changes.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLifestyle

FormatPDF

Pages6

Reading Time9 min

AccessFree to download

Dock Dogs introduction and event setup

Entry requirements and safety equipment rules

Practice sessions, waves, and handler rules

Dock handling techniques

Scoring method and timing outcomes

Divisions, titles, and strategy to manage placement

Dock Diving by Sheila Cook Given the Weimaraner’s innate athletic ability, its streamlined physique and their love of water, it is easy to see why Dock Diving could come very naturally to this breed. With that in mind, I decided to venture into this sport last year. Our local Kentucky Dock Dogs were having a Fun Day at local lake, so off we headed. Arran, after watching the first few dogs, could not contain himself, foaming at the mouth, barking, pulling to get in. His first ever jump was over 18ft and we were“hooked” I was told he had natural ability and talent, but more importantly, HE loved it. There are a number of different clubs: Dock Dogs ( [http://www.dockdogs.com/](http://www.dockdogs.com/) ), Ultimate Air ( [http://www.ultimateairdogs.com/](http://www.ultimateairdogs.com/) ) the United Kennel Club ( [http://www.ukcdogs.com](http://www.ukcdogs.com) ) and Splash Dogs [http://www.splashdogs.com/](http://www.splashdogs.com/) ) . I decided to enter a Dock Dogs competition, since it was offered at the AKC Invitational last year and it would give Arran something to do (he earned a 3rd placement in the Senior Division), so therefore I will only focus on this organization. Dogs must be at least 6 months of age and it is open to any breed or mixed breeds – as they say “no discrimination – “any size, any color” and handlers must be at least 7yrs of age. There is absolutely NO pushing your dog into the water, but tapping your dog and verbal encouragement from both handler and the crowd is allowed. The dock is 40ft in length and 8ft wide while the pool is a minimum 20’ wide and 40’ long. Only flat buckled or martingale collars are allowed on the dock, though choke, prong, electronic are permitted but have to be removed prior to stepping onto the dock. Leashes must be 4ft or shorter, no Flexi leashes are allowed anywhere on the grounds. For safety, the rule is a 4ft leash and an 8ft radius between dogs. Dogs go completely crazy while waiting for their turn, lunging, barking; their adrenalin is overflowing, and they are super-hyped! Before the competition begins, there is an open Practice, where you can “get your dog wet” Teams are usually allowed up to 2min or 2 jumps. Competitions are broken down into Waves, each consisting of up to 12 teams and there may be three or four waves per day. Like agility, there is a judge’s briefing that ALL handlers MUST attend. A roll call is taken and the teams are told which group they are in. Dock Dogs only allows one hander on the dock, any cues to the dog from another person results in disqualification. Teams line up in their jumping order. A list is usually posted near the steps leading up to the dock, but unlike agility, there is NO gate steward, so it is up to you to know what dog you are following – hard todo when there are three black labs in front of you! Plus it is VERY loud! Handling styles vary. The most common technique I saw is for the handler to sit their dog at the far end of the dock, walk up to the edge, indicate the bumper/toy to the dog, release the dog and throw it just as the dog is about to take off. Verbal encouragement in the form of the handler screaming, yelling is very common. You have a maximum of 60seconds on the dock, some handlers use almost all of the time, others, like me, do not. Some dogs will actually catch their bumper in midair as they “pop” off the dock. This also gives the dog height and usually results in them hitting the water “tail first”. The distance the dog jumps is calculated by where the base of the tail hits the water (where the tail meets the body) . This is achieved by using a camera which takes photos (around 90 frames/sec) and is listed to two decimal points. Within you group, you are allowed 2 jumps and whichever is the longest; that is the one recorded. The jumps are not taken “back to back” but in the same running order. Since I knew that Arran would certainly NOT have a “stay”, I adopted an alternative technique. He

FAQs

What are the basic eligibility rules for dogs and handlers?

Dogs must be at least 6 months old and the event is open to any breed or mixed breeds. Handlers must be at least 7 years old, and the rules prohibit pushing the dog into the water.

What equipment and leash requirements apply on the dock and grounds?

Only flat buckled or martingale collars are allowed on the dock, while other collar types are permitted off-dock but must be removed before stepping onto it. Leashes must be 4 feet or shorter, and Flexi leashes are not allowed anywhere on the grounds.

How is the jump distance measured and how are teams scored?

Distance is calculated by where the base of the tail hits the water, using a camera that captures photos at about 90 frames per second and reports to two decimal points. If a team runs out of time or the dog does not jump, the result is scored as “timed out”.

Oct 28, 2026

Upload by lilac