PASA
held it's very first Dock Jumping trial on Saturday, June 22 at
Doggone Dirty Dock Diving in Hollister, CA. Four launches were
offered. Each dog jumps off the dock, usually towards an object
thrown by the handler, two times for each launch. The distance the
dog jumps, measured from the base of the tail, is recorded.
The distance awarded for the launch is the farthest of the two
jumps. Each jump is placed in a division depending on the
distance jumped. 1" to 9'11" Spring 10' to 14'11" Classic 15' to 17'5" Deluxe 17'6 to 19'11' Fly 20'-22'5" Elite 22'6" -24'11" Pro 25’+ Ultra
Ribbons
were awarded to the 1st-4th dog in each category, with a 1st place
prize. A dog must complete 5 jumps in a division to earn a
novice title. After that, points, 1 to 5, which are given for the jump
distance in the division, are accumulated to determine future titling. Basically, a dog
must earn 25 additional points in a division for each title (Advanced, Excellent,
Masters, Championship). Dogs can earn titles in more than one
division at a time.
PASA also offered open dock. Open dock
was practice before and in between the launches. The event was
well attended with 27 entries. 13 were Aussies and 14 were other breeds. There were several other dogs
that only did open dock. It was great weather for dock jumping
with sunshine and temperatures that only went up into the 80s.
Dock jumping was very exciting for the dogs. They had a
wonderful time. And so did the handlers. Everyone was
cheered on, from the hesitant dogs to the amazing dogs.
The primary judge was Mark Dias. He had an assistant to confirm his spotting of each dog's jump.