Success at Buckeye DockDogs Is a One - Two Punch
Handlers say a dog's natural drive and a perfect throw make for the biggest leaps in this dock-jumping competition.
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Dogs of all shapes and sizes were jumping, flying and splashing at the Buckeye DockDogs competition this weekend at Crocker Park. The Big Air Competition, in which handlers try to get the longest jump from their dog, saw some big splashes. But how do you know if your dog is a Buckeye?
Randi Breese knew her dog, Crazy Parker, was a natural before he turned a year old. He started swimming in a nearby pond, and was competing at 7 months old. Now he’s 5, and consistently jumping 23 feet.
“Once he figured out that he was getting a toy when he jumped in the water, he started jumping over 20 feet that first weekend,” Breese said.
Breese said that ‘toy drive’ is one of the keys to a good jump. The other component is the handler’s skill at timing their throw.
“It’s not just the ability of the dog to jump,” she said. “You have to throw straight just at the right time because if you throw left or right, the jump will be short. If you don’t throw it far enough it will be short.”
Breese said she tries to get Crazy Parker to follow the toy, and then throws it as he’s running down the dock.
Bob Evans of Indiana agreed. The Ohio State University alumnus and his dog Buckeye tied their record of a 24.1-foot jump over the weekend. The pair has been competing since 2009 and even won the national championship in Dubuque last year.
Evans agreed with Breese that the ‘toy drive’ is the key to a good jumping dog, and also uses the ‘jump and chase method.’
“If the dog has the drive for the to,— if it’s something they really want and they don’t have a problem jumping off a pier and getting in the water, you’re halfway home," he said. "The rest of it is just practice and timing.”
Breese said she and Crazy Parker practice mostly at shows and have won two ribbons already this summer. But whether they win or lose, she's just happy to be with him.
"What I really like about DockDogs is it’s about being a team," she said. "He can’t do it without me and I can’t do it without him. We bond when we’re up there together so it’s just really great to be with him."
See more photos from the big event here:
