Duck Dog to Dock Dog
The natural tactic of
an enthusiastic duck retrieving dog is an awe inspiring leap style water
entry. You know the one we all find so
gut level pleasurable. It’s the kind you
see in advertising campaigns for great dog food. Usually the featured dog is a Lab or Golden. The epitome seems like a mindless launch
without regard to water depth, temperature or any kind of reasoning
ability. Maybe that’s why these classic
shots don’t feature Poodles. The brain
gets in the way.
Be that as it may, there
is a venue built entirely around the perfect launch. Dock Dog is yet another competition my
Miniature Poodle has endured. Each of
the many venues we have shared has been instructive, challenging, entertaining,
occasionally rewarding, and always another advertisement for Poodle versatility
We stepped up to the
dock in Ft. Worth, TX last June for a local event, and came away after the
weekend with the five qualifying rounds needed for a Novice Dock Dog
title. JIB is 14.75” tall, and jumped
9’6” as his personal best. Had he jumped
over 10’ he would have been in the Junior division and
would have forfeited the title. A 14 ft
practice jump was a wake up call!
With the title in
hand, we were qualified for the Dock Dog Nationals in
The Novice dogs
included Labs, Goldens, a German Shorthair Pointer
and JIB. We got one practice jump from a
dock into the pond, and it went well, but I hustled the Poodle-cicle back to the rental car after that! We tried the practice dock into a pool, and
each jump was shorter. Finally, I knew
what JIB knew. It wasn’t about
ducks. It was only about docks.
We got through the
preliminary round and made the finals at sunset. The German Shorthair refused to jump, and JIB
had to be talked into it. Still, there
was a Golden that jumped even shorter than the Poodle! JIB earned the official award of fifth place
Novice Dog at Dock Dog Nationals! I’ll
take that, and challenge our Standard friends to step up to the challenge. See details at DockDogs.com.
Suzi Cope and JIB
UWP ADCH CH Kallista’s Silver Sails Aloft TDX
CDX MX MXJ RE CGC PCA-WCX
http://geocities.com/jibandsuzicope/