Build Water Confidence with Dock Diving!

What is it: Dock Diving is a pretty easy one explanation wise, but not an easy sport when it comes to the Klee Kai, as many tend to share a strong dislike of water. The sport involves a dock with a ramp and appropriate gates as detailed in organization rulebooks, as well as a long rectangular pool with markers for each foot of distance. You and your dog will work together, usually with a toy, and either take a running start to leap off the dock into the water, or start at the edge of the dock and dive straight in. There are also retrieving games where your dog will either jump to grab a tug off of a line, or dive in, swim to the other side, grab the tug, and swim back to the dock. The NADD titles are recognized and recorded by the AKC (for an additional fee).

Venues and Rules

 Like all of the other sports, each venue has their own rules when it comes to dock diving. Also pay close attention to whether an organization is using a mobile or a stationary dock, as these can be quite different experiences for your dog. Venues include:

Tools and Training

The easy tools are a waterproof collar and leash, toys that float, and of course, treats. You may also want to purchase a life vest to help build confidence. The harder part is finding a place to practice at and a trainer, however if you happen to have a pool at home, you can definitely start there. Sometimes even harder still, is teaching your dog to not only enjoy the water, but also be willing to happily jump into it on their own.

A huge caveat that we will make with this sport is that you DO NOT want to force your dog into the water. While it can be funny and “easy” to just throw your dog into the pool, or take them in with you and release them to swim, you will likely end up further terrifying your dog of the water, ergo losing any desire to go in on their own later. Please make sure that you either work with a trainer who has taught uncommon-to-swim breeds, or work slowly and patiently on your own to get your dog comfortable in the water. If your dog likes to retrieve, you can always use a toy to build up motivation. As their confidence builds, you may increase the criteria until they are jumping in on their own. 

Keep in mind that this is usually a slow process that can take a year or more to build the confidence up. But believe us, it is incredibly worth it!

Benefits for you and your dog:

  • Physical Exercise - just like for humans, swimming provides a great all-around workout for your dog. If your dog loves to jump far, the jumping is a high-impact exercise, while the swimming is a low- impact one.

  • Confidence Boosting - once your dog is comfortable swimming in the water, they will likely be less weary of the activity, and your bond will likely be stronger due to the trust built. They will also gain confidence as they overcome their fears and develop new skills.

  • Not as Competitive - while some dog sports can be quite competitive as you move up the levels, dock diving is more about improving your dog’s personal best.

  • Mental Stimulation - while it might seem like this sport requires less mental stimulation, your dog will still need to problem solve how to catch the toy before it goes in the pool, or retrieve their toy afterwards.

Thurisia Dog’s Do It All!

Thurisia’s Involvement: This is another sport that Thurisia has only been involved with since about 2020. Don’t tell us a Klee Kai can’t do something - we know they definitely can pretty much do it all. Thurisia dogs active in dock diving:

  • Lyra - First Klee Kai to earn a Dock Novice and Advanced Novice

  • Arwen - First Klee Kai to earn a Dock Junior and Advanced Junior