New Dock Diving Title

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

I really despise hot weather; even temperatures in the mid to low 80's annoys me. In the past I really had nothing to look forward to in the summertime in terms of dog events, because it's really too hot to do anything, even go to a dog show (unless it's indoors). All of that changed once Pi got started in dock diving competitions last year; and while it's not my personal favorite activity, he really enjoys it and it gives us something to do during the summer months.

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

The weather here has been hovering in the mid to high 80's in recent weeks, so I decided that it wouldn't be a bad time to take Pi out for a dive or two before the summer, just to make sure he still remembered how to play the game.

One happy puppy

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

So, on April 12th we made the long drive down to the Doggone Dirty Dock Diving Facility in Hollister. There were four splashes that day, but I only entered two of them; first, because I didn't feel like waking up at the crack of dawn so that we could arrive by 9:00am, and second because I was sure it wouldn't be terribly warm that early in the morning and I didn't want to run the risk of Pi losing enthusiasm for being chilly.

Photo by Kaylee Jeske 

So we arrived around 11:00am, giving me enough time to get my stuff set up and get a practice dive or two in before the splash started at noon. While waiting in line for our turn to practice, Pi was quite excited and animated just watching the other dogs jump, so it looked like he still remembered the game and, hopefully, was still willing to play. He did two practice jumps with no hesitation other than a slight faltering at the edge of the dock, which he has a tendency to do anyway.

Pi is not known for being patient

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

He was called first in the noon splash, and made two very good jumps. The first jump measured 14 feet 5 inches, which ended up being his longest jump of the day and earned him a first place in the Junior Division (out of 4 total in the same division). His second jump in that splash was significantly shorter at 11 feet 6 inches. I probably need to work on getting him more amp'd up the second time around in addition to working on overall technique.

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

The next splash had a slightly larger entry, which always makes things a bit more exciting. Both of Pi's jumps also ended up putting him the Junior Division; the first jump measured 12 feet 10 inches, and the second jump measured 13 feet 3 inches.

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

That longer jump earned him a second place in the Junior Division (out of 6 total), and also earned him his "JD" dock diving title. Dock diving isn't the original vocation of the Magyar Agar, but it's still fun to achieve new milestones with a breed, particularly a rare breed.

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

Photo by Kaylee Jeske

Photo by Kaylee Jeske