Dock Dogs Come To Sippo Lake Park

Buckeye DockDogs Makes First
Appearance In Stark County

A dog, at the command of its master, races the length of a dock and dives off the edge to compete for distance.

That’s the sport of dock dogs.

Buckeye DockDogs, a club based in Grafton, held a practice session in Stark County yesterday, at Sippo Lake Park in Perry Township.

Two things led to the club staging its first event in this area; access to dock space and an effort to introduce the sport to more people.

“Finding dock space is a challenge,” said Jim Zelasko, of North Royalton, Buckeye DockDogs Vice President.

Friends who are involved in the sport provide access, Zelasko said, and the club approaches parks to ask for permission to use their docks.

Social interaction among members, according to Zelasko, is just as important as competition among the dogs.

He said, “From where I stand, and my dog’s capabilities I find it to be a leisurely competition. I believe it’s an excellent socialization outlet for both the dog and the handler.”

Steve Bacon, of North Canton, agreed.

“I find the sport very enjoyable because it’s a family event,” Bacon said. “I can take my wife and my children and they enjoy it just as much as I do.”

Bacon characterized dock dogs as, “a fun, family, organized event that anybody of any age could do.”

Family involvement is an important element in attracting new members to Buckeye DockDogs.

“We’re trying to make people aware there are things you can do as a family,” said Traci Butler from North Lawrence.

The term family extends to include dogs when used by those involved in the sport.

“Our summer vacations have become dock dogs events,” Zelasko said. “Our entire family, meaning the dogs, along with my wife and I, all go on vacation together while some people have to leave their dogs at home or in a kennel.”

Providing an opportunity for their dogs to have fun is what attracts people.

“I was trying to find something fun to do with water with Ranger,” Butler said of her Labrador retriever. “He was jumping off the dock at Portage Lakes.”

Describing Ranger as, “a totally different dog when hits the dock the dock,” Butler said, “I love it that he loves it.”

Ranger practices every weekend, Butler said, jumping off the dock for about 30 minutes.

“As quick as you can throw it out there, he’s in the water,” she said.

Wanting to participate in the sport guided Bacon in his choice of a dog.

He said, “Being interested in the sport of dock dogs I noticed that the majority of dogs that were jumping were Labrador retrievers and I’ve always been fond of labs all my life.”

Bacon’s dog, Zeus, took to the water immediately.

“When I first took Zeus to the lake (at eight-and-a-half months old) he walked right in and started swimming right away,” Bacon said.

“Then, when I saw that he loved water, I introduced him to the dock and he jumped off the first time. That’s when I knew I had a great dog.”

Bacon said his dog loves the sport.

“My dog goes absolutely crazy when he knows that we’re going to jumping or are near a lake. His enthusiasm is overwhelming,” Bacon said.

Zelasko has two dogs involved in the sport, a chocolate Lab named Cammie and a yellow Lab named Hallie.

“My dog, Cammie, was a little timid to dive off the dock. After a few tries she would plop in,” Zelasko said. “That’s the starting point for any dog, which is a sign you can work from here.”

Cammie started diving as a one-year-old; Hallie at six months. According to the rules of DockDogs, the governing and sanctioning body of the sport, six months is the minimum age at which dogs should participate.

While Hallie hasn’t learned to dive from Cammie, it may have made getting started easier.

Zelasko said, “I don’t believe that Hallie learned anything directly from Cammie except watching her go into the water and thinking, hey that water’s fun, or something like that.”

Having prior experience made it easier for Zelasko to train the second dog.

He said, “I do believe that Hallie’s benefited from my prior experience while Cammie and I were both learning the ropes.”

While friendship among the dog owners (who are known as handlers) is important, competition is the heart of dock dogs.

Due to limited access to dock space, Bacon trains Zeus in his backyard.

“We do what’s called dry practice in the backyard; a simulation of running the 40 feet, retrieving the toy and bringing it back to me,” Bacon said.

“When you do the dry training and are consistent in what you want them to do when you get to the dock it becomes second nature.”

A toy is used, Bacon said, to encourage the dogs to jump farther.

He said, “They’re strictly judged on distance. We use the ball to get them to jump farther.”

It’s important for a handler to know his dog well in order for it to perform well.

“There are a few things you need to do as a handler to encourage further jumps,” Zelasko said, “such as understanding your dog’s timing or gate as it comes down the dock and making sure that your throw, of whatever the toy is, is timed properly. That can be anything that will float that’s not edible.

The handler, he said, also has to be able to perform under pressure.

“Another item that is somewhat important,” he said, “is your confidence in the dog when you’re in front of everyone doing this.”

Buckeye DockDogs will be returning to Sippo Lake this summer. Butler said the team will try to practice in Perry Township once a month.

It is likely that dogs other than Labrador retrievers will participate as the practices continue.

Butler pointed out that members of Buckeye DockDogs have a wide variety of breeds ranging from the Jack Russell Terrier to the Belgian Malinois.

For more information on dock dogs, visit the Buckeye DockDogs website at www.buckeyedockdogs.com.

(One of my articles that appeared in
The Observer-Reporter, Jackson Township, Ohio)