Picking the best dock diving toy for your dog - Fenton MI

How to pick the best toy for my dog

One of my favorite things about playing in the sport, is seeing new people get involved. I’ve always been like that with all the sports I play, it keeps them alive! So I often get asked by people getting involved in the sport what kind of foundation work they should do with their dogs. There are a lot of answers that go along with that question. The first one should be picking out the right toy for your dog. 

What motivates your dog?

Before I start naming off toys to throw for your dog, I want to know a little more about your dog and your plans for your future in the sport.  First let’s talk about your dog. What motivates your dog? Is he a picky player, or will he get anything you toss? What gets him the most excited? 

When you’re first getting your dog comfortable with jumping off the dock, your best bet is to grab the floatable toy that excites him the most. There are a lot of great options out there. Most you can easily pick up at the pet store or off the internet. Common choices are different types of bumpers, balls, or the popular Kong Wubbas. The toy you use for dock diving should be used strictly for dock diving. That will help the toy maintain its value.

My dog will now jump just to jump, what’s next?

Once your dog has started the game, gaining confidence jumping off the dock, it’s time to think about what your long term goals are for your dog. Is this a sport you want to compete in regularly, training to get the most out of your dog’s potential? Or do you just want to let your dog play for fun a couple times a year at local events? Do you want to play any of the games associated with the sport other than big air, such as speed retrieve, extreme vertical, or fetch it? If you and your dog really only like big air, use the toy that gets him the craziest! But there is one big thing to consider moving forward, if you plan to play the games. 

My recommendation for getting the most out of the games, is to make the entire sport about a single toy. In my experience, I want my dog to be just as excited for the games as he is for big air. In order to make all the games equally exciting, I use the same toy for all disciplines of the sport. Right away I begin working to build value to the dokken double rope super bumpers they use in the games. I want my dogs to drive just as hard regardless of the discipline they're competing in. 

Overall, I’d say the best piece of advice I can give would be to use whichever toy your dog works the hardest for. But sometimes, the harder you work to build value to a toy, the more excited your dog will get for that toy.