Claire — The Dock Diving Diva! – Fox Terrier Network

Three Trainings and Splash

By Barb Baird; Edited by Deb Angus

In 2018, just after we had lost one older Wired Fox Terrier (WFT) and had another who was on her last days, we brought Claire, a crazy, smart, naughty, and high drive WFT puppy to join our household.

I put Claire through numerous requisite obedience classes, got her CGC, and we started barn hunt. I was trying to figure out what Claire (and I) both enjoyed doing when I remember watching a dog event on TV called dock diving. I thought it looked like a lot of fun. As I was learning that Claire was fearless and up for just about anything, I saw her jump into the neighbor kids’ swimming pool and realized I might have a dog who liked water and swimming. And, when she was about a year old, we took her on a whim for some dock diving training.

Dock diving is a sport where the handler throws a bumper or toy from a dock into the water, and the dog’s job is to jump horizontally into the water to retrieve the bumper or toy. A dock is about 40’ long, and the pool is around 48’ long. The dog’s horizontal distance during the jump is measured.

In the North American Diving Dogs (NADD) venue, there are two classes for dogs – those dogs who are 16” tall or over (Open) and over and those who are 15” tall and shorter (Lap). Dogs compete within their classes, so that small dogs like WFTs don’t compete with big dogs.

Classes are further broken down into distance divisions. The distance divisions are based on a distance range – for example Lap Senior jumps are 9’0” to 12’11”. The farther the dog can jump in a division, the better.

We first started by going down a ramp to see if Claire would even get into the water. She did. She swam.

We then put her on a low “baby dock.” We threw Claire’s favorite toy, a Wubba, in the water to see if she would leave the dock to retrieve it. It took a few practices, but her drive to get the toy was enough to get her to jump. So far, so good.

In our next two training visits, we worked on jumping off the big dock. After our third training session, our instructor said Claire was ready for competition, but we waited until the next season (2020).

My husband, Bill, and I decided the Wubba would only be used for dock diving. We found that this caused Claire to be even more excited to “get it” during diving. I became Claire’s releaser on the dock, and Bill threw the Wubba. We worked on Claire running across the dock without pause before jumping. This increased her jump distance.

The first season she was jumping in the 8-foot to 9-foot plus range. In 2021, we got serious about dock diving and began trialing all over the Midwest in the NADD venue, as it is recognized by AKC.

Claire was always one of the smallest dogs jumping, and usually attracted a fan club because of that and her unusual “style.” Her “style” has been labeled “super dog.” Claire totally flattens out when she gets in the air and comes down — hence the “super dog” appearance. Most dogs will curl front legs or back legs or both when they jump. Claire does not. We’ve come to believe that Claire’s style may compromise her distance to some degree, but she is pretty to watch, and we wouldn’t change it.

At the end of the 2021 season, Claire earned an invitation to the NADD Regionals in Amana, Iowa. She had been jumping in the 12-foot to 13-foot range. At the Regionals, she placed third in her class and was invited to the NADD national championship in Springfield, Missouri. We went to the national competition, and Claire placed fourth in her class. We were thrilled.

We had many people stop and tell us she was the most fun dog to watch jump because of her enthusiasm and style, and one of the owners of the world record holding diving dog, a Whippet, became a big fan. This past season, 2022, Claire again qualified for NADD regionals and the NADD national championship. The national championship, held in Springfield, Missouri saw 1,124 dogs participate.

Unfortunately, Claire didn’t have the jump distance the next year, but we all still had fun. We cheered on many of our old and new diving friends. Claire and I have done many sports and activities – barn hunt, rally, agility, therapy dog, FastCat, and obedience to name a few. Dock diving, however, was Claire’s favorite. When she is waiting to get on a dock, she does her dock diving “song.” The louder she sings, the better she does!

When we began our dives for the 2023 season, we decided to have her jump without her flotation jacket. Her jumps so far had been very good. Claire attained her Dock Senior Advanced title, and we anticipated her Dock Senior Excellent title in 2023.

Dock diving is definitely a team sport. It’s been a great way for my husband and me to partner together with our favorite WFT. My job on the dock is to get Claire as revved up as possible to run and get her Wubba, and my husband has the critical job making the perfect Wubba throw in the water. The throw can’t be too early or too late, as it affects how Claire will jump. She tracks the throw, and a late throw, for example, will cause her to pause on the dock, and that pause will sacrifice distance.

Like most dog sports, it’s not just about the dog! I like to say that dock diving is a sport where a dog can be a dog – she can run, bark, chase a toy, retrieve a toy, and swim in the water. Claire heartily recommends it for all of her FTN friends.

In 2022, there were only two Wire Fox Terriers participating in NADD. There are other dock diving venues, and the dock diving community is very helpful and supportive. There are permanent docks and mobile docks all over the country. If you are interested in dock diving, visit this site and other venues: