Dock Diving - where to practice?

[justine]

I would really love to get Abbey into dock diving, especially since she's really taken to swimming this year and will go flying into the water after her bumper.

The dog park that is near my parents house has a dock, but I won't be visiting there enough for it to make a difference.

So, I guess my question is, for those of you who do dock diving, where do you practice? I know that some people are lucky enough to have facilities specific to dock diving near them, but I don't think I'm having much luck.

I live in Michigan so I know there are TONS of lakes around.. I'm just not sure how to go about finding somewhere to practice.

As of right now, we are just working on getting her into the water and becoming a stronger swimmer. I'm also going to start working with her on her agility jumps with her bumper.

Thanks in advance for any info!

[Snowflake]

You might contact the Great Lakes DockDogs club. I don't know if they have a website...they're rather new. But here's a link to their forum on the DockDogs board. You can post there and someone should reply.

What part of Michigan are you in? You might be close to another club.

[justine]

I'm in the Lansing area.

I'll have to contact them and see if they can recommend anyone. I know there was one in Temperance, MI, but that's way too far from me.

[LopersNLabs]

You may want to check into state and county parks. Where I live, we actually have a state park that is considered a duck hunting area. As long as you have your hunting license and are at the lake to "train you dog to retrieve" you are cleared to have your dog off the leash. It's a very grey area, but we have a great agreement with the park district. Networking is a big thing, since dock diving is so new, many people will just stand there and watch you in amazement. MI is also a big state for Ultimate Air Dogs. You can check out their website too. Their events usually have TONS of dock time for practice. I am in northern OH and we travel a lot for events. PM me if you have any other questions. Good Luck