DANIA BEACH, FLA. (WSVN) – Several dogs are splashing through intense training with their owners in Dania Beach.<\/p>\n
While many dogs love diving into water, the ones at Tigertail Park are doing it to stay in shape for a fierce competition.<\/p>\n
For dog jumping, owners try to get their pups to launch off the end of a dock as far as they can to reach their favorite toys.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love the high jumpers, but, really, in this sport, it\u2019s about distance, so for dock jumping anyway, for the running and jumping for the toy. So the further the dog jumped, the more impressed I am,\u201d said Sally Paxton, a dog handler.<\/p>\n
Many of the four-legged leapers love the sprint to the end of the dock just as much as their long-distance jumps into the water.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love it because they\u2019re getting exercise, they\u2019re having fun, and that makes me happy,\u201d said Janis Neff, a dog handler.<\/p>\n
Owners told 7News the training is just as much about having fun outdoors as it is about reaching incredible distances.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy dogs regularly jump, Misazu and Thanos, and they regularly jump anywhere from 23 to 28 feet,\u201d said Paxton.<\/p>\n
While distance is the goal for the sport, it gives owners a chance to spend a lot of time together outside with their furry friends.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of the nice things about this sport is you can do it at any level. So you can do it like, \u2018I just wanna have fun with my dog, can get a title on my dog,\u2019 and you don\u2019t have to practice and make them the top dog in the sport. You can just throw your toy off, and they jump and get it,\u201d said Paxton.<\/p>\n
The joy is evident on each dog\u2019s face as they eagerly await the signal to run down the dock.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Throw that toy already! Quit making me wait.\u2019 They wanna go. That\u2019s all they\u2019re waiting for, and sometimes you\u2019ll just see them trembling because, especially Thanos, sometimes the muscles in his head are doing this because he just wants to go so badly,\u201d said Paxton.<\/p>\n
No matter how far each dog leaps, their reward is playing the game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe game is the reward, it really is. I mean, you don\u2019t have to give them anything; they got their toy, and that\u2019s what they were after. They got to swim,\u201d said Paxton.<\/p>\n
The top-performing dogs do receive ribbons and bragging rights, but every dog owner can come together to share their love for their pets.<\/p>\n
\u201cI just love to see them having fun, and if you win something, that\u2019s icing on the cake,\u201d said Neff. \u201cMy dogs are family, I mean, they\u2019re like my children.\u201d<\/p>\n