Several dogs are splashing through intense training with their owners in Dania Beach. While many dogs love diving into water, the ones at Tigertail Park are doing it to stay in shape for a fierce competition. 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. “I love the high jumpers, but, really, in this sport, it’s 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,” said Sally Paxton, a dog handler. 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. “I love it because they’re getting exercise, they’re having fun, and that makes me happy,” said Janis Neff, a dog handler. Owners told 7News the training is just as much about having fun outdoors as it is about reaching incredible distances. “My dogs regularly jump, Misazu and Thanos, and they regularly jump anywhere from 23 to 28 feet,” said Paxton. 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. “One of the nice things about this sport is you can do it at any level. So you can do it like, ‘I just wanna have fun with my dog, can get a title on my dog,’ and you don’t 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,” said Paxton. The joy is evident on each dog’s face as they eagerly await the signal to run down the dock. “‘Throw that toy already! Quit making me wait.’ They wanna go. That’s all they’re waiting for, and sometimes you’ll just see them trembling because, especially Thanos, sometimes the muscles in his head are doing this because he just wants to go so badly,” said Paxton. No matter how far each dog leaps, their reward is playing the game. “The game is the reward, it really is. I mean, you don’t have to give them anything; they got their toy, and that’s what they were after. They got to swim,” said Paxton. The top-performing dogs do receive ribbons and bragging rights, but every dog owner can come together to share their love for their pets. “I just love to see them having fun, and if you win something, that’s icing on the cake,” said Neff. “My dogs are family, I mean, they’re like my children.” For more information about dock diving at Tigertail Park, click here. ...read more read less