鈥淛et,鈥� the 7-year-old Doberman Pinscher had a late start to Dock Diving, but that doesn鈥檛 make him any less impressive in the water. His owner, Laura Zhu, of Topanga, CA, says it took the Doberman three years to learn how to swim, but it didn鈥檛 stop them.
Now, Jet鈥檚 competing among the best of the best at the 2024 AKC Diving Dogs Challenge in Glendale, AZ. The event, which takes place on February 24 and 25, will be a weekend well spent at the docks. Despite only getting his start in diving in 2022, Jet is among the top Dobermans for the sport in the National Association of Diving Dogs (NADD).
Diving Wasn鈥檛 Love at First Sight for Jet
Zhu and Jet hadn鈥檛 really heard of dock diving when she was looking at dog sports to get into. She鈥檇 seen a friend compete in the sport first and thought that it looked like so much fun in all aspects. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know this was a sport, and it was just so much fun, from the competitions to the community that surrounded the sport,鈥� Zhu says. 鈥淚t was something that I seriously wanted to do, but at the time, Jet didn鈥檛 even know how to swim.鈥�
For the next three years, Zhu and Jet worked on getting him acclimated to water. Dobermans aren鈥檛 known for being water-loving dogs, so part of it was the breed鈥檚 temperament. Together, they went to lakes on paddle boards, went rafting down rivers, learned to canoe, and practiced in the pool with pool noodles. 鈥淚 wanted to make it so fun for him,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ver those three years, his confidence started to build.鈥�
Never Too Late to Start
Zhu says there were surely times when she thought that dock diving might not be the right sport for her dog. But seeing how much he loves it now, it鈥檚 clear that Jet just needed a little convincing. 鈥淚 kind of just let him go at his own pace. I never forced him,鈥� Zhu says. 鈥淚 just had this determination that if I could teach him how fun water can be, I knew that he鈥檇 have fun doing it.鈥�
And she was right, but it wasn鈥檛 instant. He鈥檇 get used to one pool, but then they鈥檇 go to another competition with a different pool, and he would refuse to go in. There were a lot of zero-scores in their early competition days because he鈥檇 time out after a while.
Top of His Class
At the time of the 2024 AKC Diving Dogs Challenge, they鈥檇 only been competing for two years, but that didn鈥檛 stop Jet from making a name for their team. 鈥淥nce he got the hang of it, he was like, 鈥極kay, now I鈥檓 going to be the best,'鈥� Zhu laughs. She didn鈥檛 expect him to be as good as he was. Jet is her first purebred dog and her first Doberman. Mainly, she鈥檇 intended doing Dock Diving together to be a hobby: a way to have fun, build their relationship, and make memories together. 鈥淗e鈥檚 just excelled at this sport beyond my expectations,鈥� she says.
During his first season in 2022, he made it all the way to the NAAD National Championship, where he tied for first place. In the following year, he held the No. 1 spot for Dobermans for the 2023 diving season.
鈥淚 always say Jet was born to fly. I mean, it鈥檚 in his name,鈥� Zhu says. She notes that Dobermans like having a job to do, and she鈥檚 trained him to hone in on that instinct to get the toy. Jet鈥檚 mastered the ability to tune everything out and focus, which has helped him excel in the sport.
An Incredible Bond Through Dog Sports
What started as a hobby for Zhu has enveloped her with more than memories with her dog. In the two years they鈥檝e been competing, she鈥檚 found a genuine community through the sport. 鈥淲e鈥檝e made so many lifelong friends doing this,鈥� she says. 鈥淪o many people support us and cheer us on.鈥�
She says she鈥檚 also found an incredible bond with Jet through this sport. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a huge testament to the bond that you share,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou [spend] so much time together, you travel across the United States to do this, and you spend every weekend, hours and hours out there, every competition, and it鈥檚 just incredible.鈥�
Zhu has high hopes for the 2024 Diving Dogs Challenge, mainly for Jet to achieve a 23-foot Air Retrieve. 鈥淚t would just be incredible to show the world his athleticism,鈥� she says.
The AKC Diving Dogs Premier Cup participants are making a splash! Catch all of the action on October 27 at 5:00pm ET on ESPN2!