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Dock Dogs catch Big Air in
downtown Lincoln
[September 01, 2026]
Of the many events happening in
Lincoln for Balloons Over 66, Dock Dogs on the square proved again
to be a favorite with families and animal-lovers. Dock Dogs
International provides a 27,000 gallon water tank and a temporary
dock, while dog owners from near and far, including out of state,
bring their pups to compete in three disciplines hosted by the Dock
Dogs team: Big Air, Extreme Vertical, and Speed Retrieve. The Big
Air event is a distance event in which dogs compete to jump the
farthest from the dock into the water. The Extreme Vertical measures
vertical leap, and the Speed Retrieve measures how fast a dog can
fetch in water. Dog handlers may throw an object such as a toy or
foam bumper into the pool to encourage the dog’s leap. The pool the
dogs jump into is 36 feet long and eight feet wide and is measured
to 35 feet.
Saturday’s last Dock Dogs event
after two days of competition was the Big Air final. Dock Dogs
describes Big Air as a “long jump for dogs.” Dock Dogs’ description
continues: “The dog, which may be placed anywhere on the 40’ dock,
runs and jumps into the water after a throw toy (provided by the
handler) is tossed.” For each event, the dog and handler team have
60 seconds from the time they enter the dock to complete the jump.
Only one handler may be on the dock with the dog and giving
commands. Practice times are available before the event begins and
between heats. Saturday evening’s competition included amateur,
contender, semi-pro, and pro levels.
Lincoln’s event is a smaller event, but Dock Dogs can be as large as
60 dogs competing in each heat. The world record for Dock Dogs Big
Air distance jump is 33 feet and 3 inches achieved by a dog named
Viper on August 30, 2025. According to the Dock Dogs Rules and
Policies manual, the official jump distance for the Big Air
discipline is “measured from the lateral midpoint of the end of the
dock to the point at which the base of the dog’s tail breaks the
water’s surface, specifically, the point where the dog’s tail meets
the body.” Judges evaluate all jumps electronically using digital
video stop‐action technology developed by ESPN’s MIS Department. In
the event of technology failure, judging is done manually by two
certified judges.
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At the Big Air final event on
Saturday night, five dogs competed in the amateur competition. The
amateur round was won by Zoinks! with handler Tiffany Ye and a
distance of 13 feet and 8 inches jumped. The contender round had six
entrants and was won by Kiara and her handler Kaylie Devlin with a
leap of 13 feet and 3 inches. The semi-pro round also fielded six
contestants and the winner was Hawk with handler Michael Kaliban and
a distance of 22 feet and 7 inches. The final round of the weekend
was the professional Big Air round with three dogs competing.
Contestants were H-Bound Lacy J, a whippet mix, Bishop, a German
short-hair pointer, and Charlie, a chocolate labrador retriever. The
pro round was won by H-Bound Lacy J with an impressive leap of 23
feet and 6 inches and handled by Tiffany Ye. Bishop came in second
with a jump of 21 feet and 4 inches and Charlie was third with 20
feet and 1 inch.
The current season of Dock Dogs competitions began October 1, 2025
and lasts until September 30, 2026. Every year Dock Dog world
championships are held in the fall utilizing a four-tier system:
amateur, contender, semi-pro, and professional. This 2026 world
championship will take place November 7 through 16, 2026 in
Wisconsin. The top three dogs in the finals of every event qualify
to compete in the world championship.
2026 Balloons Over 66 Dock Dogs Big Air Finals photo slideshow
[Stephanie Hall]
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