|
"Dog heads to N.Y. seeking
Fame, Fortune" Prior
Lake American |
|
His master leans over: "Where's the bird?" "Boof!" "Where's the bird?" Tucker lets out a high pitched whine. I know where the bird is. Lemme at it! "OK, Go, go go go go go go!" The dog sprints the length of the dock, then catapults off the end and hits the water with a whoosh. Half a minute later, Tucker has paddled himself to shore (bird in mouth), shaken himself off, and is ready to do it again. "That was a good one," his master evaluates. "But we have to work on height." Tucker just stares up at him, smiling. Throw it again. Throw it again. Throw it againnnnnnn! Practice makes perfect Tom Dropik and his dog Tucker practice jumping, usually off Prior Lake docks, as often as possible. If you've ever seen them out at a local access, it's hard to tell who's having more fun - man or dog. This summer all that fun could translate into a medal and a couple thousand dollars of prize money. Dropik, who has lived in Prior Lake for about 16 years, and his girlfriend, Janeil Shambour are taking 5-year-old Tucker to Lake Placid, New York to compete in the Big Air Competition as part of ESPN's Great Outdoor Games. Tucker will be one of about a dozen dogs invited to participate in the National Finals July 12-15. Tucker and Dropik got the invitation after placing fourth in the Big Air Challenge last April in Little Rock, Ark. Not too shabby, considering most of the other dogs were from southern states and had been jumping all winter long. Tucker doesn't really get to train each year until the ice melts on local lakes, but he has no qualms about jumping into frigid March waters. According to Dropik, Tucker keeps in shape over the winter by chasing him on his snowmobile. "He has to be in front of the snowmobile," Dropik said about Tucker. Tucker is also a skilled hunting dog. Often Dropik's friends, who have their own dogs, ask to borrow Tucker for hunting. Tucker's jumps have been measured at more than 18 feet. The Big Air "world record" is listed as 22.44 feet. Dropik and Tucker are more than willing to train as much as possible to meet or exceed that length. "He'll go all day," Dropik says, setting up a long pole on which to hang the "bird" (actually a small canvas sack stuffed with Styrofoam). Dropik uses the pole to train Tucker to jump higher. Released by Shambour at the end of the dock, Tucker sprints, jumps, and catches the bird in mid-air. Dropik smiles. "I need to get an extension. He's starting to out-jump it." More than a hobby Dropik got interested in working with hunting dogs several years ago because his roommate had a black lab. He ended up entering "Buddy" into a few local competitions. That led to buying Tucker as a hunting dog, jumper, and loyal companion. When Tucker was only seven weeks old, Dropik started the training. Not all labs are good jumpers, Dropik said, but Tucker was a natural from the start. In general, Tucker competes against yellow, black and chocolate labs and golden retrievers. Apparently, gender makes little difference in jumping. Male dogs are often stronger than females, but females are often lighter, leveling the advantage. "They just want to retrieve so bad," Dropik said about retrievers. Dropik doesn't use treats or any incentives to get Tucker to work harder. Tucker just loves to chase the bird. The dogs' trainers often keep records of how long their dogs need to run to achieve the best jump. Dropik also does jumping exercises with Tucker to get him used to jumping higher off the end of the dock. In addition to those techniques, Dropik pays close attention to Tucker's weight. A good jumper, Dropik said, should not be too thin or too heavy. "They want dogs to have that 'lean and mean' look," Dropik said about competition officials. Dropik said he is also looking for more dock time, possibly through someone who owns a private dock. He and Tucker need an entire dock to practice, and sometimes there's just too many people using the public docks at one time. He expects that Tucker will have the drive to keep competing for about three more years. Ideal age for competitive jumping is between three and eight years of age. "He'll be depressed when (Tucker) slows down," Shambour said. For Dropik and Shambour, this is more than just a hobby. They plan to get another black lab in the near future and start training it together. They've also turned the trip to Lake Placid into an opportunity to vacation in Canada and New York. Dropik's truck is rigged to accommodate Tucker and Shambour's shih tzu, Bailey, for the long trip east. Although Dropik and Shambour both have day jobs - Dropik is director of Information Technology for Manna Freight and Shambour works as an accountant - both want to learn as much as possible about raising and training sporting dogs. "You learn how to be better by borrowing techniques," Dropik said. "I'm learning as I go." |