By Ben Orcutt -- Daily Staff Writer

FRONT ROYAL — Who needs the Olympics when you've got the Chesapeake Dock Dogs competing at the 51st annual Warren County Fair?

"It's very addictive," said 38-year-old Dan Bryant of Waldorf, Md., who has been competing with Maggie, a 21/2-year-old yellow Labrador retriever, since March.

The goal of dock-dog competition is for the dog to speed down a dock and jump as far as possible across a pool of water to fetch a toy. The jump is measured where the dog's hind end hits the water.

There are two primary methods for tossing the toy into the water. One is called the "place and send," where the dog owner tosses the toy into the water and then sends the dog after it. The other method is the "chase" in which the owner times the throw so the dog chases the toy through the air.

"I rescheduled all my [vacation] time to be dock dog time," Bryant added. "It's a lot of fun. The dogs don't care if they jump 20 feet or two feet."

This was the first year for the Chesapeake Dock Dogs competition at the Warren County Fair, according to Brian Rutledge of Frederick, Md., president of the regional dock dog chapter that includes Virginia, Maryland and Washington, D.C. Rutledge, 35, said the competition is divided into five categories, which are based on the length a dog can jump. The divisions range from novice, which includes jumps up to 10 feet, to super elite, reserved for dogs that can leap more than 23 feet.

The competition began in the early 1900s, Rutledge said, when hunters would bet on whose dog could jump farthest.

"We have some big jumping dogs here," Rutledge said of Saturday's daylong competition.

One of the longest jumps of the qualifying "waves" belonged to 13-month-old chocolate Labrador retriever Henry, owned by Eric Beauvais of Dillsburg, Pa. Henry recorded a jump of 21 feet, 2 inches to the delight of the grandstand fans.

"I think it's great," 63-year-old Joyce Davis of Front Royal said of the competition. Davis was joined by her daughter, Sonja Lalumondiere, 41, and her three children, including 7-year-old Heather.

"They're cool," Heather said of the dogs.

Public address announcer Tim Kline, 45, of New Cumberland, Pa., is in his third year of Chesapeake Dock Dog competition.

"Timing is critical in this sport," Kline told the audience.

Taking a brief break from PA duties and competition, Kline said the three keys for a successful jump are the speed of the dog down the dock, taking off at the very end of the dock and then popping into the air.

Some of the local dogs competing Saturday morning didn't fair as well as their out-of-town competitors, but the dogs and their owners appeared to have fun nonetheless.

Blazin Tater, a 2-year-old Weimaraner owned by Julie Cecci of Front Royal was making his first foray into competition and decided he didn't want to jump on either of two tries.

Cecci, 46, said Blazin Tater had been practicing at the low-water bridge in Bentonville, but the excitement of competition was apparently a little overwhelming.

"It's OK though," Cecci said. "We've got to start somewhere. I'm proud. I still love him."

Joey, Woodstock resident Rory Nansel's 5-year-old golden retriever, improved from his first to his second jump to the delight of his owner.

"You gotta make a big thing for the dog," Nansel, 45, said. "He's doing it. You gotta make [it] fun for the dog and fun for yourself."

Friends Julie Hilton and Mike Boulais, both 46, of Winchester, agreed.

"It was great," Hilton said after her nearly 2-year-old black Labrador retriever, Chance, jumped more than 10 feet. "It wasn't as stressful as some of those dog trial things."

Boulais spoke in a similar vein about entering his 4-year-old black Labrador retriever, Biggs, a hunting dog.

"We just did it for fun," Boulais said. "The dogs get a [chance] to get wet, so it's always good."

* Contact Ben Orcutt at borcutt@nvdaily.com