During the summer with the Vegas heat, I always struggle to find time to exercise my dogs. By the time it is 8am it is already 100 degree's outside and too hot to take them outside. Then I have to wait until dusk and by that time I am exhausted from a long day at work. I still manage to do it but its really tough. I recently heard about Las Vegas Dock Dogs - www.lasvegasdockdogs.com. I thought it would be a great way for my dogs to stay cool, have fun, and exercise all at the same time. Little did I know how much they would love it and how good they would be at it. My dog Tigger is a lab mix so of course he was a natural. Well kind of after he tried to retrieve the chlorine container in the pool instead of his ball I felt like I had a special dog! Not special meaning good but special meaning not the smartest dog! He is funny and goofy but not the smartest dog in the dog park! We had to remove the chlorine container that was floating in the pool because he thought it was his toy. They said he was the only dog that has ever done that......leave it to my dog. After that it was all air and ball! He was awesome and actually jumped like a pro several times. At least I think he jumped like a pro....lol. Most dogs don't even jump on their first visit. They need a little time to get used to the dock and pool. But not Tigger. He had so much fun and you can see how much fun from the pictures! 
The second day we went I brought Daisy who is my runner dog. She has so much energy and can run forever however she doesn't love the water like Tigger. So I was unsure how she would react to the dock and pool. But I figured I would give it a try with nothing to lose. She sometimes will go in the lake if Tigger is in the water but this was a completely different situation. She was nervous at first but once the nerves were gone she was awesome. I am always searching for ways to drain her energy and this was perfect. She swam and retrieved the ball for about 20 minutes and slept in the car on the way home. She didn't do the jumps off the dock yet like Tigger but the fact that I got her in the water swimming was a huge step.
I plan on including this in their workout plan from now on. It is so important to keep variety in your pets exercise plan just as you should for yourself. In Vegas the summer is so hot this is the perfect challenge for your pet. If you are looking for something different for your mutt this is a great change from the everyday walk or run. Your dog will have so much fun and you never know you may have the next pro and don't even know it! Even if your dog does not jump you can bring them here and let them swim for exercise.
You can join the Las Vegas Dock Dog club for $100 a year for one pet and $150 for multiple pets. You will get access to the pool with your membership once a month for 30 minutes. You can also pay for additional pool time at $30 for 30 minutes. The people at Las Vegas Dock Dogs are truly dog enthusiasts!
