It’s human nature to be competitive. So much so that we project this behavior onto our pets. One example of this is the sport of dog dock jumping. This just happens to be the most adorable, hilarious sport you’ve never heard of. Make sure to hop on this hipster bandwagon before it gets too cool.

The goal of dog dock jumping is for the dog to run after a toy thrown by their handler and jump into the water to retrieve it, hopefully reaching a further distance than the other dogs.

The current world record for longest distance according to Wikipedia is a dog named Baxter who made a 29 foot seven inch leap in Little Rock, AR in 2011 at the Super Retriever Series Crown Championship.

The dogs compete in different games, all of which are basic variations of catch. Toy options are flexible and can vary from water dummies to styrofoam footballs.

Dogs who are not up to par swimming level will not be able to practice or compete in events because it can be a traumatic experience for a dog to compete because of the crowds, large music and the other dogs and it can actually discourage them from wanting to swim.

It’s very important to acquaint your dog to the water before just showing up to a competition. The best way to start is to find water that you can also get into with your dog like a river or a lake with a gradual decline.

There are tournaments in virtually every state and The Southwestern Regional Championship just went from April 16 to 19 in Derango, Colo. There are also competitions in other countries around the world including Australia. There’s even a radio station and TV channel dedicated to coverage of the ruff sport.

If you’d like to sign your dog up, the best place to start is ultimateairdogs.com where there are a list of rules and events. It may be a dog-eat-dog world, but at least it can be a fun one.