Doggies will be on the paddleboards for another UK Dog Surfing Championships next month.
Dogmasters is another creation by Mark Reeves of Shaka Surf Branksome. Mark started it as a bit of a laugh three years ago only to find people and dogs went mad for it.
Competing dogs take part in various events in the sea off Branksome Dene Chine, Poole, and receive points from the judges for their board skills and their dismount.
Paddleboarding in the UK has seen a massive rise in popularity recently and now with dogs in the mix, it can only get better.
The beach is a dog-friendly beach so is always popular with dog owners and is the ideal place to bring a dog and paddleboard. Marks Company provides paddleboard, Surfing, and kayaking equipment for hire and to buy.
Mark noticed that many people were getting in with the sea and popping their dogs on the paddleboards and this kick-started the thought of the Dogmasters competition.
When is Dogmasters 2021?
25th of July 2021 is the date to get in your diary. There will be multiple competition events from owner & dog events to solo dog events. Prizes will be for effort, tricks, style and longest time on a wave.
In the solo dog event (weather permitting) dogs are given marks out of 10 by the judges who hold up their cards based on the dogs style and tricks.
The owner event requires the owner to run down the beach with their dog, get on the paddle board, race around a bouy and then back to the beach.
The current dogmasters champion fighting to protect his title is Bear the Beagle. Bear and his owner James won in 2018 and 2019 but 2020 was cancelled due to the pandemic.
The event is hosted by a DJ from local radio station HOT radio, there will be food and drink stalls and live music all providing a great day out that everyone needs after last year.
Can you teach a dog to surf?
Every Sunday on Branksome Beach 9am- 10am you can pop down for train sessions provided by Paws on Board and using equipment from Shaka Surf. It’s a treat based training session to get the dogs used to getting on and off the board to get them used to it before venturing out into the water.
Tickets for the 2021 UK Dog Surfing Championships start from £6 per adult and £4 per child aged over three, and are available on ticketsource.
