For Boulder Creek, California resident Ashley Rietfors and her 21-month-old dog, Pyro, dock jumping is a normal occurrence. However, for dock jumping competitions, such as the Purina Incredible Dog Challenge, Pyro is not a normal dog.

Last weekend, the Dutch Shepherd tied the world record for distance jumping at the competition’s Western Regional. He jumped 31 feet, 2 inches.

Dock jumping is a competitive sport where dogs compete for height or distance records by jumping from a dock into a body of water.

“There is a 40-foot dock slightly above ground, and a 40-foot pool at the end of the dock,” Rietfors, who is a dog trainer, explains. “The dog owner throws a toy into the pool and the dog runs from the dock and jumps into the pool after the toy.”

Competition also involves vertical jumping where a toy is suspended from a pole 8 feet out over a pool. Each time the dog gets it, the pole is moved 2 inches higher.

Ironically, Pyro, who is trained in German, hated water until he was 8 months old, Rietfors said. One day however, he watched a companion dog jump into the water and sailed in to save her, dragging her in by her ear. Now Rietfors says, you can’t keep him out of the water. He even has a custom wetsuit so he can compete in chilly waters.

While each competition measures distance and height differently, Pyro has taken home titles from multiple competitions. Among his accomplishments Pyro has won the Splash Dogs Super Vertical competition and snatched the Super Retriever Series crown from the previous five-time winner.

And while Rietfors, 28, has been participating in dock jumping competitions for four years, Pyro is just entering his second year competing. And he’s been unique from the very beginning, Rietfors says.

Rietfors said she didn’t expect him to be able to jump as far as he did. Most puppies jump roughly 8 feet, but Pyro jumped 20 feet at his first distance competition. It was then that she realized he was exceptional.

Rietfors credits part of Pyro’s success to his disposition. She says that even though his parents are police dogs in West Virginia, he was too friendly to be one.

And while many dogs become agitated or nervous in front of all the people and the cameras, Rietfors says that Pyro remains calm.

“Nothing bothers him. He is just a friendly dog and loves to play.”