There was nothing but pride in Christopher Hutchko’s voice as he gushed about his 2-year-old Belgian Malinois,”Mazikeen” (Maze), who has been a fierce Dock Diving competitor within Ultimate Air Dogs (UAD). She recently competed in the 2025 Diving Dogs Challenge, part of the AKC Salutes the Troops event with ESPN.
“She’s literally won every event we’ve ever been to,” says Hutchko. “She hasn’t been beaten.”
Maze has wowed Hutchko and spectators with her natural ability at dock diving. She’s the No. 1 ranked Belgian Malinois for Air Retrieve for three different organizations including North America Diving Dogs (NADD), UAD, and International Dog Sports (IDS). This year, the duo has a packed schedule of competitions. Among those is
Discovering Dock Diving at Daycare
Maze wasn’t actually the one who introduced Hutchko to the world of Dock Diving. It was his first-ever Labrador Retriever who made a leap that left a lasting impression. Six years ago, Hutchko brought his Labrador puppy to a doggy daycare that had a pool. With some encouragement from the daycare, he tossed a ball into the pool and his puppy jumped into the water. The height of the jump left him amazed.
“She jumped like those dogs jumped in [competitions],” he recalled. “So we googled Dock Diving and dog jumping and, lo and behold, there was a facility a couple miles from our house.”
From then on, he began training his dogs in dock diving. Eventually, opened up his own dog training facility, Tracks K9 Club. It currently has 187 members and more than 300 dogs enrolled.
A Longtime Admiration for Belgian Malinois
As a former police officer, Hutchko was used to working with and training the breed. After spending many years alongside them, his love for the Belgian Malinois grew. He was finally ready to get one of his own.
“I was always fascinated,” he said. “When I retired, I had all this time, and I decided, you know what, this is the kind of dog I’d like to have.”
Maze was actually Hutchko’s second Belgian Malinois. When he wanted another, the owners of Ultimate Air Dogs contacted him. A Belgian Malinois litter had been born from a known jumping star. — and one of those puppies was Maze.
“We started training her at 4 weeks old,” he said. “We started swimming her, and she just became outstanding.”
Her skills only skyrocketed from there as she got older. Hutchko described her grace and ability similar to a “deer jumping off the dock.” Maze has since left an impressive feat on and off the stage. In 2024, she took home first place for the Ultimate Air Dog National Fetch It Championship and has broken every pull record she’s been through.
Serving the Community
Maze’s training and competition schedule keeps them busy, but Hutchko wanted to continue serving his community even in retirement. When they have a day off she has been training to become a search and rescue and humans remains detection dog. He and Maze have been volunteering with Central Florida Search and Rescue.
“This was just a way for me to give back and help people,” he says. “There’s no better feeling.”
The pair spend most of their weekends improving her detection skills at various locations in their community. They’ve come a long way, and are already nearing the end of their training.
A Bond That Can’t Be Broken
Hearing Hutchko talk about Maze and her skills, “proud” would be an understatement. He says she goes above and beyond for him in terms of ability, passion, and drive for the sport. You won’t find Hutchko without Maze far behind either. Her love for him is prominent, and she can always be found by his side.
“No matter where I go, she has to be with me. I can’t move without seeing [her] right by me,” he adds.
When looking towards the future, Hutchko wants to continue training and competing with Maze. As she continues to succeed, he has one goal in particular that he hopes to achieve off the stage. “I would love to see her, believe it or not, on a bag of dog food,” he said.
With more competitions coming up on big stages, it may bring them one step closer to a new form of fame.
The AKC Diving Dogs Challenge participants are making a splash! Catch all of the action on July 4th at 7pm ET on ESPN!