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A gray, wet-coated dog launches high above the ocean surf to snatch a purple frisbee from the air, while a woman crouches in the shallow water below at dusk, spray flying around her.
In Photography

Amazing Midair Dog Leaps Captured by Claudio Piccoli

Aren’t dogs amazing? There’s always something more we can learn from them, be inspired by, or just laugh about.

In terms of their agility, some dogs can go to superhero lengths to catch balls and frisbees, and make it look effortless.

Meet the Photographer Behind the Leap

Photographer Claudio Piccoli has mastered this as an art, and has incredible images of dogs captured mid-leap. This isn’t the first time his airborne pups have landed on our radar, either — we featured an earlier set of his work in Incredible Midair Dog Leaps, and this new batch is just as jaw-dropping.

Below are just a few of our favorites, showcasing the determination, athleticism, and sheer willpower of these furry companions.

Dogs in Full Flight: The Gallery

A black-and-white Border Collie twists through the air with its back arched, snapping a white frisbee out of the sky against a softly blurred warm brown backdrop.
Claudio Piccoli freezes the exact instant a Border Collie’s jaws close around the disc, mid-twist and fully airborne.
A Puli, its distinctive corded gray coat flying outward like dreadlocks, leaps low over a fallen branch scattered with autumn leaves on a forest floor.
The Puli’s mop-like corded coat makes this leap over a forest branch look almost otherworldly.
A gray, wet-coated dog launches high above the ocean surf to snatch a purple frisbee from the air, while a woman crouches in the shallow water below at dusk, spray flying around her.
Against a pastel dusk sky, this dog’s leap over crashing surf captures the fearless athleticism at the heart of Piccoli’s series.
A blue merle Border Collie leaps face-first toward the camera with its mouth open in a joyful grin, clearing a moss-covered log in a sunlit forest.
Ears pinned back and grin wide, this Border Collie clears a moss-covered log with pure joy.
A sleek black dog with tall pointed ears leaps directly toward the camera over a bare branch, front paws tucked, in a warmly lit autumn forest.
This sleek black dog clears a bare branch with effortless precision, ears alert and eyes locked on the camera.
A brown-and-white spaniel-type dog stretches out mid-air to catch an orange frisbee in its mouth, while a man in a yellow shirt crouches on the grass below, reaching for a second disc.
Long ears streaming behind it, this spaniel snatches the frisbee out of the air before its handler even lets go of the next one.
A black-and-white Border Collie catches a frisbee high above a barefoot man crouched on a sandy beach, who is reaching down to pick up a second disc under a pale sky.
A day at the beach becomes an aerial showcase as this Border Collie snaps up the disc feet above the sand.
A black-and-white Border Collie hangs in midair with its jaws wide open, teeth bared in fierce concentration as it zeroes in on a red frisbee, set against a dark green blurred backdrop.
Total focus: this Border Collie’s wide-open bite radius leaves no room for the red frisbee to escape.
A slender white dog with dark ticking arches its body sideways to snatch a red frisbee from the air, backlit by warm golden-hour light in a hazy forest.
Backlit by the last light of the day, this lean dog’s sideways stretch shows off the sighthound-like grace in its leap.
A gray-and-white Border Collie twists its body into a corkscrew shape in midair, catching a white frisbee against a blurred green foliage background.
This corkscrewing catch shows just how much control a Border Collie has over its body mid-flight.

See more of Piccoli’s work on his website.

Images © Copyright Claudio Piccoli.

More Dogs Defying Gravity

If this kind of mid-air commitment is your thing, don’t stop here. We love how Jess Bell’s airborne dog portraits turn ordinary backyard leaps into something sculptural, and our hilarious midair treat dog photos prove that dogs will contort themselves for a snack just as readily as a frisbee. For a splashier angle on pet action photography, our Underwater Dogs feature is a must-see too.

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Author

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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7 Comments

  1. BJL

    Oh, what beautiful doggins!!! And the photos aren’t bad either.

  2. vadrake

    Shows the super power of dogs to try with every atom to achieve the goal of catching the prey! Beauty!

  3. cacoethes

    Makes me wonder what my frisbee dog would have looked like in one of these shots. “Hudson,” you were The Best Dog in the Multiverse. And a damn good frisbee dog.

  4. Paul Kearns

    Brilliant…. timed to perfection

  5. Suzie

    Always a joy to see such incredible talent, from photographers and animals!

  6. Reginald Bortflahr

    Great shots!
    Great dogs!
    Excellent photographer.

  7. Allison

    Awesome, I’m not a dog person but these photos are amazing. Thank you for showing me what wonderful creatures these are.

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