Loud techno music played as the stars of "Jump-The Ultimate Dog Show," demonstrated their athletic skills catching discs, doing back flips and wowing the crowd at the Kansas State Fair.

The 30-minute show has entertained presidents and appeared on late night talk shows. It is known internationally as one of the best dog trick shows.

To get the event started, the trainer, Lou Mack, made a brief statement about the importance of spaying and neutering pets. After his speech was over, Mack called the first dog out and got the show rolling with a trick.

The first dog, Taz, caught a few flying discs to warm up. Showcasing Taz's ability, Mack spun a disc on his finger, dropped it onto his foot and kicked it into the air. In dramatic fashion, Taz let the disc fall very close to the ground before catching it. Taz's signature trick was back flips, but he had trouble performing when commanded.

The dog's skill was not limited to running and catching a disc; Taz even caught a disc in his mouth mid flip. To end the set, Taz got a running start, jumped onto Mack's chest, and launched 10 feet into the air.

The crowd was into the show and clapped loudly after each trick.

"The part where the dog jumped high in the air, that was cool," said Colt Brown, a 7-year-old Hutchinson, Kan., resident.

Children were the loudest supporters and tried to pet each of the dogs when they were close enough.

The show also featured Buddy, one of the top-five-disc catching dogs in the nation. The highlight of Buddy's set was jumping rope with Mack. Afterward, Buddy caught a few discs like the dogs before him had done.

After jumping rope, Mack put Buddy back in his kennel and got ready for the most anticipated part of the show-the dock-jumping competition.

To start the dock jump, Mack split the crowd into two teams and introduced the teams to their respective dogs. The two dogs had more than a little trouble keeping still as the introductions were made.

Mack threw a disc over the water, and the dogs ran down the dock, jumped into the air and tried to catch the disc. The first dog needed several tries to catch his disc, but the second dog got right into the act, catching a disc on his first attempt.

At the end of the competition, both dogs jumped the same distance, 21-1/2 feet. The crowd was not disappointed by the split decision and cheered all the dogs loudly.

Trick dogs were not the only animals receiving attention at the fair. A small petting zoo was open, free of charge, for children of all ages.

The most-crowded area of the tent was the goats' exhibit. Visitors enjoyed the close interaction with the animals and tried not to give the goats more than food.

The zoo had a variety of animals including a kangaroo, a small giraffe and a zebra.

The state fair ended Sunday night, capping off 10 days full of racing pigs, jumping dogs and hungry goats.