If you enjoy training your dog and want to expand beyond basic manners, consider a dog sport. In recent years the list of sports you can do with your dog has grown by leaps and bounds, resulting in an activity to suit every type of dog and owner. Below is an alphabetical list of dog sports with a brief description and list of resources for each sport. Note that I intentionally omitted any sports that require lots of snow. The list is so large that we’ve split it into three parts. In the first two articles we explored A-N. In this article we’ll finish up with O-Z.
Pulling: Competitive weight pulling for dogs has been around since the first Òmy dog can pull more than your dog bragÓ. Its basically a tractor pull for dogs competing to see who can pull the most weight for 16’ with a wheeled cart over dry ground or a sled over snow. Dogs compete within their weight class, with the lightest weight class at 0-20 pounds and the heaviest at 150 and over. Ties are settled by the fastest time. Although the bully breeds excel at this sport, any dog, pure or mixed breed, with a penchant for pulling can compete. For more information on weight pulling visit https://www.pulldoggies.com/. All you need to get started with your dog is a special padded harness, some training information, a garden cart and some cinder blocks. Competitions are held all over the country.
Rally: Designed to test a dog’s ability to quickly and accurately respond to a handler’s cues, Rally dog and handler teams navigate a course with numbered signs indicating different exercises to perform such as Sit-Down-Sit, Straight Figure 8, Send Over Jump, Recall Over Jump. A number of organizations, including the American Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club sanction Rally trials. Rally is open adult and youth handlers, and to all dogs, pure and mixed breed, as well as dogs with disabilities. Rally instructors and trials can be found all over the country, including Kent County where the 4-H youth dog club, Puppy Pals, trains their dogs for Rally competitions. For more information on Rally see https://www.ukcdogs.com/Web.nsf/WebPages/DogEvents/RallyObedience or https://www.akc.org/events/rally/getting_started.cfm.
Schutzhund: Originating in Germany in the 1900’s as a breed suitability test for German Shepherds, Schutzhund (also called Versatility Test for Working Dogs) is now a demanding and difficult competitive outdoor sport open to all dogs. Schutzhund tests the physical and mental strengths and stamina of dogs in three areas: tracking, obedience, and protection. During all areas, the dog must be under the total and immediate control of the handler. To learn more about Schutzhund see https://www.dvgamerica.com/.
Scootering: One or more dogs pull a human riding an unmotorized kick scooter. Scootering started as yet another way to train sled dogs in the off-season. Although not yet a competitive sport, some areas (not Kent County yet) have clubs that meet for group rides and fun runs. To learn more, visit https://www.sleddogcentral.com/scootering.htm.
Showing: Also called Conformation, showing is intended as a means of evaluating dogs for breeding stock. To participate, dogs must be at least 6 months old, registered with the kennel club sanctioning the show (in the USA, usually the American Kennel Club) purebred, and intact (not spayed or neutered), and must not have any faults as defined by the breed standard. Skills needed for showing include grooming your dog per breed standards and teaching your dog to stand and walk in certain ways that enable the judges to observe and examine your dog. To learn more, visit https://www.akc.org/events/conformation/beginners.cfm.
Terrier Racing: Lure Coursing (see the previous article) just for Terrier breeds, with the addition of chute and/or hurdle obstacles in the course, and the requirement that all dogs wear muzzles while racing. See https://www.ukcdogs.com/Web.nsf/WebPages/DogEvents/TerrierRacing for more information.
Treibball: Want to try herding but can’t find a flock of sheep? Then Treibball may be the sport for you. In Treibball, dogs follow a handler’s whistles, words, or hand signal directions to drive eight large exercise balls into a soccer goal within a set time period (usually 15 minutes). After originating in Germany, Treibball gained popularity throughout Europe and is now a fast growing sport in the US. At this time, the closest Treibball instructor is on the Western Shore, near Hagerstown (Pat Miller, owner of Peaceable Paws). For more information on Treibball, see https://www.americantreibballassociation.org/.
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