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’ll explore A-D in this article and E-Z in the next two.
Agility: You guide and direct your dog through a timed course of obstacles (jumps, teeter, A-frame, dog-walk, tunnels, weave poles, hoops, and gates). Agility can be done at a competitive or backyard fun level. The following organizations sanction agility trials:
American Kennel Club (https://www.akc.org/events/agility/)
Canine Performance Events (https://www.k9cpe.com/)
United Kennel Club (https://www.ukcdogs.com/Web.nsf/WebPages/DogEvents/Agility)
United States Dog Agility Association (https://www.usdaa.com/)
North American Dog Agility Council (https://www.nadac.com/)
The best way to get a feel for what agility trials are all about is to watch one. To see a list of upcoming agility trials visit https://www.agilityevents.net/index.php?page=Events. You can search by state and find local trials in Delaware and Maryland. NADAC, one of the more novice friendly organizations, holds trials in Dover several times a year.
Bikejoring: Riding a bike with one or more dogs pulling you. This sport is not for fragile or faint of heart dogs or people, but if you have a big sturdy dog and are a mountain biker it might suit you. For more information on equipment and training see https://www.bikejor.com/. If you think you are up to Bikejoring, a Maryland company can get you started (https://www.marylanddogsledding.com/Tours.htm).
Canicross: Running or walking with your dog in a harness pulling you (cross country with your dog). Canicross is a fairly new sport that started in Europe. You can do Canicross on your own or competitively. Although Canicross is new to the USA, there is actually a group in Maryland promoting Canicross and other dog pulling sports (https://www.marylanddogsledding.com/Tours.htm). They can teach you how to train your dog for Canicross and they also sponsor Canicross Club hikes. For general information on Canicross see https://www.skijor.com/canicross.html.
Cartjoring: One or more dogs in harness pulling a cart. Cartjoring originated as a way of training sled dogs in the off-season. I could not find any local clubs or resources for Cartjoring. For more information see https://athleticdogs.wordpress.com/2012/04/16/cartjoring/.
Disc Dog: Seriously competitive Frisbee with your dog. You don’t have to be seriously fit for this sport, but your dog does. Disc Dog competitions are held worldwide. The major sponsoring organizations are:
UFO (https://www.ufoworldcup.org/)
US Disc Dog Nationals (https://www.usddn.com/)
Skyhoundz (https://skyhoundz.com/)
For general information see https://www.dogfencediy.com/library/disc-dog/.
For regional clubs see https://www.mad-dogs.us/ or https://www.aircanines.com/.
Dock Dogs: Dogs jump off a dock, competing for the longest or highest jump, or the fastest retrieve. Dock Dogs is a family and fun oriented sport open to all people (you can be a couch potato for this one) and any dog that likes water and jumping. All you need is water and a jumping platform (plentiful in Kent County), so no wonder this is a locally popular sport. For a local club see https://www.delmarvadockdogs.com. The main organization for sanctioning trials in the US and worldwide is Dock Dogs, Inc. (https://www.dockdogs.com/).
Drafting: A more genteel and non-competitive version of Cartjoring where one or more dogs pull a cart resembling a small wagon. Got a big strong dog that likes to pull and need some help hauling your groceries home from the market? If so, drafting may be the dog sport for you. For more information see https://k9carting.com/.
Stay tuned in two weeks for more dog sports!
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Rosie Schwier says
It should read, “get off your butt and play with your mutt”