Looking for a fun new hobby? Consider learning a dog sport – it is great mental and physical exercise for both you and best buddy!
There are a variety of different type of dog sports, so first consider, what does your dog really, really like to do? Are they a champion sniffer, with their nose always to the ground? Do they find joy in zooming around the yard at a high rate of speed? Do they enjoy swimming and playing fetch? Are they fascinated with chasing squirrels? It is much easier to learn a sport if your dog naturally enjoys the activity from the beginning.
Here are some different dog sports that you should consider!
AKC FastCAT
Best for: Dogs that love to chase prey and run fast
Training required: Minimal; mostly instinctive. Should come when called and not be aggressive to the person catching the dog.
FastCAT (Coursing Ability Test) is a super fun event for beginning dog sport enthusiasts. Clubs fence off a 100 yard long chute, and you stand at one end with your dog. There is a wire running through the grass, with white plastic bags tied to it. They pull the lure with a machine, and the plastic bags wave enticingly as they are dragged away from the dog, who chases the lure. A friend stands at the other end, and leashes the dog after the lure stops running.
AKC CAT
Best for: Dogs that love to chase prey and run fast, and who are athletic
Training required: Minimal, mostly instinctive. Must have a solid recall.
CAT is a longer version of FastCAT, for dogs who really enjoy this game! The lure is strung around a 3-5 acre field, with twists and turns over a 600 yard course. The dog starts and stops at the same point, so you wait for them. A solid recall is important, because chasing a dog around a 5 acre field is no fun.
Barn Hunt
Best for: Dogs with a strong prey drive for moles, voles, and other varmints.
Training required: Some, mostly instinctive.
In this sport, the club sets up a maze of straw bales, complete with tunnels and bales stacked up like a staircase. Pet rats, who are acclimated to dogs and well treated, are safely ensconced in dog-proof containers, that are hidden in the straw. The dogs have to sniff out the rats and indicate the find to the owner (barking, digging, pointing, etc.), and also have to climb up at least one bale, and run through at least one tunnel. The rats are removed after they are found, and the game continues until all the rats are found.
Nosework/Scentwork
Best for: Dogs that love to sniff!
Training required: Some
In this sport, dogs are trained to find cotton swabs that have been treated with an essential oil (birch, clove, or anise). The dog is released into a room where the swab has been hidden, and they have to sniff out the swab and indicate to their owner that they have found it. Dogs have to be trained that finding the odor and indicating it clearly results in a shower of cookies, but after that, the searching is mostly instinctive. Higher level competitions include swabs that are hidden outside, in vehicles, and buried in the ground. Nosework is a good choice for dogs that are reactive towards other dogs, as dogs compete one at a time, and sniffing is generally relaxing to dogs. The best thing about nosework is that you can play the game at home, even when the weather is hot/cold/stormy.
UKC Weight Pull
Best for: Dogs that are muscular and strong
Training required: Some
Weight pull is a great option for dogs that are super strong for their weight, and enjoy pulling. The dogs wear specially fitted padded harnesses, and they are hooked to platforms that either have wheels or have sled runners. At the start command, the dog pulls the weighted cart/sled forwards across the finish line. Many bully breeds excel at weight pull because of their high strength to weight ratio!
Dock Diving
Best for: Retrieving dogs that love to swim
Training required: Some, mostly instinctive
In this sport, dogs are set up on a wooden dock, a few feet above a pool. At the command to go, the owner throws a ball/toy/bumper out over the pool, while the dog runs and takes a flying leap off the dock to catch it. The dog splashes down into the water, then retrieves the ball/toy to the owner. Expert dogs can jump more than 30 feet horizontally! In some versions of the game, the dogs must jump up high vertically to grab a bumper that is suspended above the water.
Rally Obedience
Best for: Dogs that are owner focused and love to please
Traning required: Some to high, depending on level
Rally Obedience is a great partnership exercise for dogs that are focused on their owners and find a verbal praise rewarding. In this sport, the dog and owner team walks at a heel through a preset course with various signs telling the team what movement to perform – turn right or left, sit, lay down, pivot 360 degrees, stay in position while the handler walks around you, etc. At lower levels the dogs are on leash; at higher levels the teams compete with no leash. The best thing about rally is that you are encouraged to praise and encourage your dog throughout the course.
Agility
Best for: Super athletic dogs that love to run and jump
Training Required: High
Agility is a great sport for dogs with boundless energy! In this sport, dogs run an obstacle course alongside their owners, who instruct the dogs to jump, run through tunnels, climb obstacles, run over a see-saw, and weave through a set of poles. Many athletic dogs love agility! To compete successfully takes a unique mixture of high drive and excellent impulse control, but agility can be done just for fun. The height of the jumps is proportional to the height of the dog, so even extra small and extra large dogs can compete.
No matter what sport you choose, make sure that you have fun with your dog! Ribbons are fun to hang on the wall, but the memories you create will last a lifetime.
