Dog Sports & Canine Activities

Agility

Many of us have our own hobbies and sports that we religiously follow behind. But for those of you who just walk your dog, have you looked into the world of possibility of dog sports and activities you can get involved with, with your very own dog?

Now there is a world out there of activities that you can only know about and find venues through research. So let me tell you about the ones we have tried! We currently have 5 dogs at home, and i have tried a range of these activities with all of the dogs. We have cross breeds, mutts and full pedigree dalmatians; so the range in ability is really there!

To start off strong!

AGILITY - This is one i have tried with all of my dogs except our new puppy (he is currently too young to properly participate). I got into agility after realising that Woody wasn't much of an obedience dog, he wasn't interested in your KC/crufts obedience style classes and he got bored very quickly. So once he became a year old we tried out agility. He smashed it, not only did it physically stimulate him but it mentally stimulated him. It built our relationship and our bond, he listened to me more and was focused. Its a fast pace sport, sometimes you're only on the course for 30 seconds when they get good at it but its great fun. Whether you're on a steeplechase course (jumps and tunnels only) or an agility course (the full shebang) its a rush of fun for both you and your dog. This is a sport for those dogs who may struggle to focus on a stricter task such as obedience. It is suitable for all sized dogs, large or small and they can participate from one year old.

HOOPERS - Now hoopers wasn't for Woody. After 5 years of agility we attempted hoopers as a change. Hoopers is about skill and precision, and the dog listening to you. For Woody, hoopers wasn't fast paced enough and it allowed him to over think and not listen. It is a great alternative for those who cant manage the jumps or some of the agility equipment, but still want something more fast paced and exciting than obedience. Again this activity is suitable for all breeds and sizes of dog!

OBEDIENCE - As i've previously mentioned obedience class wasn't for Woody. However we do work on obedience in every day life, we just don't subject Woody to an hour of obedience training. Some dogs will absolutely excel at obedience as it suits their drive, we just needed something more fast pace. HOWEVER i do count trick training under some obedience, and my dogs love trick training! Our favourite is 'Bow'. Obedience is a great skill for your dog to have, and being able to follow out obedience cues while out and about is even better. I would still recommend that everyone tries obedience at some point. Again this activity is suitable for all breeds and sizes of dog!

SCENTWORK - This is slowly but surely becoming a favourite for us. Unfortunately Woody does have a long term issue with his back which means that agility is no longer a weekly option for us. Scentwork is a skill that EVERY dog; any age, any breed, any size, can have! We have recently done some scentwork training and Woody took to it like a duck to water. It allows him to concentrate, use his nose to find things. But constantly keep it interesting! Whether its finding a scent or a toy, it is adaptable for every dog! Bucky (our puppy) is already showing signs of having a strong nose, so we will definitely be introducing him properly to scentwork when hes older. While you can introduce puppies to at home scentwork its recommended when introducing them to a scent that you wait until they're 6 months old.

MANTRAILING - Mantrailing is essentially scentwork to find humans! In a group session you have a human who runs away down a trail, and a couple of minutes later its down to the dog to go and find them. Its the perfect mix of concentration and movement, this will definitely work your dog both physically and mentally. We have tried Woody with mantrailing, and he loves it, but with him being a reactive dog it can be hard to do it as we cannot ensure no other dogs are going to be on the trail. However it is something we will try with Bucky when hes older. The beauty of mantrailing is that you dont have to let your dog off lead, while its great if they can and they have good recall, you can just follow your dogs 'lead' while still holding onto them. Once again another activity which is suitable for all sizes and breeds.

Some other activities you can try without commitment are running, canicross, swimming, hiking, paddleboarding. There are so many things out there!