Dog Sports Fun For All Breeds
What does your dog excel at? Perhaps you have a ball obsessed Retriever, a Yorkie that can dig holes faster than any power tool, or a Beagle that spends hours sniffing.
Dogs were bred with purpose, so it’s important to provide them with opportunities which encourage their natural instincts and inclinations. While food puzzles are an excellent source of enrichment, they are not the only way you can enhance your dog’s life. Whether you have high-energy pro athlete like pup or a low to medium energy 4-legged weekend warrior, there is a dog sport for you.
Born to Swim
Dock diving is the perfect activity for you to try when you own a dog that loves water. In dock diving your pup jumps off a platform and splashes into a pool of water. Competitions are held locally and nationally with judging criteria for speed, distance or height. The sport is so entertaining that ESPN even shows the national competitions each year.
Digging Dogs
Digging is an instinctual behavior. Rather than trying to stop your dog from this behavior, embrace it. Build your dog their very own sandbox. By teaching your dog to dig in their designated space, you save your yard from the landmine maze of holes, your ankles will remain injury free, and your pooch can practice what they born to do.
Ball Obsessed
If you dog is constantly dropping balls at your feet, flyball might be the sport for you. Think of flyball as a high intensity game of catch. Your dog runs down the path, as fast as they can, jumps over hurdles; retrieves a ball, then runs back, tagging the next dog until all 4 dogs have completed the run. Flyball is for dogs of all sizes because the hurdles are adjusted to accommodate the shortest dog on the team. Yay, finally a sport for us shorties!
Sniff It Out
Got a dog with a nose for smells? In nosework or scent detection the dogs are trained to search a specific scent like birch, anise, clove or cypress and when they locate it, they signal to let their handler know. What’s perfect about scent work is any dog can participate; all they need to do is follow their nose. Scent work is ideal for senior dogs, dogs with physical limitations and shy dogs because it helps them build confidence.
Get Out and Play
But wait, there are even more dog sports to explore -- agility, herding trails, lure coursing, rally, disc (frisbee), parkour and canine freestyle (dancing with you dog). For sure, finding the right sporty activity depends on your interests as well as your dogs.
Dog sports are a terrific way to tap into your dog’s need for speed, get you moving and experience something new together!
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P.S. Pictured on the main page is my dog Chip, an ACD, at his first herding lesson. While Chip did his job with the sheep, he remains in the human equivalent of Little League.
