TAKE IT FURTHER
GETTING INVOLVED IN DOG SPORTS
GETTING INVOLVED IN DOG SPORTS
Interested in getting more involved in a canine sport? Whether you want to participate recreationally or competitively, this chapter will point you in the right direction. The resources at the end of this book provide useful websites for all of the sports mentioned.
AGILITY
These days, there are myriad ways to get more involved in agility. Most dog-training facilities offer an agility-for-fun class. If you would like to get involved in competitive agility, search for clubs in your area that offer classes and host trials. You can search for local clubs online via numerous organizations: AKC, USDAA, UK Agility International (UKI), Canine Performance Events, Inc. (CPE), and the North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC). Online schools, such as OneMind Dogs, Agility University, and Dog Sport University, bring agility workshops and courses straight to you. As described in Chapter 7, you don’t necessarily need a lot of equipment to get started.
The agility course tests a dog’s speed, balance, and accuracy.
Even if you’re just looking for a recreational class, keep safety in mind. For instance, on what flooring does the class take place? Avoid hard or slippery surfaces, such as concrete. How old is your dog? A young dog can still participate, but if his growth plates have not closed yet, he should not be jumping higher than his hocks, nor should he be doing much weaving. Likewise, don’t push your older dog to jump higher than he’s able.
Look for instructors who have, or whose students have, attained the types of goals you’ve set for yourself. It’s best to begin with a foundation class, which may not even involve any obstacles. The importance of flatwork (that is, training that occurs without the dog leaving the ground) is an often-overlooked but vital component for future success.
Regardless of the program you choose, training in agility is a great way to participate in an activity that engages both you and your dog physically and mentally.
DOCK DIVING
Dock diving is a sport tailor-made for dogs that love water. While it may be a challenge to find a facility that offers it, a lot of the practice doesn’t require an actual dock. Multiple-time national finalist Lindsay Hill says, “Teaching my dog how to swim and building a love for water, conditioning my dog so that he is physically fit to jump and swim, and increasing toy drive are all skills that can be taught away from the dock. If you’re unsure if your dog will make the leap from dock to water in a dock-diving pool, try getting your dog acclimated to this in natural water first.”
Your dog may make a splash in the sport of dock diving!
If you’d like to pursue dock diving further, Lindsay advises you to “search the national organizations that sanction dock diving events to find a club more local to you where you can attend training sessions to get your team more acclimated to working on the dock.” Those organizations include DockDogs, North America Diving Dogs, and Ultimate Air Dogs.
FREESTYLE
Canine freestyle is one of the most fascinating sports to watch, as the handlers often create routines that are not only technically impressive but also imaginative and heartwarming. If you’d like to delve deeper into freestyle, you may be able to find a local instructor to guide you in a private lesson, group lesson, or seminar. Check the resources at the end of this book; some of the titling organizations have training clubs throughout the country. Online courses are also an option, as little equipment is needed to get started.
Many of the organizations allow members to compete either live or by video submission. The video option “allows all types of dogs (and people) that get too nervous in new places or in front of people the opportunity to have an outlet for competition,” says trainer and competitor Beverly Blanchard, KPA, of Periwinkle Dog Training. She also notes that video submission is appropriate for dog-reactive dogs or those who can’t attend competitions in person. On the other hand, she says, “Live venues give you the opportunity to have you and your dog play off of a live audience as well as have the camaraderie of others who participate in this fun sport supporting you. Most freestylers participate in both live and video events because once you prepare a routine that is ready for competition, it is beneficial to have options in more than one or two live competitions in your area annually.”
Canine freestyle is dancing fun for dog, handler, and audience.
Both parkour and agility involve obstacles that teach balance and focus.
PARKOUR
Parkour differs from the other dog sports in that, while you can earn titles, there are no trials. There are two titling organizations: the International Dog Parkour Association (IDPKA) and All Dogs Parkour (ADP). The exercises in this book are based on ADP, which has a wider variety of exercises from which to choose and allows modifications for senior or disabled dogs.
To get more involved in the sport, Jude Azaren, ADP’s founder, says, “The best way for you and your dog to learn about parkour is by taking classes. You will learn how to keep your dog confident and safe as well as how to teach the parkour exercises to your dog.” Jude emphasizes making sure that the instructor is qualified and focuses on safety. “If you don’t find competent instruction near home, online parkour courses are a great choice… You work at your own pace and attend class when it is convenient for you.” Poised for Success Freestyle offers several online classes in both IDPKA and ADP, and Fenzi Dog Sports Academy offers an online class in IDPKA.
You can take your parkour practice a step further by earning titles. Jude explains, “Both IDPKA and ADP offer their titles through video submission. Teams are awarded titles based on their accurate and safe demonstration of various parkour exercises.” There are several advantages to titling by video. “Each exercise is [recorded] separately, usually taking fewer than fifteen seconds to complete. Exercises may be [recorded] on different days, making it easy to do as much or as little as time permits on a particular day. You can take multiple videos until you are satisfied with the performance of each exercise. When you have videos of all the exercises you need, you put them on YouTube and submit your entry for judging.”
RALLY
Rally obedience is a rewarding activity for dogs young and old. To find classes in your area, try searching the AKC and World Cynosport Rally (WCRL) websites, which list training clubs by area. As it grows in popularity, you’ll find that rally is being offered at more and more training facilities. Since rally requires minimal equipment, it also lends itself to an online class format, such as those at Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.
To get familiar with what a rally course entails at each level, the two main titling organizations, the AKC and WCRL, have YouTube channels with videos that demonstrate all of the exercises. (Though generally similar, the rules and requirements of these two organizations differ at times.) You can also drop in to watch a rally trial in your area to familiarize yourself with the courses, the trial atmosphere, and the level of the competitors. As with all sports, you’ll find a mix of seasoned professionals, anxious newcomers, and everything in between at most local trials. The AKC and WCRL websites list upcoming trials in each state. And if you are interested in earning titles in rally but aren’t able to attend trials in person, not to worry! Cyber Rally-O is an organization that allows you to earn titles from home by recording and submitting your runs. (See the section on parkour in this chapter to learn more about how that works.)
SCENT WORK
If you’d like to build your dog’s scent work skills, you have lots of options. All of the suggestions in this section come compliments of judge and instructor Dianna Santos. If you’re looking for in-person training, “work with a CNWI instructor through the founding organization, NACSW [National Association of Canine Scent Work]. These instructors complete an intensive program where they learn all the tools necessary to help you and your dog on your scent work journey.” Scent work also lends itself to being learned online, through schools such as Scent Work University, which offers numerous classes for both skill building and trial preparation, and Fenzi Dog Sport Academy. There are also in-person and online seminars, plus NACSW Nose Work Camp, “a week-long engrossing experience where you and your dog will focus on all things scent work.”
If you’d like to trial, there are several organizations: NACSW, United Kennel Club (UKC), United States Canine Scent Sports (USCSS), AKC, and others. Dianna recommends volunteering for as many scent work organizations as you can. “This will help you see how that specific trialing organization works, [and] what you and your dog would be expected to do at a trial…volunteering can simply be an excellent learning experience.” Then it’s time to “train, train, and train some more!” She emphasizes taking your time and enjoying the journey, as rushing to grab titles at the lower levels can catch up with you at the upper levels. “Titles and ribbons are wonderful, but the fact that you get to spend time with your dog and create memories is the most important part.”
Scent work is unique because it has applications not only as a sport but also as a canine “job.” As Dianna explains, “Professional detection dogs are used in a variety of capacities, including with police forces (finding contraband, weapons, explosives, and fugitives), the military (finding explosives), and search and rescue teams (locating victims of natural disasters or assisting police departments in working homicides or cold cases). There are teams who are contracted by hotels and private citizens in detecting bed bugs. One of the most exciting fronts is in the medical field, where research is underway to use dogs to help in the detection of a variety of diseases, such as cancer. Some dogs are even used to detect if gluten is in certain types of food. Basically, if it has an odor, it may be possible to train a dog to find it and help society at large!”
With scenting ability thousands of times stronger than that of humans, all dogs are candidates for scent work.
