Story by Heidi Dahms Foster
Today, those who enjoy activities with their dog have an ever-increasing number of activities to choose from. Many of those are available locally or within a reasonable drive from the Quad Cities area.
Dog activities have several beneficial side effects: training and competing translates to quality time spent with your dog, which improves your bond; and participation in dog activities keeps your and your dog active, thus healthier.
You can find fulfilling activities that fit both you and your dog’s activity level, physical abilities and aptitudes. Most organized dog sport events welcome both purebred and mixed breed competitors, and many can be adapted to physical disabilities. Whatever activity you choose, you can enjoy being out, getting exercise, meeting new people, and enhancing your relationship with your pet.
Most activities in the Quad City area are facilitated by clubs, whether generic or single breed registries. Some may require a tracking number to compete, which can be obtained for a small one-time fee. Some of the clubs offer training and practices. It’s a great time to try something new, so check out some of these opportunities available in our area.
Agility: Agility is essentially a timed obstacle course for you and your dog, that becomes more complicated as levels advance. While you may have seen some spectacular runs on television during national competitions and said, “I can’t do that!” agility is obtainable for all levels. While it certainly is a physical sport for both handler and dog, handlers can adjust. Handlers have even learned to direct their dogs from a scooter, or with minimal movement. This requires training the dog to take direction from a distance, and many do it phenomenally well. Adjustments in time and obstacles are also made for more senior dogs and handlers. Whether your challenge is to simply make it through a course within the time limit, or to compete at the highest levels, it’s all great fun, and a great run is a thing of beauty.
Obedience: Long a staple of trainers who want to enjoy a little competition, obedience is still a great test of your handler/dog relationship. Obedience is a stepping stone to so many other sports, because control of your dog is crucial not only for success and safety in daily life, but even more so in activities where your dog will be off leash, and often in unfamiliar areas. Obedience titles can be earned at the levels from the beginning Companion Dog to the upper levels of Utility, where a dog must perform scent work and directed work away from the handler.
Rally Obedience: This wildly popular sport is a wonderful challenge for dogs and owners. In traditional obedience trials, the dog/handler team completes a standard course at the judge’s direction, with the only interaction between dog and handler the initial command at the beginning of each exercise. In Rally Obedience, each trial is made up of a timed course of signs. The team is given a signal to begin, and the handler/dog completes the course on their own. In all but the most advanced levels, the handler may talk to the dog and use hand signals to help things along. The courses offer fun interaction with your dog and a great sense of accomplishment at mastering the varying courses and the dog/handler relationship needed to complete the Rally levels.
Dock Diving: This sport is becoming more popular throughout the U.S. In dock diving, your dog waits on a 40-foot dock. You throw his toy, and on command he runs, leaps off the dock and into a specialized pool, and retrieves his toy. The goal is to have the longest jump, and like most dog sports, there are beginner through advanced classes. As your dog advances, there are other classes such as air retrieve, where your dog must jump and retrieve or remove a bumper above the dock. For more information about this relatively new sport, search dock diving on AKC.org or visit NorthAmerica DivingDogs.com.
Barn Hunt: Barn Hunt is another dog sport that is becoming ever more popular. In Barn Hunt, dogs of all breeds hunt rats (protected in strong, aerated PVC tubes) in a maze of straw bales. The dog must find the hidden rats, indicate the find, and the handler must “call” the find. The real challenge is that every dog indicates a find differently and handlers must learn to read that individual dog. In each level, the dog must also complete a tunnel and a “climb” on one or more bales. Like most dog sports, there are a number of levels, with added rats and course challenges. Barn hunt rats are most often pampered pets of the sport enthusiasts and rules for their care, handling and protection are strict. While Barn Hunt is not currently available in the Quad City area, there is a working club in Casa Grande. Visit them at CasaGrandeBarnHunt.com or BarnHunt.com.
Two relatively new dog sports include Scent Work and Trick Dog, both American Kennel Club events that are open to mixed breed dogs with a tracking number as well.
AKC asserts that dogs have a sense of smell that’s between 10,000 and 100,000 times more acute than humans. In Scent Work, neither the dog nor the handler knows where the “target,” the odor, is hidden. The handler must trust the dog to find the scent and indicate the find.
(Please go to PrescottDog.com for the rest of the story, and contact info on local dog sports & competitions.)
