Training and Equipment
Therapy Dogs Training and Equipment Training to be a therapy dog team requires strong basic obedience skills and exposure to a variety of people and environments. The skills your dog … Continue reading
How to get Involved
Therapy Dogs – How to get involved Most therapy dog organizations have a clear set of rules about which dogs can qualify to If you believe your dog is a … Continue reading
Therapy Dogs
Therapy Dogs Therapy dogs are trained to provide attention and affection to people in hospitals, retirement and nursing homes, schools, or anywhere else there are people in need of comfort. … Continue reading
Earthdog Training & Equipment
Earthdog Training & Equipment For Earthdog test and trials, the dog must be familiar with den work and quarry in order to reliably meet the expectations of earthdog tasks. The … Continue reading
Earthdog Trials
Earthdog trials test the working ability and instinct of the small, short-legged terriers. These dogs were bred specifically to track and hunt vermin that live in underground dens, thus Earthdog … Continue reading
Field Trials
Field trials are competitive events for hunting dogs. They are generally organized by kennel clubs or other gun dog organizations. Field trials are a step up from hunt tests – … Continue reading
Tracking
AKC and CKC tracking trials are the competition form of canine search and rescue, and focus on demonstrating the extremely high level of scent capability of dogs. The tests are … Continue reading
Herding Trials
Herding Trials Herding trials and tests are a relatively new addition to the AKC. When launched in 1989, there was already a significant amount of interest and the sport has … Continue reading
Lure Coursing Training & Equipment
Lure Coursing Training & Equipment Lure coursing, like any other dog sport, requires a certain amount of training in order to succeed at trial. Training for lure coursing includes: Basic … Continue reading
Lure Coursing
Lure Coursing Lure coursing is a dog sport that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. The sport was developed as a more civilized version of hare coursing, which is now … Continue reading
Protection Sports
Protection Sports -The Ultimate in Obedience! Protection sports evaluate a dog’s ability to protect both himself and his (or her) handler. The tests and trials of the various protection sports … Continue reading
Bikejoring
Bikejoring – Off-road cycling & your pulling dog! One of the most popular off-season training options for sled dogs and skijoring, bikejoring most closely mimics the speed and style of … Continue reading
Canicross
Canine + Cross Country = Canicross!!! Canicross is cross-country running with dogs – canine plus cross-country equals canicross! The sport originated in Europe as a way to train mushing (sledding) … Continue reading
Cartjoring
Cartjoring Sled dogs on dry land! Cartjoring (or cart pulling) is an age-old canine performance sport, originally used to keep sled dogs conditioned in the off-season. Also called drafting, dogcarting, … Continue reading
Skijoring
Skijoring – Cross-Country Skiing with Your Pulling Dog! Skijoring is a pulling performance sport in which a dog (or team of dogs) assist a cross-country skier. The skier is propelled … Continue reading
Weight Pulling
Weight Pulling – Pumping Iron for Your Dog! Weight pulling is most often utilized as a conditioning program for all different types of performance dogs. Weight pulling combines strength training … Continue reading
Pulling Sports Equipment,Training and Injury Prevention
Pulling Sports Equipment and Training! As with all athletics, it is essential that both you and your dog be prepared before training for pulling sports. Cross-country running, skiing, and long-distance … Continue reading
Pulling Sports
Pulling Sports Pulling sports for dogs spring from the sport of sled dogs – each type of pulling sport started as a way to keep the dogs healthy and fit … Continue reading
Competition Obedience
Obedience Trial Levels & Classes Competition obedience is conducted at three levels: novice, open, and utility. Novice Novice is the entry level of competitive obedience. The exercises to be mastered … Continue reading
Obedience Training
Obedience Skills & Exercises The actions that the dog must perform in obedience, known as exercises, are well-defined by the sanctioning organizations. As the dog progresses from novice to advanced … Continue reading
Obedience Basics
Obedience, including its companion dog sport Rally-O, is the most popular dog sport by participation. It encompasses the basic training that all dogs should have (sit, stay) and raises the … Continue reading
Flyball Basics
Flyball! Flyball is a popular and growing dog sport in which teams of four dogs race in a relay format against other 4-dog teams. It is an exciting sport both … Continue reading
Conformation Shows
Going To The Show Conformation shows are offered throughout the US and Canada (and around the world, for that matter) all year round. These dog shows may be hosted by … Continue reading
Conformations History
The History of Conformation Conformation is the oldest form of dog competition. Developed to find the best breeding stock for a particular type of dog, the standards for each breed … Continue reading
Dock Diving Competitions
Dock Diving Competitions There are a number of sanctioning organizations for dock diving events, and the original DockDogs company is still going strong as well. DockDogs has set the standard … Continue reading
Dock Diving Training
Dock Diving Training and Equipment One of the great features of the dock dog sport is that it requires minimal training and equipment to compete successfully. Still, there are a … Continue reading
Dock Diving Basics
Dock Diving – For Water Loving Dogs! Dock Diving is a relatively new sport in which dogs compete in jumping for distance or height from a dock into a body … Continue reading
What is Agility?
Agility Dog agility is an extremely popular and growing dog sport. The obstacles in agility are not particularly difficult to learn, but can take years for an agility team to … Continue reading
Agility Organizations
Agility Organizations & Links The following organizations sanction agility trials throughout North America and around the world. Each organization establishes its own set of regulations as far as obstacle specifications, … Continue reading
Agility Titles
Agility Championships and Titles Most sanctioning organizations offer a variety of titles that a dog and handler team can earn. The titles are achieved by accruing a certain number of … Continue reading
The Agility Courses and Classes
The Agility Course & How It Works Each agility course is set up differently. Generally, the course judge lays out the course and numbers the obstacles in the order they … Continue reading
Agility Obstacles
The obstacles used in agility trials are regulated by the governing organization. The AKC is careful about setting obstacle requirements to keep both dog and handler safe, so there are … Continue reading
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