Try A New Sport with Your Dog
Staying active is key to maintaining your health, as well as your four-legged partners. All dogs need to exercise but most of them will thrive with activity that is both mentally and physically stimulating. There are numerous options when it comes to dog sports and recreational activities. Before you start more challenging games, make sure to consult your veterinarian. Below is a collection of high-performance sports that will help your dog thrive.
Agility
Dogs love to go fast whether they are chasing another animal or performing zoomies in the yard. A great way to focus that extra energy and build some excellent skills is agility. In an agility competition, dogs run through a timed obstacle course with their handlers. This fast-paced sport showcases what dogs are capable of because they are required to use their mind and body to achieve the fastest time possible. Any breed is welcome to try it and it is great for dogs that are hungry for new tricks. The fastest recorded dog has been Kelso, a Border Collie, who participated at the Westminster Dog Show in 2014. His time was recorded at 28.44. Think yours could do better? Check your local area for agility classes. It is a great way to release energy and work your pup's brain, while forming a tight bond.
Disc Dogs
From fetch to catching discs, dogs enjoy the chase and the throw. In throwing competitions, dogs and their handlers are judged in various events like distance, accuracy, and freestyle routines. A good handler can properly throw a disc and control the distance as well as the direction. Rules and scoring often vary with each disc dog group, club, or association. High energy dogs make for some of the best disc dogs like Australian Shepherds and Border Collies.
Dock Jumping
Dock Jumping, also called Dock Diving, is a sport for those dogs with extra energy and a love of water. The competing dog attempts to jump a great distance or height over a body of water. Distance jumping or “Ultimate Air” is where the handler throws a toy off the dock for the dog to jump and retrieve. “Ultimate Vertical” is the newer high jump. A bumper is used to determine the height of the jump.
According to the Guinness World Record, a 4-year-old whippet recently leapt an incredible 11.02 meters/36 feet 2 inches at a dock-jumping competition in Santa Rosa, California, USA.
Flyball
If your dog is a fetch master, you may want to get in on the ultimate fetch competition called Flyball. Flyball is a relay sport for dogs that requires four dogs to play. Flyball can be a good way to train your dog and socialize them with others. In this sport, dogs race across hurdles to grab a tennis ball and return to the start line in a relay race. The first team of four to complete the course is the winner. The current record holder is a team called Border Patrol; their time was recorded at 14.433 seconds on June 5, 2016.
Lure Coursing
Lure coursing was developed as an alternative sport to hare coursing. Lure coursing does not require a live animal but instead dogs chase a mechanically operated lure. Dogs compete for time and often, obstacles are used in the courses. This sport is a safe activity to help your dog practice their chasing instincts. You can find out more information about events About the American Sighthound Field Association (ASFA) , the American Kennel Club (AKC) Lure Coursing, and the United Kennel Club (UKC) .
Scent Work
A dog’s nose is roughly one million times more sensitive to a human, according to the AKC. They’ve been using their snouts to follow scents and locate objects for many years, so why not make it a sport? Scent work is a newer sport and handlers do not have control like in so many other dog sports. The dog and handler are not aware of the scent when the game starts and relies completely on the dog’s nose to find the object placed by the official. Dogs are trained to smell essential oils on cotton balls then search them out. Scent work helps dogs do what they do best, and they are always rewarded.
