Top 15 Dog Sports: Canine Sports & Activities Fido Can Try
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The complete guide to the most popular dog sports to help keep your dogs physically and mentally healthy and active. Whether you are a dog parent looking to take up a canine sport for fun or to compete in major dog sports competitions and events, this guide will help you decide which sport is the best fit for you and your pup. Below are the most common canine sports and competitions and the dog sports equipment you will need to get started.
What Are Dog Sports?
Dog sports (or canine sports) usually involve competitive physical activity or mental stimulation through casual or organized participation. The aim is to maintain or improve physical ability, skills, and bonding while entertaining both dogs, their owners, and sometimes spectators. Training the dog is necessary, but the owner’s abilities are just as important. The owner needs to be a pack leader, able to teach their dog new skills and compete alongside them. Any breed and almost any kind of dog can participate in canine sports.
How to Get Started In Dog Sports
Joining a local dog sports club or finding a reputable trainer can provide valuable guidance and support. Look for a local team or AKC club to help guide you with the first steps. These clubs often offer classes for beginners, where you can learn the basics and meet other dog owners who share your interests. Experienced trainers can provide personalized advice and help you and your dog improve your skills. You can also start practicing recreationally for fun. Learn the basics at home through online courses or guides you can purchase online.
Top Reasons to Practice Dog Sports
Below are some top reasons you and your dog should practice a dog sport.
Types of Dog Sports
There are many different sports we can try with our dogs. Here is a list of all dog sports by category.
| Herding Sports | Obedience Sports | Protection Sports | Mushing or Pulling Sports | Racing Sports | Tracking & Hunting sports | Water Sports | Other Sports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheep dog trial | Freestyle heeling (Heelwork to music) | Schutzhund (also known as IPO and IGP) | Bikejoring | Dachshund racing | Earth Dog Trials | Dock Jumping | Agility |
| Herding (Stock Dog) | Musical canine freestyle | Belgian Ring Sport ( NVBK, KMSH, and KCB) | Canicross | Greyhound jockey | Field Trials | Water Rescue | Catchball |
| Treibball | Obedience trial | Campagne | Carting | Greyhound & Whippet racing | Hare Coursing | Water Trials | Conformation Showing |
| Rally obedience | Dutch KNPV | Dog scootering | Sighthound racing | Hound Trailing | Dog surfing | Disc Dog | |
| French Ring Sport | Mushing | Jack Russell Terrier racing | Lure Coursing | Flyball | |||
| German Schutzhund | Skijoring | Sled Dog Racing | Nose work | Junior Showmanship | |||
| K9 Pro Sports | Sled dog racing | Terrier Racing | Retrieving Trials | Sighthound Disc Sport | |||
| Mondio Ring Sport | Weight pulling | Skip Dog |
Most Popular Dog Sports List
Let’s look at the most common (and not-so-common) canine sports you can practice now. Whether looking for small, medium, or large dog sports, this list will help you pick the right one for competitive and fun purposes.
Doga
Do you want to have a more balanced dog? Doga (Dog + Yoga) is a trend that has emerged in the United States and is an excellent choice for getting exercise in the company of your pet while improving its welfare in a healthy and fun way. This discipline is spreading quickly across the globe. Doga aims to achieve a deep connection with your dog and a profound state of relaxation. Some of the postures used in traditional yoga are the same as in Doga; however, others are adapted to be performed together with our dogs. Soft music usually accompanies the sessions to provide peace and tranquility. Among the advantages of practicing Doga are muscle relaxation and the tranquility of synchronized breathing for both the dog and the owner. Just like regular yoga, it may help improve circulation and flexibility in dogs while enhancing their concentration and obedience, strengthening the bond between the owner and the dog. Practicing Doga with your dog is a remarkable method that may reduce dogs’ anxiety, stress, and hyperactivity issues.
Dog Dancing
Another excellent dog sport to practice with your furry friend is dog dancing. Dancing with your four-legged friend is not about grabbing your dog from her front legs and going around the living room but creating a choreographic dance in which your pet and you dance to the song’s rhythm with perfectly timed dance moves and synchronized tricks. Dog dancing (freestyle dog dancing) originated in the early 1990s when dog obedience trainer Mary Ray demonstrated “heelwork to music” at Crufts, a popular dog show held annually in the UK. The sport was born to introduce more creative elements in the “dog obedience” exercise category. Today, there are tournaments of “Dog Dancing” nationally and internationally. Generally, people enjoy dancing to music, and dogs love to move around; thus, “dog-dancing” is a creative way to combine these two aspects. Usually, results come pretty quickly. You might need to train your dog for many years to mount a perfect choreography, but the first successes can be obtained relatively soon. Are you ready to choreograph some dance moves with your pooch? If so, the average duration should usually be 2 to 5 minutes.
Disc Dog
Disc Dog may be one of the most popular sports for dogs. Disc Dog (also known as dog frisbee) is a sport or recreational activity in which the owner/handler throws a disc, the dog catches it and then returns it. Sounds simple, right? On a recreational level, it is. However, if played as a competitive dog sport, it can get challenging. Judges evaluate the dog’s athletic ability during the chase, speed, resistance, jumping ability, control in the air, and landings. Scoring also considers the creativity and skills of the disc thrower and how the team works together to present a routine that flows naturally. The dog’s catch ratio is another critical factor in determining the winner. Despite the competitive challenges, the sport is straightforward to practice. You only need a frisbee to train your dog for the next big disc dog competition. However, it takes a lot of practice to compete at a professional level. Remember that not all dog breeds are natural acrobats—imagine a cute little pug doing disc dog, and you’ll understand what I mean.
Bikejoring (or Dog Biking)
Bikejoring is a discipline that belongs to dog mushing, the sport or transport method powered by dogs. You can practice this canine sport for recreation or competitively. Bikejoring involves riding a bike with your dog(s) pulling you, also known as dog-powered mountain biking. This sport requires a harnessed dog or a team of dogs attached to a towline to pull and run ahead of a cyclist. It involves speed and demands excellent control over your dog and discipline. Those who have tried bikejoring say it is an exhilarating sport, although it’s more dangerous than other canine sports due to its nature. Safety gear such as a helmet and goggles is essential for practice. Not all dogs are a good fit for this sport. Dog breeds that enjoy running and are naturally athletic, fit, powerful, and strong make great candidates.
Dog Swimming
Have you ever seen your dog splash in a river, lake, or pool? While dogs may not look like fish in the water, with the proper training, your pet could become a great swimmer and improve their overall health and fitness. Swimming for dogs is one of the most beneficial dog sports. It allows them to develop muscle mass and promote better cardiovascular and respiratory health without the impact and damage that exercising on land can cause. The water’s resistance makes dogs use double the effort compared to walking or running. Almost any dog breed can practice this sport regardless of age and size. However, while some breeds seem to know how to swim almost instinctively, other dogs, like short-legged or short-snouted breeds, may struggle in the water.
Dog Agility
Dog agility is one of the most popular dog sports. You have probably seen it on TV! It’s essentially a canine obstacle course where your dog must follow the owner’s verbal and sound cues and gestures to overcome the obstacles in the shortest time possible with the fewest mistakes. Dog agility is a dynamic sport that challenges a dog’s intelligence through courses designed to test the dog’s athleticism and the owner’s ability to direct the dog to the finish line. When practicing this sport, the dog must complete obstacles such as weave poles, dog walks, standard jumps, pause tables, tunnels, tire jumps, teeter boards, and other elements. Practicing dog agility with your hound is a fun way to get exercise and improve your dog’s concentration, obedience, discipline, and dexterity. If you have enough space at home, such as a small garden, you can create a mini obstacle course and challenge yourself and your dog to finish it.
Canicross
If you love to run and have a dog, Canicross is probably the dog sport for you. Canicross is a hybrid sport combining elements of cross-country running and dog sled racing. It’s not exactly running alongside your dog; in this sport, the dog is attached to your waist with a bungee leash, with the dog out front pulling the runner along. This discipline has grown considerably among dog owners in Europe. Generally, it’s practiced off-road, with woodland parks and forestry trails being the best places to run with your dog. Snow is another suitable terrain for practice. Most breeds could technically participate, although some dogs make better-running companions than others. If your dog is not built to run or generate enough power to propel you forward, it will be more like just walking your dog in a harness. This sport is relatively cheap to practice.
Dock Jumping (Dock Diving)
Dock jumping, also known as dock diving, is a dog sport where dogs compete to see who can jump the longest distance or height from a dock into a body of water. Dock jumping is an exciting canine sport growing in popularity in Great Britain and the United States. It’s on the list of dog sports regulated by the United Kennel Club (UKC) under the title “Ultimate Air Dogs.” The American Kennel Club also recognizes the sport. There are two types of dock jumping competitions: Ultimate Air Jumping and Vertical Jump. Ultimate Air Jumping is the traditional competition where your dog runs and jumps into a pool or lake after you toss your dog’s favorite toy. The dog that jumps the furthest wins the match. On the other hand, the Ultimate Vertical (a newer version of the sport) is a form of a high jump in which dogs jump to reach a toy suspended mid-air at a predetermined height. The winner is the dog that can retrieve the toy at its highest position.
Flyball
Flyball, also known as catchball, is a dog team sport played in relays. It became famous as a sport in America in the early ’70s and debuted in the United Kingdom at Crufts in 1990. Flyball is a fun and energetic sport for very active dogs. It starts with two teams of four dogs each. One dog from each team must perform an obstacle course until it reaches the “flyball box,” where the dog presses on a device to release a tennis ball. The dog must then catch the ball and return it to its handler. Once this process is completed, the second dog from each team is released, and so on. To win, the team must have all four dogs complete the course before the other teams.
Dog Herding
Dog herding is an entertaining and enjoyable dog sport. Whether you are involved in farming or ranching or want to explore your dog’s herding abilities, this canine sport may be the right fit. It consists of demonstrating your dog’s herding skills by herding livestock, simulating actual herding conditions, or creating new herding scenarios to make the competition more memorable and exciting. The dog must follow the instructions of its handler and move the herd around a field, through fences, gates, enclosures, or even an obstacle course. Typically, sheep, ducks, or cattle are used in the sport. The sport arose around 1800 in New Zealand. Initially, farmers practiced it to see who had the best herding dogs, but it eventually became a formal canine sport and spread worldwide.
Lure Coursing
If your dog is the type that bolts outside, runs as fast as he can after a squirrel, or likes to chase things, this is the perfect dog sport for him. In this sport, dogs chase a mechanically operated lure that simulates prey. The lure is made of a white plastic bag tied to a movable line positioned slightly above the ground. The lure operator moves the lure in a pattern to simulate live coursing, ensuring it runs fast enough ahead of the dog to incite the chase. A typical lure course in the United States is between 600 and 1,000 yards (550 and 910 meters) long.
Dog Conformation
While it may seem like a beauty pageant, dog conformation is not. In this sport, dogs are ranked by how closely they conform to their breed standard. Your dog is examined from every angle, including the structure of the legs, paws, shoulders, and spine and their relative proportions to one another. This is a very competitive and demanding sport. Even though owners can’t alter a dog’s genetics, they and their dogs must work hard to strengthen and develop weak areas. Why? Because the closer the dog matches its breed’s standard, the more chances it has to win and produce puppies that meet the standard. Mixed breeds and spayed or neutered purebreds are ineligible to compete in conformation.
Rally Obedience (Rally-O)
This is a fun canine sport that combines classical obedience training with agility training. It involves guiding your dog through a course of 10-20 signs, depending on the class level, where they perform commands ranging from basic to advanced (e.g., sit, stay, come), turns (90°, 180°, 270°, 360°), jumps, slaloms/spirals, and other exercises. During practice, you’ll learn that this sport is about giving your dog the right motivation to perform the correct command at the right time. Rally Obedience, or Rally-O, is a sport any dog can practice. The key to success is properly training your dog to respond to all your commands and learning how to sync your pace with your dog’s. Unlike other sports, speed is not as important; the real core of Rally-O is how well the dog and handler communicate.
Dog Surfing
We love to surf here at Canine Bible. It’s one of the most fantastic dog sports in our book. Dog surfing is a sport where owners train their dogs to surf on surfboards, skimboards, bodyboards, windsurf boards, or bodysurf. This dog sport has been documented as early as the 1920s in the United States, and competitions occur in various coastal areas. Dogs are generally judged on factors such as the ride’s length, the wave’s size, and style, with maneuvers and tricks being a bonus.
Which Dog Sport Should You Pick?
Whichever dog sport you choose to practice with your canine companion, it is essential to remember that it is about creating a fun and rewarding experience for both owner and dog. If your chosen sport makes your dog unhappy, stop and look for other alternatives. Boating might not be considered a dog sport, but if you frequently take your dog on your boat, a dog boat ramp can make a difference for both of you.
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