DOGSPORTS

Long gone are the days when the family dog was taken for their obligatory walks then relegated to the backyard. Today a great many of our dogs are enjoying a new found freedom that has come with the various dogsports that are now readily available for those who care to participate. Whatever your personal tastes or fitness level might be, you will more than likely find a dogsport that will suit both you and your dog. The size or breed of your dog will not, for the most part, stop you from participating. Even those dogsports which have been around for some time and are traditionally associated with a particular breed, such as herding, are open to anyone who wishes to try their hand at it. There are many options, some are already very well known to the general public, and some that are still gaining in popularity. Although many of the available dogsports are not officially recognized by the Canadian Kennel Club, this would only become an issue if you wished to compete for CKC recognized titles.

One of the most well known and popular dog sports today is Agility. While there are many different varieties of Agility, it is basically an obstacle course that is performed in a set order within a specific timeframe. This is a sport that is definitely suited to those who have a high energy level. If you like the speed of Agility, but prefer to physically participate a little less, then a sport like Flyball might be a better fit. Flyball is a competition between two relay teams running at the same time, but they are also racing against the clock.

If you are looking for a something a little different, you can venture into the world of Schutzhund or Tracking. These sports allow you to enjoy the time spent training and competing with your dog, but provide an added bonus in that these skills can often be applied in every day situations. Tracking is a sport where all dogs can excel as every dog knows how to follow a scent. The trick in tracking is to teach him to follow the one you want him to. As an added bonus you can start training for Tracking with a puppy as it is instinctual. Schutzhund focuses on tracking, obedience and protection work. It is meant to measure your dog's mental stability, endurance, structural efficiencies, ability to scent, willingness to work, courage and trainability. Definitely not a sport for everyone, but can be a very rewarding undertaking for both the dog and handler.

The above mentioned dog sports are only a small sample of what is out there for those who are interested in doing more than simply walking their dogs on a regular basis. If you are interested in trying new activities, ones that will serve to strengthen the bond that you have with your dog, the world of dog sports might be exactly what you are looking for. Regardless of what sport you choose to participate in with your dog, you will open a whole new world of experiences for the both of you

 

SPOTLIGHT - KYSHA AND CREW...

HANDLER NAME: Kysha Hunt

BREED: Boxer

DOG(S) NAME:

Ch JEB'S Northern Star CGC, TT, VADC, VAADC "Tegan"

Shadowdale's Follow The Leader ADC "Owen"

Zaracon's Treble Charger AGN.J, SGDC, AGN, ADC "Payton"

SPORT: Agility

Biography:

My name is Kysha Hunt and I live just outside of Ottawa Ontario with my husband and two Boxer dogs. I have been involved with agility for over 10 years. It all started with my second Boxer, Tegan. Tegan (Ch JEB'S Northern Star CGC, TT, VADC, VAADC) was a handful to say the least. Once Tegan achieved her Canadian conformation championship at a young age I needed to get her involved in something. I tried obedience for a while, but once we tried agility we were hooked! Since then I have been training, teaching and competing in agility ever since - and all with my Boxers. In the past I trained and taught at a local agility club. When I got my latest puppy, Payton (in the fall of 2004), a friend encouraged me to enter Payton into the puppy camp at Say Yes Dog Training. I did, figuring it would be a fun thing to do for three days with my young puppy. It was fun for sure, but the methods they use to teach and the emphasis on the dog/human relationship hooked me from day one and I have been training exclusively with Say Yes, under Susan Garrett and Lynda Orton-Hill ever since.

Although Tegan had an early start to agility, a back injury kept her on the side-lines for many years (during those years she was a wonderful therapy dog with the St John's program). Tegan competed for less than one year (starting at 7 years old), and earned her AAC (Agility Association of Canada) Veteran Starters title (VADC), Veteran Advanced title (VAADC), and was one Q away from her Veteran Masters (VMAD) title when she was diagnosed and passed away from bowel cancer a week shy of her 8th birthday. Owen, aka the handsome dude (Shadowdale's Follow The Leader ADC), also competed in Agility and earned his AAC Starters title (ADC). His agility career was cut short due to illness when he was about 3 years old. He is now happy to be at home with his dad on the couch. Owen may not have had the opportunity to shine in agility, but he is a very special guy in my life and had taught me some very valuable lessons along the way.

Payton (Zaracon's Treble Charger AGN.J, SGDC, AGN, ADC ) is my current agility dog. She competed only a few times last year and then was side-lined for about 8 months due to an injury. She is just starting back to competition now on a very limited basis (late 2007). Fingers crossed that 2008 will be our year! In the few trials that she has been to she has earned her CKC Novice Jumpers with Weaves title (AGN.J) and is one Q away from her CKC Novice Standard title (AGN). She has also earned some AAC Starters standard and games Q's along the way too.

Although Boxers are not thought of as a traditional "agility breed", they can and do excel at this sport. There have been MANY laughs along the way and some tears too, but I can't imagine stepping to the line with anything but my beloved Boxers. More often than not we are the only Boxers at an agility trial, but I hope that changes soon as more people try the game with their Boxers - come and join us, it's fun!!!

- Kysha

Note: Additional Agility photos can be found at MuddyPawz.

Detailed information can be found at Canadas Guide To Dogs

  • Agility
  • Backpacking/Hiking
  • Beagling
  • Camping
  • Conformation (Regular and Juniors)
  • Disc Dogs
  • Dive Dogs
  • Draft Dogs/Carting
  • Earth Dogs
  • Flyball
  • Freestyle
  • French Ring
  • Herding/Stock Dogs
  • Hunting With Dogs
  • Lure Coursing
  • Mondio Ring
  • Obedience (Regular and Juniors)
  • Pointing
  • Rally-O
  • Retrieving
  • SAR Dogs
  • Scent Hurdling
  • Schutzhund
  • Scootering
  • Skijoring
  • Sledding
  • Spaniel Field Trials
  • Tracking
  • Travelling With Your Dog
  • Water Rescue

Note: Basic obedience is required prior to participating in most forms of Dogsport.