Dogs are active animals that thrive with stimulation, exercise and challenge, making them great competitors in the sports field. But there’s a whole raft of dog sports out there, some found in more traditional dog shows, others popular in agricultural settings, and a few that are less conventional – but nonetheless hugely entertaining.
If you’ve got a well-trained pup who has boundless energy, these are some of the dog sports for you to consider. Just make sure they enjoy it as well as you
Dog sports
Agility
Agility is one of the most entertaining dog sports to watch, with dazzling displays of athleticism, leaping over hurdles and weaving around poles. Agility involves dogs and their handlers running a course consisting of jumps, tunnels, seesaws and other equipment. Interested? The best dog breeds for agility have lightning-fast reflexes and strong work ethics.
Flyball
Flyball is a fast-paced relay sport for teams of dogs. Each dog runs from the start to finish line over a series of hurdles to a box that releases a tennis ball. The dog releases the ball and returns to their handlers, before the next dog begins.
Heelwork to music
It’s like the dressage of the dog world. Heelwork to music is thoroughly entertaining – and often rather amusing too, with dogs and handlers working together to perform choreographed routines. It’s a showcase of a dog’s obedience, training and – most importantly – costume choice.
Obedience
Obedience trials see dogs execute a set of tasks under the instruction of their handlers. This includes heelwork, recall, retrieval, sendaway, scent discrimination exercises and distant control.
Sheepdog trials
Many dog breeds have been bred as herding dogs. Sheepdog trials are a test of the working abilities of these breeds as they move sheep around a field and through fences. Their success will depend on the points they score and have deducted throughout the trial.
Schutzhund
Translated from the German for “protection dog”, Schutzhund is a dog sport known competitively as IGP (previously IPO) which tests a working dog’s tracking, obedience and protection skills. It was developed in early-1900s Germany as a suitability test for working German shepherds, but it has been rolled out to all five of the German protection breeds: boxer, Dobermann, giant schnauzer and Rottweiler.
These days, any breed can participate in the sport, but it tends to be dominated by German shepherds and Belgian shepherds (some of the bravest dog breeds in the world).
Dock diving
Water-loving breeds inevitably excel at dock diving – a sport where dogs jump from a dock into a body of water – as they are able to reach great distances and heights, and are comfortable in and around water. Northamptonshire has the UK’s only competition-size dock diving pool, with areas for dogs to practise the three main types of dock diving competition: big air, extreme vertical and speed retrieve.
Racing
You’ve most likely heard of greyhound racing, but greyhounds are far from the only breed that enjoy a race: dachshund, terrier and sled-dog racing are also common sports. Find out more about the fastest dog breeds here.
Mushing
The French coined the term “mushing”, taken from the word “marche”, meaning “to walk”. It was a command used by French explorers in Canada, who would instruct their dog teams to proceed. These days, mushing is a sport that combines carting and weight pulling, with dogs pulling their handlers in sleds or carts.
Top image: Dachshunds prepare to leave the starting gate at a race in Florida (credit: Getty Images)
