And no, I don’t mean anything kinky!
I mean, is there anyone on the SDMB that competes or even trains in Agility, Flyball, Obedience, Tracking, Herding, Lure Coursing, Go to Ground, Dock Dogs, Disc Dogs, or any of the other things that take up all of your weekends, cash and leave you and your canine muddy, smelly and happy?
(And I still don’t mean anything kinky!)
Just looking for kindred souls; or, if you have questions, I can answer about some of the above sports.
I’ve done a little agility training with my dog. We had a great time until winter came and the agility courses were buried in snow. My husband and I are planning to build some agility obstacles after we move.
It’s a great sport. Lots of fun. Lots of action. And it definitely takes skill. It really improved my dog’s behavior at home, too.
What is a dock dog?
Dog sports look interesting but wouold mix breed dogs be allowed to compete? What about dogs over 7 years old? My 9 year old Rottweiler mix use to be an active escape artist and learn tricks fast. Now he is mellow and not as active. as he use to be.
I’ve run my dog on cattle a little, but I don’t make a big hobby of it, especially now that I no longer have cattle.
But for three months a year, I’m fortunate enough to hunt behind several friends’ packs of hounds, mostly Treeing Walkers, with a Red Bone or a Blue Tick here and there. They’ve suggested that I’d be good at it myself, and someday, I might, but I live in town at the moment, and a pack of hounds is not very neighborly. And yes, they spend all weekend year-round working with them. This year, I’d like to go to some of the field trials to watch that too (they run coon at those.)
BPB Dock dogs are the dogs that compete in distance jumping into water.
All venues but the AKC allow mixed breeds - and there are TONS of venues out there. For agility, for instance, there is also NADAC, CPE, USDAA, TDAA and ASCA. We could trial most weekends around here and never touch an AKC trial!
Older dogs rock - and many venues have “vetrans” classes that give some concessions to the older competitors. Some, like Obedience and Tracking, it really doesn’t matter how old your dog is; there isn’t much of a physical strain. I started my old mixed breed in Flyball at 8 years old, and she ran in competiton until she was 13.
Rally is a great “obedience” sport that isn’t too stressful, and is really fun to train. Besides the AKC competitions, APDT holds Rally trials. It is like Obedience, but you get a different course every time (like agility) and you are able to talk and encourage and guide your dog through the exercises.
CowgirlJules, I completely forgot about hunting - both hounds and retreivers/pointers etc. Oh, and Carting, and Weightpull, while I’m at it! Are there governing/judging bodies that deal with hounds? I’ve always wanted to hear that song, but it wouldn’t go over big around here…
Fetchund, there is a judging body for the field trials, but I have no idea how it works. That’s one of the things I’d like to learn about.
On the actual hunt, the judging is much simpler. And the work is much harder.
Red Stilettos, It seems weird that anybody trains where there aren’t indoor venues - I’ve never lived in a warm climate! All the training schools/clubs around here have indoor facilities for at least half of the year. I’ve got jumps and weaves, but for everything else I go to class.
Both of my dogs learned their long downs by waiting while I walked an agility course - they knew if they were good, they got to RUN!
I think I’m going to be…after my pit bull puppy and I get some mutual grounding in obedience.
First class (humans only) was tonight.
She needs to have an activity and I’m her main man, so I’d love to find something for her.
Sailboat
Our daughter (age nine) was junior handler with our very sweet border collie for a year or so. The two of them did a fun meet at the end of Level Four, and then I was busy with too much school and work, and we gave it up for this past year. I’m not sure if we’ll start up again or not. I met few likeable people in the course of this hobby. The dog, however, who is normally reserved to the point of weirdness for a bc, actually gets barky running the course. 
Gorgonzola, may I ask what venue you were competing in? The people who compete in different venues really are different, and the attitudes on the sidelines can be worlds apart!
Sailboat, Yeah that helps! At least, all the Pits I’ve worked with have been bright, eager to please, and willing to work!
The local parks and recreation dept. sponsors an agility training course. I’m thinking of enrolling Jake, Standard Poodle the Great, as he’s very, very smart and could use the stimulation.
plnnr, just make sure they have an experienced instructor - those first few lessons can be great, or dangerous.
I am planning to when I get my Ripley back. He is a HUGE black lab - field size (a moose).
I feel like I have an unfair advantage, he has been working with the RCMP for the past three years as an explosives detection dog on The Hill so he is excellently trained.
I am trying to figure out what he would be good at, but I know he needs to *work. *
As a MOOSE of a dog, you probably don’t want to go into flyball - it can be hard on the joints for a big dog. Same can be true of agility, unless you are very careful how and where you train.
You’d be surprised - sometimes the dogs with the most training have the hardest time in what must seem to them as an “out of control situation” - dogs running past, barking… but at least, as a sniffer dog, he is used to working away from his handler, and thinking for himself.
I did obedience with the late great Iiko Puppydog Boy (Ibizan Hound). I got into it because I needed more control, and I didn’t realize right away that the class we got into had some serious competitors. Obedience happened pretty much every night at home. I only got to take him to maybe 2 trials. I messed up the trials by being very nervous, which he could sense.
He did not take to lure coursing. The folks who course seem to have a great time, and it’s a serious tailgate type of affair. I don’t think obedience has quite the same vibe.
I always wanted to do lure coursing with my Saluki, but could never find any places near enough to make it feasable. I am sure he would love it. When we go to the dog park, he just runs in circles until he is tuckered out. Sometimes he tries to get other dogs to chase him, but they rarely oblige.
Just out of curiousity, where do you train?
Our dog went to puppy school in Woodbury at Deb Scheinder’s school - and I’m thinking about (once he gets a little older - too much puppy in him yet) putting him into a agility or rally course.
Dangerosa, I teach obedience at TCOTC (off and on) and sometimes take classes there, but for agility I go to Agile Canines(ACTS). They are based out of Stacy, but have some classes in Prior Lake, Golden Valley and at TCOTC. There is a NADAC agility trial at Soccer Blast in Burnsville, July 7&8 that ACTS is putting on… check it out!
I like the Rally classes at TCOTC - we have some really great instructors!
Shera I would love to watch a field full of Salukis run… I can’t imagine anything more graceful.
(Shoot - I can’t type fast enough for the edit window!!!)
11811 -that is really the problem with a lot of the sports. The people take it so seriously, that the dogs get stressed. When everybody takes it as a fun affair, the dogs relax and perform a whole lot better. Sounds like lure coursing folks have the right idea - as long as they are staying sober. I’ve heard of nightmares when alcohol gets overused at events.
It looks like he is running on air. I too wish I could see him run with other dogs like him.