Perfect Puppy Activities Guide – Chapter 1 – Competitive Activities (Part 2)
Chapter 1 – Competitive Activities (Part 2)
Flyball
Flyball is a team relay race competition. Four dogs participate on each team. Each dog leaps over hurdles in a lane, and when she reaches the end, steps on a spring-loaded box that launches a ball. She catches the ball and races back over the hurdles. When she crosses the starting line, the next dog on the team takes off. Dogs can earn titles by accumulating points based on their team’s speed, with specific requirements. Flyball is regulated by the North American Flyball Association (NAFA).
Flyball is a great sport for active dogs, especially those who love to play fetch. Although you can teach your puppy to fetch at a young age, you’ll need to wait to participate in flyball until after her bones mature because of the jumping requirements.
How to Get Started
- Get your puppy a full veterinary checkup and explain to your veterinarian that you would like her to participate in flyball.
- Attend a local flyball event. It’s a great spectator sport!
- Start practicing! She may not be able to compete yet, but it doesn’t hurt to start learning and teaching her some of the basics. This will ensure that when her bones have matured enough for the intense exercise, she will be one step ahead.
Flying Disc
Flying disc is a competition in which dogs are judged on how well they catch a flying disc. Some competitions award points for speed, stunts, or even navigating obstacles. It’s a great sport for active dogs. Competition is regulated by organizations including the International Disc Dog Handlers Association (IDDHA) and the Flying Disc Dog Organization (FDDO).
This is a very athletic sport, and you must make sure that your puppy’s body is sound and healthy enough to participate. Although you can familiarize your puppy with a flying disc from a very young age, you should not participate in the sport until she is grown and her bones are mature. The high leaps that dogs achieve to catch the disc require strong spines, hips, knees, and legs for safe landings.
How to Get Started
- Get your puppy a full veterinary checkup and explain to your veterinarian that you would like her to participate in flying disc.
- Attend a local flying disc competition. These are more popular in some areas of the country than others, so you may have to look to find one.
- Start learning the basics!
Obedience
Obedience is a sport in which a dog is judged on her ability to perform a certain set of exercises. Dogs can earn titles by earning passing scores under specific requirements. There are different levels of difficulty. Once a dog and handler earn a title in one level, they can advance to the next level. The sport is regulated by a dog registry. The AKC runs dog obedience competition for purebred dogs, but there are also other registries, such as the United Kennel Club (UKC), that allow mixed-breed dogs to participate.
Puppies as young as six months of age can enter obedience competition, and neutered puppies are also eligible.
How to Get Started
- Train your puppy. Take her to a puppy kindergarten or other reward-based group class.
- Visit obedience trials in your area. You can see all the different levels of competition and become familiar with the different exercises for each level.
- Join your local obedience club. You’ll get tips from people who are active in the sport. You also can volunteer to help with its local obedience trial. By volunteering, you can get a great insider’s look as to how the sport works.
Rally
Rally is a sport in which dog and handler teams compete by following a course of signs in a ring. Each of the signs has a specific exercise that the team must complete before moving on to the next sign. Unlike traditional obedience, which is more formal, rally encourages owners to talk to their dogs throughout the competition.
Rally is regulated by registries. The first registry to launch rally in the United States was the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT). APDT rally allows purebred dogs, mixed-breed dogs, and even dogs with disabilities to participate. You can use food treats in the ring, and there is a category for children to participate in as well. The AKC also offers rally for purebred dogs.
Dogs can earn titles by earning qualified scores under specific requirements. There are different levels of competition. Once a team earns a title at one level, it can move on to the next level.
You can start rally training your puppy at a very young age, but she will have to wait until she is six months old to compete in a rally trial.
How to Get Started
- Visit a local rally trial. Rally is one of the newer sports, so it may not have come to your area yet. But because it emphasizes fun and is less formal than traditional obedience, it is growing in popularity.
- Attend a rally class. Rally classes also are growing in popularity. Some local obedience clubs do both obedience and rally. Even if you don’t have a rally-specific class in your area, take your puppy to a reward-based group class. You’ll see a lot of the exercises that you’ll learn in a regular group class on rally signs in the ring.
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