Why settle for walkies when doggy can do all this?
WALKING the dog is so last century. Nowadays there’s no excuse for your canine companion not to be participating in one of a myriad of activities.
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IF YOU want to be the person your dog thinks you are, why not grab your furry best friend this weekend and head out to explore a world of activities beyond the basic walk around the block.
Dog sports are growing increasingly popular in Queensland, with activities expanding from traditional areas specific to particular breeds, such as agility, obedience, retrieving and tracking, to some newer options that have a firm focus on fun – think jetty jumping, dog dancing and manoeuvring your stand-up paddleboard with Fido on deck.
Helen Mackie, of Dogs Queensland, says there has been a noticeable increase in dog sport enthusiasts, both in Brisbane and at a national level, with events such as the annual All Dogs Sports Spectacular at Durack helping to expose more people to the options available.
“We wanted to expose the dog sports to the world and to let people know you can come along and do these things,” Helen says.
While agility remains the most popular dog sport around, Helen says others like flyball, a dog relay with a ball and hurdles, are quickly growing in popularity.
She says some sports are easier and faster to learn than others, and choosing the most suitable depends largely on the personality and natural drive of the individual dog.
“You don’t need to be a breeder or to have a pedigree dog,” Helen says.
Some breeds, however, are born to be brilliant at a particular sport.
The huskies from Sled Dog Racing Queensland, for example, are among several dog breeds that participate in sledding as well as the growing sports of canicross, bikejor or scooterjor.
Each discipline involves a special harness with a dog trained to pull a person, a mountain bike, kickbike or scooter.
Another popular sport in southeast Queensland is nosework, or scent games – a hide-and-seek activity which builds on a dog’s natural ability to detect a certain scent.
Karen Barrass, of the All Breeds Tracking Club in Cedar Vale, says dogs are taught to track a person who is hiding a distance away, while first finding items left on a track without deviating from the trail or being distracted by farm animals.
“The higher level you are, the more articles there are to find and the more your dog has to indicate,” Karen says.
Once a dog reaches a certain level, they can participate in track and search, which is a more difficult form held in an urban environment rather than in the country.
One of the more challenging sports popular for larger dog breeds such as german shepherds and rottweilers is IPO, previously known as schutzhund, which means “protection dog” in German.
The sport comprises three disciplines and focuses on developing those traits that make dogs more useful and happier companions to their owners.
The first two facets of the sport are obedience and tracking, with the third being protection – or character assessment – in which the dog must show the utmost control and teamwork through engaging and releasing a padded sleeve.
There are different levels with a variety of different challenges to achieve once the three phases are able to be put altogether.
Garry Pitt, of the Brisbane Sporting Dog Club in Nundah, says the sport is challenging but rewarding.
EXPERIENCE THIS
Agility: Agility Dog Association of Australia. Find a club at adaa.com.au or qldagility.com
Backpacking: Competition where dogs carry a backpack with water and food, weighing up to 30 per cent of the dog’s body weight, while hiking a set distance. cleardogtraining.com
Canine disc aka frisbee: Various skill levels where dog catches the disc.
caninediscaustralia.com or pawsitiveconnection.com.au
Dock diving or jetty jumping: Dogs jump from a dock or jetty into water. allpawsparadise.com
Dog dancing: Teach your dog to dance. danceswithdogsclubqld.org or workingdogclubofqld.com/Heelwork-to-Music
Earthdog: Popular with terrier breeds, simulates fox hunting. Dogs learn to go into an underground tunnel to find a scent. facebook.com/QueenslandEarthDogs
Flyball: Like a dog relay with a ball and hurdles. Find a club at flyball.org.au
Herding: Check club list at dogsqueensland.org.au. Other clubs are sheepherdingforcitydogs.com.au or find Shaundar Herding School at Greenbank on Facebook.
IPO, formerly schutzhund: Popular with working lines of german shepherds, belgian malinois, dobermans, rottweilers, etc. Clubs throughout the state. Brisbane clubs: wgsdca.org.au; Gold Coast: schutzhundaustralia.com
Lure coursing: Popular with sighthounds. Dogs chase a mechanical lure in the place of live prey. qldlurecoursing.com.
Nose work aka scent games: Dogs use their nose to find a hidden odour. Similar but fun version of professional sniffer dogs. pawsitiveconnection.com.au or allpawsparadise.com
Obedience: Most dog obedience or training clubs should offer this. There are five competitive levels, from novice to advanced. Dog trick training is also often available.
Rally obedience aka rally-O: Combination of obedience and agility. Most dog obedience clubs will offer.
Retrieving trials and field trials: Popular with gun dog breeds. Using a dog’s natural instinct, they retrieve either a fake bird or a dead pigeon, depending on the club. List of clubs: dogsqueensland.org.au. Other clubs: ssaaqld.org.au/field-and-retrieving or unitedfieldandretrieving.org.au
Sledding, canicross, bikejor, scooterjor: Popular with, but not restricted to, arctic breeds: Sled Dog Racing Qld, facebook.com/SDRQinc or Northern Exposure Gig Racing Club, negrc.org.au
Stand up paddleboard with dogs: SUP Dog Oz: supdogoz.com.au
Tracking: Dogs learn to track a person on a pre-setout track. List of clubs: dogsqueensland.org.au. Other clubs include evergreentrackingdogclub.org and facebook.com/dogsignsdownunder.
Treibball: Dogs collect and drive large exercise balls into a soccer goal. allpawsparadise.com
Weight pulling: Dogs pull a cart loaded with weight a short distance. Popular with bull breeds, sled dog and carting breeds. dogsqueensland.org.au
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