Yesterday, I shared how my husband and I don’t fit into the Southern mold when it comes to our eating habits. The same could be said of our exercise habits. Our first date (almost twenty years ago) was a five-mile run. Two months later, Chris talked me into climbing Half Dome at Yosemite National Park—a steep, 18-mile round-trip hike. If that wasn’t challenging enough, he convinced me to run my first (and only) half marathon with him not long after.
Good thing I like to stay active!
No one can argue that exercise isn’t an important component of a healthy lifestyle. The same is true for dogs. The bigger the dog, the more activity they need—like Beau and Ceron from These Simple Gifts. This can be difficult for those who live in a city, and even more so if your dog is locked up for most of the day while you work.
Sporting or herding dogs especially need more activity for both mental and physical health. Chris had two golden retrievers when we got married—Max and Sky. Every time he went running, they were his loyal companions. Dogs such as these as well as other retrievers and shepherds are bred to work, not lay around in the backyard all day. According to the AKC, dogs need anywhere between 30 minutes to two hours of exercise a day.
What better way to give your dog some of the exercise it needs while including competition and socialization than Dog Sports?
You might be thinking, Sports for dogs? That’s ridiculous! But it’s a great way to bond with your dog along with a little friendly competition. You might want to check in your area for some of these activities.
One of the most popular is Flyball. Each team consists of four dogs that run the race in a relay. The first team to have all four dogs return to their owners/handlers with the ball without errors on the course wins. This is best for medium-sized breeds as the dogs need to be tall enough to trigger the spring-loaded pad at the end of the course that releases the tennis ball.
Another popular activity is Dog Agility. I’d love to do this with Casper, but he’s still a little young. There are certain characteristics that are best suited to agility, and one of them is that they cannot be easily distracted. Casper literally sees squirrels everywhere.
Terriers and retrievers are a good match for this type of activity. They’re not only smart, but they also have a lot of energy and drive. It requires obedience skills, which they can learn while competing. It gives your dog something to focus on and helps them expend excessive energy.
Carting is perfect for large breed dogs such as Saint Bernards, Bernese Mountain dogs, and Mastiffs. In order to pull the carts full of supplies or weights, your dog needs to be physically healthy, coordinated, have a desire to work, and not be easily spooked. It’s also a great way for you to bond with your dog as this requires teamwork.
When our golden retriever, Sky, was young, I practiced Canicross with him and didn’t even know it. Cross-country running with your dog. It started as a way to train dogs for mushing but became a sport all its own. This is best done with dogs who are agile, have great stamina, love running, and have both healthy joints and cardiovascular system.
Of course, you must also have all these qualities for this to work!
Before Chris and I met, he had Chiro, his first golden retriever. Because he worked with Search and Rescue, he decided to train Sky for Tracking Trial. Any breed can take part in this, but some breeds (like hunting dogs and scent hounds) excel. A strong sense of smell is important, as the dogs must use their nose in this activity.
These are only a few of the Dog Sports available. You might also want to check out Disc Dog (which Chris would’ve loved since he was a Frisbee freak in his early days), Rally Obedience, and/or Schutzhund. The last would be perfect for those protection-type dogs like Doberman Pinchers and German Shepherds as the training is similar to that of police dogs.
That’s it for today. Don’t forget to comment below for a chance to win a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Tell us what activity you enjoy with your dog. If you missed Monday’s or Tuesday’s posts, be sure to visit for another chance to win the Amazon Gift Card.
Comments 2
Wow!!! Who knew there were so many Dog Sports??!!
Author
It’s almost as bad as all the activities we have for kids these days. I’m surprised there isn’t any such thing as dog-ballet!