# Dog sport



## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

We do AKC venue sports including obedience and rally obedience currently. In the past Lily and I have done agility (I can run anymore) and we dabble in tracking.


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

We've competed in agility, obedience, rally and nosework. My older dog also has all the AKC trick dog titles. Her favorite sport is nose work.

What sports are you considering?


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## Johanna (Jun 21, 2017)

Conformation, agility, obedience. I want to try tracking and scent work when our club opens classes again. I really miss seeing everyone, both people and dogs!


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

Parkour, mainly. My GSD and APBT are titled in five different organizations. I hope to title my SPoo puppy when he's old enough.


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## EVpoodle (Sep 25, 2018)

We really like Rally, and are wanting to get into tracking.


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## Liz (Oct 2, 2010)

Mia enjoyed nosework/scentwork, agility, barn hunt, and rally.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Welcome @Beesknees ! I don't know yet, none yet! I'll get my Elroy in 6 days. What's your baby's name?


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## Phaz23 (May 31, 2020)

We’re training for obedience, rally, and agility foundations. All the cool stuff is closed though, can’t wait until the fields and clubs open back up. I think nosework would be a lot of fun when I can find a class.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

We enjoy agility and have done rally foundations which was fun and we might pursue it more. I think each sport helps build a different part of your relationship with your dog. So doing different ones can be fun in different ways.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

My favorite dog sport is Flyball. Followed by dock diving, and agility.


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

Skylar said:


> We've competed in agility, obedience, rally and nosework. My older dog also has all the AKC trick dog titles. Her favorite sport is nose work.
> 
> What sports are you considering?


I’m not sure yet, I wanted to see what some of y’all’s favorites were and what your pups enjoyed


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

Tra


lily cd re said:


> We do AKC venue sports including obedience and rally obedience currently. In the past Lily and I have done agility (I can run anymore) and we dabble in tracking.


Tracking seems like a ball of fun


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

Johanna said:


> Conformation, agility, obedience. I want to try tracking and scent work when our club opens classes again. I really miss seeing everyone, both people and dogs!


Scent work would definitely be my pups favorite


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

TeamHellhound said:


> Parkour, mainly. My GSD and APBT are titled in five different organizations. I hope to title my SPoo puppy when he's old enough.


Wow that’s impressive, I wish you all the luck with your puppy


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

Liz said:


> Mia enjoyed nosework/scentwork, agility, barn hunt, and rally.





94Magna_Tom said:


> Welcome @Beesknees ! I don't know yet, none yet! I'll get my Elroy in 6 days. What's your baby's name?


piper, congrats on the knew pupper


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Ava. said:


> My favorite dog sport is Flyball. Followed by dock diving, and agility.


We tried flyball with Lily and Peeves and quickly decided not to continue. We found it did nothing to promote our bonds with them and it made us really worried over the potential for physical injuries to their shoulders from repetitive stress when they hit the box to release the ball. Lily loved it just because she is obsessed about tennis balls, but I was happy to stop. The woman who ran the training also stopped because her dogs got hurt.


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## Beesknees (Apr 4, 2021)

lily cd re said:


> We tried flyball with Lily and Peeves and quickly decided not to continue. We found it did nothing to promote our bonds with them and it made us really worried over the potential for physical injuries to their shoulders from repetitive stress when they hit the box to release the ball. Lily loved it just because she is obsessed about tennis balls, but I was happy to stop. The woman who ran the training also stopped because her dogs got hurt.


Thank you for the warning, I will cross fly ball off the list


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## Skylar (Jul 29, 2016)

Beesknees do keep taking obedience classes until you and your little puppy have earned the AKC CGC (Canine Good Citizen) or equivalent. This will give you the preparation to be successful in training any dog sport.


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

Agility and am considering Fast Cat. We tried it at an event and Gracie loved it! The club I belong to is looking at bringing it to our local area too.

A link in case you don’t know Fast Cat, and pics of Grace at her last agility trial.

Fast Cat looks to be a lot of fun! If they have a strong prey drive, they’re a natural.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

I would love Fast CAT if I could access it anywhere near me. We also don't have dock diving locally, though Misha would be terrible at it. I think my experience with rally has been great because it has helped me to build on Misha's leash skills. I know some people start rally super early with their puppies. Misha would not have been ready for it until at least a year of age because he was too crazy. But it is a nice sport for young dogs because it teaches skills you want them to learn anyway and it has no joint impact. In comparison, you have to train a lot longer and wait til a dog is older to start competing in agility. With agility there is no option to compete on leash so they need to be reliable off leash. It is for sure my favorite sport, but I think there is value in a multi-sport approach.


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

lily cd re said:


> We tried flyball with Lily and Peeves and quickly decided not to continue. We found it did nothing to promote our bonds with them and it made us really worried over the potential for physical injuries to their shoulders from repetitive stress when they hit the box to release the ball. Lily loved it just because she is obsessed about tennis balls, but I was happy to stop. The woman who ran the training also stopped because her dogs got hurt.


Isn't such injury possible with any sport? I could see how agility could seriously tear up joints.


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## TeamHellhound (Feb 5, 2021)

Ava. said:


> Isn't such injury possible with any sport? I could see how agility could seriously tear up joints.


Yes, any sport can cause injury, especially fast paced sports that require sharp turns and jumping. Flyball dogs tend to have a preferred turn direction, and hit the ball box with barely slowing down. Shoulder injuries are common.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Ava. said:


> Isn't such injury possible with any sport? I could see how agility could seriously tear up joints.


Sure, especially agility and flyball for reasons noted by TeamHellhound. Generally though, rally and obedience are pretty low risk for injuries IMO. In rally, depending on level there is no jump or one or two jumps and mostly you don't send the dog away to jump so they aren't likely to be moving fast when they get to it and the height is low relative to what the dog would do in other sports. Lily jumped 24 in agility, 22 in obedience and 16 in rally. Javelin is a 24" jumper for obedience and would be for agility too. He will jump 16 in rally.


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## scooterscout99 (Dec 3, 2015)

Ava. said:


> Isn't such injury possible with any sport? I could see how agility could seriously tear up joints.


Depends on the dog, training, and floor surfaces. Dogs should be healthy to start with (good joints, structure, etc.). Agility training should include canine fitness exercises, and jumping should be limited until joints are fully developed; it's also possible to jump a lower height, even in competition (this is called 'preferred.') Jumping on 'good' surfaces will minimize injuries. I have the local options of running on foam mats over concrete, indoor soccer turf, outdoor on grass, and indoor dirt floor. I can vary jump height and intensity depending on the surface. There are some surfaces that I won't run on at all (thin mats over concrete, e.g.). Training correct jumping form and contacts will also minimize injury.

And yet, my Bassett mix tore her knee running down the back porch steps. Bad knees, it turns out. (She didn't participate in any dog sports.)


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## mashaphan (Sep 4, 2014)

I prefer rally, but my dream is Freestyle dance..IF it looks like ice dancing, so probably never


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## Ava. (Oct 21, 2020)

mashaphan said:


> I prefer rally, but my dream is Freestyle dance..IF it looks like ice dancing, so probably never


I love freestyle.


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## For Want of Poodle (Feb 25, 2019)

I took Annie for Flyball and Agility intros at the same facility. I would consider doing agility again, definitely not flyball for injury risk reasons. This place did just for fun, not competitive, so the focus was not on getting the fastest times. 

For Agility, there's a lot of running flat between obstacles. The focus is doing the obstacles and the dog has some time to 'think' and set themselves up. 

For Flyball - the focus, especially for my ball-crazy girl is that BALL. Annie loses all traces of her brains while doing flyball. You can work on getting better turns and there is a lot of work done on that but really, it's a hard slap into a solid ish object and immediate turn while reaching for a BALL. There are also 4 closely spaced short (for a standard poodle) jumps right before the turn and on the way back. For Annie, they mostly just serve to interrupt proper running form and give her a bit of a hitch in her step. Think the difference between running a sprint and running hurdles and doing long jump in track and field. Way easier to pull something doing hurdles IMO, since there is less time between jumps. 

Agility I think is also a bit less repetitive motion - course is always different, you turn different directions, there are different kinds of jumps, and non-jump things. 

Hardly an expert, but I wouldn't consider doing flyball again and would consider agility again.


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## Raindrops (Mar 24, 2019)

For Want of Poodle said:


> I took Annie for Flyball and Agility intros at the same facility. I would consider doing agility again, definitely not flyball for injury risk reasons. This place did just for fun, not competitive, so the focus was not on getting the fastest times.
> 
> For Agility, there's a lot of running flat between obstacles. The focus is doing the obstacles and the dog has some time to 'think' and set themselves up.
> 
> ...


I feel the same way. I have heard that shoulder injuries are common in flyball. Agility dogs often keep competing into senior years and the injury rate seems low.


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## Brian R (May 25, 2021)

Injuries can happen in any sport and even around the house. Think of the times and the distance your poodle jumps on and off the furniture throughout the day. Also consider that they run and jump in the yard and going up and down the stairs. Athletes (and non-athletes) of every type, human and canine, suffer injuries. Is this a good reason to not participate in athletics? Are we just going to lock them up in their crates and poke food through the holes?

Understanding the potential of injuries in any sport and life in general is one reason I maintain medical insurance on my poodle. Has it paid for itself? Yes because it covers not only injuries, but also health conditions like Addison's Disease and I have been paid back multiple times:
1) Foot injury requiring toe amputation due to crush injury (not competition). Completely recovered
2) Shoulder due to play injury in back yard (not competition). Completely recovered
3) Addison's disease - due to genetics or environment or both. Recovered as much as possible.

I do wince when something like this picture happens, but to not play with her is worse than any injury I can think of. And to not participate in sports is promoting the foofoo image of poodles - they are retrievers and great athletes. Do they get injured, sure many dogs do, so be ready for it rather than avoid it.


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Everyone has their own definition of weighing risk/reward. For some, flyball has too much risk for a given reward. The same reward level can be achieved via less risky activities.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

I think anything overly repetitive is ill-advised. Even fetch can be detrimental when done to excess, not just physically but psychologically. My husband was thrilled to discover Peggy was a natural frisbee dog, but her edgy demeanor for days afterwards was just not worth it to us.

That doesn’t mean we keep her bubble-wrapped indoors. We give her plenty of mental and physical exercise. We just don’t want an adrenaline junkie for a companion. 


_Many dogs get very excited during games of fetch. This increased arousal can involve increased heart rate and adrenaline levels, causing an increase in cortisol levels, and can lead to ‘frantic’ behaviors as a result of reduced impulse control and frustration tolerance.

Adrenaline is designed to be released in short bursts, as a one-off during a chase for example, but by repeatedly throwing the ball means it is released for much longer periods.

Cortisol levels take several days to return to normal (some reports say up to several weeks), and studies have found that prolonged exposure to high cortisol levels can be damaging to long-term health.

Adrenaline and cortisol both play a role in the expression and regulation of behavior. Living with increased levels over a long period of time can be responsible for a number of problematic and dangerous behaviors, including your dog’s inability to ‘switch off’, cope with challenging situations and even show more aggressive behavior._

From the Canine Arthritis Management Team: On Throwing Balls - Canine Arthritis Resources and Education


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## Brian R (May 25, 2021)

From the AKC:
"Poodles of any size are very active dogs who require good exercise every day to suit their high energy level. Poodles are eager for all kinds of activity, and they enjoy keeping busy. Swimming is great exercise for them, and most Poodles love to get in the water. Bred as hunting dogs, their impulse is to retrieve, so tossing toys, sticks, or balls for them will exercise both their mind and body. They also thrive on going for jogs or long walks with their human. "

Refrain from excess anything as noted above.


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## Brian R (May 25, 2021)

As far as cortisol, it is not all bad. I have seen this same article used several times to discourage regular high energy activity.  The wonderful thing about the internet is that there is "scientific" support for about any belief or argument. So here is a counter to the "Cortisol is bad" point of view:
THE IMPORTANCE OF CORTISOL IN DOGS AND CATS


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

Brian R said:


> As far as cortisol, it is not all bad. I have seen this same article used several times to discourage regular high energy activity. The wonderful thing about the internet is that there is "scientific" support for about any belief or argument. So here is a counter to the "Cortisol is bad" point of view:
> THE IMPORTANCE OF CORTISOL IN DOGS AND CATS


Of course cortisol isn’t “bad.”  But the effects of repetitive activities like fetch _can_ be bad, as I witnessed in my own poodle.


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## Brian R (May 25, 2021)

Agreed and think we need to differentiate between play, stress and repetitive activities. 

Not all dogs approach sports as stressful situations. Mine certainly doesn't as witnessed by uncontrollable tail wag.

Stressful situations for her include:

Going to the vet.
Going to the dog park and encountering a bully dog
Not playing for days at a time
storms
fireworks
baths 
changing residences
etc.
But not play, it is not a stressor. Subsequently any competition she thinks is play is not a stressor.

Repetitive activity - We use rollers predominantly to reduce the risk of trauma (not stress) caused by jumping. It is repetitive and that is just the nature of any sport (or training) be it humans or animals. We also try to be careful where we train by eliminating hard ground, rocks and trees. The caution here is that not training and participating in intense activity/sports events is also going to cause injury.

So, rather than deprive my dog of her needed activity (and love of fetch) that she was originally bred for, per the AKC, I try to limit the risks and deal with the consequences. Everyone has their "risk / reward" threshold that was mentioned earlier.


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## cowpony (Dec 30, 2009)

PeggyTheParti said:


> Of course cortisol isn’t “bad.”  But the effects of repetitive activities like fetch _can_ be bad, as I witnessed in my own poodle.


Galen is a fetch addict. I can tell when he's had too much. His eyes glaze, he starts panting with excitement, he has no attention for anything but the ball, and he may even get an excited erection. (Dude, it's a _tennis ball_, keep your cool!) He even loses interest in food. I have to round up all the tennis balls and hide them for a day or two when he gets like that. Otherwise he's really annoying to live with. He ignores commands, he scratches at cabinets where he thinks a tennis ball might be lurking, and he barks demandingly.


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## PeggyTheParti (Sep 5, 2019)

cowpony said:


> Galen is a fetch addict. I can tell when he's had too much. His eyes glaze, he starts panting with excitement, he has no attention for anything but the ball, and he may even get an excited erection. (Dude, it's a _tennis ball_, keep your cool!) He even loses interest in food. I have to round up all the tennis balls and hide them for a day or two when he gets like that. Otherwise he's really annoying to live with. He ignores commands, he scratches at cabinets where he thinks a tennis ball might be lurking, and he barks demandingly.


Lol. That’s how Peggy got with frisbee.....minus the erection. 

Because we kept the frisbees in the garage, she couldn’t sit and obsess over them. But she’d be wildly alerty and on edge, tensing at every glimpse of a bird in the sky.

Initially we were tempted to play more, more, more, trying to tire her out. But she _was_ tired. She just couldn’t relax. I learned to tell the difference.

My husband plays a totally made-up game with her now, where they look like they’re just running back and forth, swapping balls. Peggy’s tried to teach me, and my husband _insists_ there are rules, but I really don’t get it. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯


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## Brian R (May 25, 2021)

The biggest challenge with Jade, and appears other poodles, is/was managing the frisbee addiction (similar to cowpony's ball situation). I keep them all in a back pack and in my home office. We set aside 15-30 minutes every day, after I am done with work, to play with the frisbees. She knows what time that is and she will leave them alone until I pick up the pack full of different types of disks then the excitement happens. We will use frisbees in water play at the lake (sandy beach) or practice dock, at the dog park and in the back yard goofing around. We vary the type of retrieve and the way they are tossed depending on the weather and location. We do use fans and water when it is really hot. Then there is the massage during play that she seems to enjoy about as much as the play and gives her a distracted break. As cowpony mentioned, it is up to the handler to watch and read the dog to determine over exertion, injury, heat stress, etc.


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## Brian R (May 25, 2021)

Go Miniature Poodles! Go Maui! She won even after giving the other dog a head start  Amazing.
2021 Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge 1st Place Results - 30 Weave Competition

And she won the small dog agility too, incredible  
 2021 Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge 1st Place Results - Small Dog Agility Competition


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Brian R said:


> Go Miniature Poodles! Go Maui! She won even after giving the other dog a head start  Amazing.
> 2021 Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge 1st Place Results - 30 Weave Competition
> 
> And she won the small dog agility too, incredible
> 2021 Purina Pro Plan Incredible Dog Challenge 1st Place Results - Small Dog Agility Competition


That is AWESOME! Congratulations to you and Maui! Very pretty as well!


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## Brian R (May 25, 2021)

Thanks, unfortunately Maui is not part of my pack. I was posting it as general info in this section regarding recent achievement by poodles in the sporting world. Guess I should have noted that in the post, sorry


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## 94Magna_Tom (Feb 23, 2021)

Haha! My fault, after reading it again, it's pretty clear. We can dream though!


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## Carolinek (Apr 2, 2014)

Wow Maui! To win over Jennifer Krank’s dog, that’s quite an accomplishmen.


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