Activities for Competitive Dogs

Agility

This is a very fun sport where the dog is judged on both accuracy and speed. In agility the dog must perform several tasks to the best of their ability. Sample activities are jumping over things, going through tunnels and walking a plank.

Canine Disc

This competition is all about mouth/eye coordination. To be able to complete in this, the dog is thrown something, like a Frisbee, from their owner and they must catch it.

Carting

This sport is very fun and has a long standing tradition. Similar to Santa and his sleigh, the dogs are hooked up to a harness and they must perform obediently while their owner is in it.

Conformation

Of all of the activities a dog can do, this one probably has the most familiarity. This is a competition about looks where the dog is judged according to how closely the meet the breed standard requirements.

Drafting

This sport was created out of a necessity in the olden days when machines were not available to help people transport heavy things. Here, a loaded cart is attached to the dog and they measure the distance in which he can pull it.

Earthdog Trial

Returning to their roots, this competition times a dog to see how quickly it can follow its prey into a hole and corner it.

Flyball

This sport is full of speed and fun! Here dog teams of four jump over hurdles to retrieve a ball. The quickest team wins.

Freestyle

This is a competition where judges rank how well you and your dog dance together.

Herding Trial

This is a competition where a dog’s herding skills are judged against others.

Hunting Field Trial

Here dogs compete in a series of events related to hunting. Accuracy and speed in retrieving, flushing and trailing determine the winner.

Hunting Test

Unlike the field trials, here dogs are judged to see how closely they match the hunting standard.

Lure Coursing

This is a race in which animals chase an object around a track.

Obedience Trial

Here, both the owner and dog are judged on their ability to work together. The winner is the one who follows commands the best.

Schutzhund

This is a competition that many police and military dogs compete in because it test all of the skills needed in their field of work: obedience, protections and tracking things.

Skijoring

In this competition, speed is of the utmost importance as three dogs pull one cross country skier to the finish line.

Sledding

One of the most famous races, the Iditerod, fits in this category. This is where a person on a sled controls several dogs in the snow to the finish line.

Tracking

Nose accuracy and speed are important in this competition as dogs track a scent over various environments.

Weight pulling

As the name states, the dog who can pull the heaviest load wins.