Activities & Sports
We are big believers in doing more with your dog, in taking up sports, activities and classes with your pups. It not just keeps you fit and engaged with each other, but also builds your relationship and solidifies the bond between you.
We take part in many different sports and activities with our dogs, from agility to tricks to Scentwork, we enjoy working with our dogs to achieve new and novel things, it helps grow your dogs critical thinking, their attention to you and bond with you. It also keeps you both entertained and motivated to continue to do more and spend time together.
The most important thing to remember when engaging in sports and activities with your dogs is to do it for FUN. If you stop enjoying it or your dog isn’t finding it fun, try something else. Every rosette, award and certificate our dogs have achieved was done with a massive grin and a smile. Our dogs even take part in different sports to different degrees dependent upon how much they enjoy that sport. For instance Mara does lots of Canicross, whilst Malika does more agility. Simply because Mara likes Canicross more, whilst Malika doesn’t really enjoy Canicross, she would rather run beside me or off the lead.
It can be anything from learning some extra tricks at home, to engaging in volunteer work as a Pets As Therapy Dog, engaging in a sport or activity gives you targets to work towards with your dog and motivates you to invest the time in building your relationship through training, even after you have covered the foundations of happy puppy ownership.
Sports & Activities We have Tried
As we said, we do lots of different training and activities with our dogs, we feel like we have tried just about every sport or activity there is going, but the truth is we have barely scratched the surface. Here are more of the activities we have tried and our dogs have enjoyed.
Agility
This is a high energy high impact sport working your dogs physically and mentally. It will keep both you and your dog fit and work your brains. You work together to learn different equipment as well as agile moves to take you quickly, safely and seamlessly from one piece of equipment to another.
You can also move into competitive agility working with your dog in a number of different classes from Beginner to Championship in UKA or UKKC Grades 1-7. Classes available to enter range from steeplechase and full agility to games based classes like snakes and ladders and tunnel torment.
Kennel Club Good Citizen Awards
These are fun awards to help you build the basics of obedience and work towards 4 levels of goals and awards.
You can then further your progressions with friendly competitions in the GCDS Pre Obedience Stakes and Qualify for CRUFTs either through the stakes or in the GCDS Display Teams.
Pets As Therapy
This an accreditation scheme whereby dogs can be assessed and qualify as registered therapy dogs with Pets As Therapy UK Charity, after which they can provide visits and demonstrations in residential, nursing and special needs homes, hospitals, hospices and schools. .
Obedience
This is a well known sport in the world of dogs and there are lots of classes and trainers out there who can help you to build up your obedience skills.
Obreedience is a specific wing of obedience were you can compete alone in breed specific classes or in teams of 4 members all of the same breed. There are a set of obedience skills that are developed to different levels, heelwork, retrieve, send always and recalls all worked in close companionship with their human partner.
Rally
This is a new form of obedience from America, were the dog and handler work along a course of instruction cards from start to finish completing each task to the best of their ability. The potential skills on the cards change and increase in difficulty as you progress up the grades.
Canicross
Canicross is a relatively new canine sport derived from the ancient sport of mushing. It is a blend of cross country running and mushing sports. The handler wears a waist belt attached to a bungee lead which attaches to the dog or pair of dogs. The dogs then pull the runner in a team effort to cross the finish line as fast as possible.
Hoopers
Hoopers is a Low impact canine sport similar in style to the high impact agility, it is designed for elderly, young or disabled dogs and handlers. There is a strong advocacy for distance handling working long flowing courses with no tight turns, jumps or raised contacts.
Trick Titles
These titles are a great activity to engage in with your dog, you will learn to do everything from balancing on balls, to fetching you a snack to playing the piano. Lots of fun for all ages breeds and handlers.
Heelwork To Music
Heelwork to music is the choreography of Tricks and Heelwork skills to music. The handler and dog put together a routine to tell a story to a piece of music.
Scentwork
Scentwork is a super fun activity to try with your dog. Our dogs experience the world through their noses and concentrating on scenting uses 40% of your dogs brain and is far more tiring than physical exercise alone. Scentwork skills are fun and enjoyable for all breeds of dogs and it is a fantastic bonding experience between you and your dog as you work together to trust your dogs skills and understand the cues they are giving you to solve problems and find scents in all different environments.
Lure Coursing
Lure coursing is a humane and safe way for your sighthounds to participate in what they were bred to do, chase down prey. Lure coursing has several different disciplines including hurdles, straights and coursing. In each case a rag lure is dragged along the ground attached to a wheel, either under hurdles, in a straight line or around a winding course. The winner is the first dog to cross the finish line.
Further Sports & Activities
There is always something new and exciting to attempt with your dogs, there is always a new adventure to be had. Whilst we have dipped our toes into many sports and disciplines there are many many more we would love to take part in in the future. Here are some of those sports we would love to try.
Canine Parkour
Canine Parkour is a modern sport also known as Urban Agility, it follows many skills in human parkour, jumping between platforms, rebounding off objects and leaping through narrow spaces. It also puts great stead on proprioception and instability training to maintain safety and the dogs work with their owners, climbing up their backs and using them as landing pads to safely navigate obstacles.
Bikejor
Bikejor also known as Canibike is another of the canisports. Derived from mushing and Canicross the dog is harnessed to the front of a bike and the cyclist and dog work together to navigate the course as fast as possible.
Mushing/Rig/Caniscoot
Mushing is no longer just for those who live in the snowy outbacks of Alaska and Siberia. Modern times have brought in dryland rigs and scooters which can be used over dry cross country terrain. Dogs work in teams of 4-12 pulling a wheeled rig over a terrain course following verbal instruction from a handler navigating the rig.
Flyball
Flyball is a high intensity high impact sport were dogs and handlers work in teams of 4 to run down a set of hurdles to a box, were they rebound off the box to return to their handler with the ball, the team with the fastest time wins.
CCF Titles
CCF stands for Canine Conditioning Fitness, a key part of owning and building a dog that can safely navigate all the adventures life can throw at them. These are fun titles from Do More With Your Dog, they work to teach you a mirade of different skills for your dog to build their fitness, flexibility, proprioception, balance and coordination and each title awarded becomes an internationally recognised Suffix Title to your dogs Kennel Name.
Stunt Dog Titles
Stunt dog titles are a further set of internationally recognised Prefix and Suffix Titles which can be worked towards and achieved through Do More with Your Dog, they are the competitive wing of the Trick Dog Titles, whereby tricks are presented in a choreographed routine similar to an obedience demonstration.
Acting & Modelling
Acting titles and opportunities are soon to be released by Do More With Your Dog, but many modelling opportunities with advertising companies are available for your dogs and many modelling agents and casting companies are searching for well trained sociable dogs to work in modelling and acting opportunities.
Online Courses
Hoopers Online Awards
These are online awards that you work through at home with the help of online video tutorials. You can use makeshift equipment in order to teach a range of foundation to advanced skills to build up a skill set that will enable you to compete and take part in Canine Hoopers.
Do More With Your Dogs - Trick Titles
These are great awards that you work through at home and upload videos for assessment aby your trainer. You learn hundreds of tricks from novice to champion levels and once passed they give an internationally recognised Suffix Title to the kennel name of your dog under miscellaneous activity and sport, similar to those you would achieve for agility or obedience.
YouTube Videos
Trail Runners - How to Fit a Harness Safely for Canisports
An important part of ensuring safety in Canisports is the proper use fitting and choice of harness to participate, here is what you need to think about when getting a Canisport harness for your dog.
Trail Runners - How to Teach Your Dog to Line Out
Some quick hints and tips on how to train your dog to take out the line for pulling sports and go ahead of you rather than by your side.
Trail Runners - Ground work for Canisports
A quick look at the best ground work conditioning exercises to support the muscle groups used in canisports.
Agility Championships Crufts 2020
Full show of the Crufts Grade 7 Championships in agility from 2020.
Kennel Club - How to Get started in Agility
A quick video from the UK Kennel Club on how to get started in Agility
Kyra Sundance - Teach Your Dog "Say Your Prayers" Trick
Quick how to on this super fun little trick.
Kyra Sundance - Trick Ideas
Montage of amazing tricks you will learn with your Do More With Your Dog Trick Dog Titles.
Kyra Sundance - How to Teach your Dog the "Roll Over" Trick
a quick how to on this trick that is harder than it looks!
Kyra Sundance - How To Teach Your Dog the "Take a Bow" Trick
A fun trick to learn with your dog, either for your trick title or just for fun.
Canine Hoopers World - Is Hoopers for You
A brill video explaining the benefits of hoopers and a quick look into what it involves.
Taming Canines - Hoopers in Competition
A quick fun montage of Hoopers competition dogs showing you just how it is done!
Scentwork UK - Level 1 Trial
A quick montage of what is involved in the Scentwork UK Level 1 Trial and how to pass.
Blogs
KB Agility - Our Agility Show Routine
Great blog post from our very own trainer and published author Katrina Bayliss on her competition routine, from preparation beforehand to the cool down and calmness activities they invest in in the days afterwards.
Science Direct - Understanding When it is Too Hot to Run With Your Dog
A scientific look into the effects of hot weather on your dog and when it is safe to train in the hottest days of the year.