Agility is a fast-paced sport that requires the dog to safely and effectively take equipment by following the handler’s cues. The equipment, course, jump height all vary depending on the course, organization and dog’s size.

Barn Hunt is all about finding rats! (No rats are hurt during the sport and are usually well cared for teammates.) Rats are enclosed in tubes, hidden in and around straw bales. The dog must find the tube(s) with live rats.

CAT

CAT stands for Coursing Ability Test (CAT). From the AKC website - “Designed specifically for newcomers, each dog chases after an artificial lure on either a 300- or 600-yard long course and must finish in less 1 ½ minutes and 2 minutes, respectively.”

Fast CAT

Fast CAT is a timed 100 yard dash where dogs compete individually. Based on their time, they earn points toward certain titles.

Dogs compete by jumping off of a platform toward a toy. They may compete by length or height of the jump.

Dogs must be able to comfortably allow their handler to harness them, hitch them to the cart and check equipment. Dogs must be able to maneuver in the cart, pull weight and do a down stay.

Musical Freestyle is a combination of Tricks and Obedience to music. Handlers must do a routine to music either in front of a judge or through a video. Rally Free is a combination of Musical Freestyle and Rally. Some consider it an easier introduction because they can follow signs rather than choose their own music and routine.

NASDA provides an opportunity for dogs to hunt (using their nose) for a variety of things such as live rats in containers, shed antlers or lost items.

In nosework, the dog searches for certain essential oil scents (or occasionally the handler’s scent) and alerts the handler when found. The handler has to train and trust the dog to alert them to odor. The elements where the scent is hidden may vary. Common search spaces are interior, exterior, vehicles, buried or container.

There are various organizations that offer Nosework trials (AKC, UKC, NACSW). The scent being searched for varies on the level and organization. Across all organizations, the novice scent is birch.

If the name doesn’t tip you off, this is an obedience-based sport. It’s very much a team sport between handler and dog. A pair that moves as a team and responds to each other is quite beautiful to watch.

IPO/IGP or Schutzhund

IPO is a 3-part sport originating from Germany. There is an obedience phase, tracking phase and protection phase. A dog and handler team must be skilled in multiple areas to be able to compete in this sport. German Shepherds, Malinois and Dutch Shepherds are the main breeds competing, but there are no breed limitations in the rules.

Mondio Ring

Mondioring is a 3-part sport developed in the 80’s in an attempt to combine the best parts of all the protection sports. It involved obedience, agility (jumps) and protection.

French Ring

French Ring is a 2-part sport originating from France. There is an obedience phase and protection phase.

KNPV

KNPV is a sport that tests how closely dogs meet Dutch police dog training standards.

Belgian Ring

Belgian Ring is a 3-part sport that includes obedience, agility (jumps) and protection.

Rally is also an obedience-based sport, but teams follow a course and do the actions dictated by each sign. The difficulty varies based on the level. One of the differences between this sport and Obedience is that handlers are allowed to talk, praise and give multiple commands to their dog and not scored as precisely as in Obedience.

This has been dubbed a dying sport by some because of the space and time required - which is hard to come by in today’s world! The track layer walks across a field and drops articles. Depending on the level, some “aging” (waiting) may be required before the handler and dog team approach the track.

The requirements of the dog may vary, depending on the organization it’s being trialed through. In AKC, the dog must find the articles, but there is less concern over their pattern across the track. In IGP/IPO, judges want to see the dog’s nose to the ground and follow the footfalls of the track layer while alerting to articles.

While not technically a sport, there is an annual competition with the AKC. Tricks can consist of many different actions and can be a fun way to work toward other sports, build engagement or continue to train your dog in a low stress environment.

Any dog can compete in weight pull as the weight they are pulling is measured by their own weight. For example, most healthy dogs can pull about 3 times their body weight, while those competing at a higher level may pull something much heavier.