Dragonkingdogtrainer13
Well-Known Member
I'm interested in doing a sport with my dogs, but I don't know which one. We don't have any dog sports in my town besides 4-H, but we can't do that because we are busy. Help?
Dog Sports For Beginners
- Thread starter Dragonkingdogtrainer13
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DevonW
Well-Known Member
Youtube is a great resource for learning about dog sports and how to train for those sports especially if you have nothing nearby like sport foundation classes or clubs. I've seen videos about how to train for disc, agility, dock diving etc.
Does you dog like water? Does he like playing with discs? Does he like jumping? I would choose a sport with my dogs personality in mind first that way it's easier to train and you don't get discouraged.
Does you dog like water? Does he like playing with discs? Does he like jumping? I would choose a sport with my dogs personality in mind first that way it's easier to train and you don't get discouraged.
Dragonkingdogtrainer13
Well-Known Member
Thanks
Adrianna & Calvin
Experienced Member
Don't forget that there's a cyber Rally-O league :-) and you can also do "everyday, anywhere" agility by setting up your own obstacles and courses.
barnhill
Experienced Member
Where are you exactly? I may be able to see if there are any disc people in the area.
I would go with something you think you and your dog would both enjoy. Most dog sports are team sports so you need to have fun too! Just remember its all fun. Your dog doesnt know wether you came in first or last. All they know is they got to play with you.
I would go with something you think you and your dog would both enjoy. Most dog sports are team sports so you need to have fun too! Just remember its all fun. Your dog doesnt know wether you came in first or last. All they know is they got to play with you.
RowdyDogs
Member
If you're in a moderate-sized town, you can probably find an agility class, at least in my experience. It seems to be by far the most popular organized dog sport. A lot of trainers offer classes, and even some Petsmarts have some, but they might not be well-advertised. Just thought I'd mention it, since I've seen a lot of people not realize that. 
Otherwise, I think DevonW's advice is spot-on. If you tell us a little more about your dogs, then we can probably give some better suggestions, and there are plenty of good Youtube videos for most sports out there. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head that I really wouldn't recommend to a beginner going it alone are Schutzhund (for obvious reasons, I hope) and herding (for a similar reason, actually--if you don't know what you're doing, you might accidentally teach the dog to chase livestock at its discretion rather than on command, which can be very bad if you live in a rural area).
Otherwise, I think DevonW's advice is spot-on. If you tell us a little more about your dogs, then we can probably give some better suggestions, and there are plenty of good Youtube videos for most sports out there. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head that I really wouldn't recommend to a beginner going it alone are Schutzhund (for obvious reasons, I hope) and herding (for a similar reason, actually--if you don't know what you're doing, you might accidentally teach the dog to chase livestock at its discretion rather than on command, which can be very bad if you live in a rural area).
Dragonkingdogtrainer13
Well-Known Member
I live in a small town of about 2,000. My dogs are willing to please and have lots of energy, so I am looking for a sport that is easy on me but challenging on them, if that makes since.If you're in a moderate-sized town, you can probably find an agility class, at least in my experience. It seems to be by far the most popular organized dog sport. A lot of trainers offer classes, and even some Petsmarts have some, but they might not be well-advertised. Just thought I'd mention it, since I've seen a lot of people not realize that.
Otherwise, I think DevonW's advice is spot-on. If you tell us a little more about your dogs, then we can probably give some better suggestions, and there are plenty of good Youtube videos for most sports out there. The only ones I can think of off the top of my head that I really wouldn't recommend to a beginner going it alone are Schutzhund (for obvious reasons, I hope) and herding (for a similar reason, actually--if you don't know what you're doing, you might accidentally teach the dog to chase livestock at its discretion rather than on command, which can be very bad if you live in a rural area).
barnhill
Experienced Member
Disc can be a good sport to look at. They have multiple formats where all YOU need to do is throw the disc. Toss and Fetch is a timed event where you have 60 seconds to score as many points as you can. You score points by your dog catching the disc at different distances, the farther away the more points you score.
For you, you stand there and throw a disc. LOL And dogs that like to chase and play fetch love it.
For you, you stand there and throw a disc. LOL And dogs that like to chase and play fetch love it.