Getting involved in dog sports, shows and events have so many benefits for both you and your pup, and there are so many different ones to try! Whether your dog is old, young, a working breed or a lap dog, there’s a dog sport for everyone, no matter the level or ability of you or your pup.
In this blog, we take a look at some of the best dog sports that you can get involved with, and offer some pearls of wisdom from some award-winning dog sportswomen who have ample experience in their fields, to give you the little boost you need to give one a go!
Dog Agility
Even if you’ve never heard of any of the other dog sports around, chances are you’ve heard of agility. This action-packed dog sport tests your dog’s fitness as they run, jump and weave their way through an obstacle course, guided by their owner. It’s all against the clock, so the fastest pup to finish the course correctly wins. As well as testing the speed of the canine competitor, dog agility also tests the handler’s ability to direct their dog through the course.
Team GB gold-medal winner Sammy Pegg competed internationally with her first dog Blaze, and continues to compete as part of Team England with her dog Bliss, winning a class at the World Agility Open recently. Also a fantastic member of the Animed customer services team, Sammy has plenty of helpful advice for beginners looking to start dog agility.
“Consistency is key!” she says. “Make sure you get in touch with a good trainer whose training methods you agree with and be consistent with how you teach the dog. If you keep changing training methods, you and the dog will get frustrated,” she advises.
“Also try to understand the theory behind the methods of training and the reasons why you are doing what you’re doing. This will make it easier to translate to the dog. And don’t be in any rush! It takes around two years for a dog to be ready to compete, so enjoy the training process and you will see the results long term.”
Sammy describes this dog sport as “addictive”, and says the best thing about agility is the relationship you create with your dog. “When you’re training them consistently, as well as working on their fitness and competing, you end up spending so much time with them, which means your relationship with them hugely improves. This makes every-day life easier as you will find that the more you learn about your dog, the more they will listen to you,” Sammy observes.
As you might expect, agility is a great way to improve your dog’s health and fitness. But, as Sammy explains, training and competing at agility shows helps to keep owners fit too. “I will regularly do 15,000 steps a day at an agility show!” she says. With most of the summer shows taking place outside, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to get your steps in the sunshine too.
“You also make great friendships with the people you regularly train with and see at competitions,” Sammy adds. “I have friends all over the country that I have made from doing agility that I see throughout the summer!”
Dock Diving
Also known as dock jumping, dock diving is a dog sport that is perfect for pups who love to swim and have a natural passion for retrieving. It involves throwing a toy into a pool and, on your command, your dog runs along the dock and jumps off the end into the water to retrieve the toy.
There are different competitions within dock diving; for some, the aim is for your dog to jump the furthest distance they can, others focus on the height of the dog’s jump, and some are all about the speed of retrieval.
Dock diving is a bit more popular in America than it is in the UK, partly because there are fewer outdoor dock diving facilities here due to the weather, and indoor dock diving is more expensive to maintain.
Nevertheless, if you are lucky enough to have a dock diving club near you, why not try it! K9 Aqua Sports is the UK’s largest independent dock diving company, and are often present at shows and events where they offer the opportunity to have a go.
Flyball
Put simply, flyball is essentially a hurdle relay race for dogs. The fastest team to each run over the four jumps and retrieve a ball from a flyball box without faults wins. Precision is important as well as speed, as things like dropped balls or the next relay dog being released too early can result in penalties.
Susi Colclough has been playing flyball since 2022, and says the best thing about it is being in a team. A flyball team consists of four dogs and four handlers. “Flyball events can be like going to a festival with your mates,” she says. “And you’re all there because of your shared passion. It gives you a support network like no other. I’ve made friends for life through flyball, even though my dog doesn’t compete anymore. There’s nothing quite like it.”
It’s easy to find your local flyball team. Get in touch with your regional British Flyball association representative, or visit the British Flyball Association or UK Flyball League websites. With your team by your side, you can achieve great things in flyball. “Your team will celebrate your wins and help you overcome training issues,” Susi says.
As well as allowing you to become part of a team, Susi says that flyball can develop your dog’s ability to focus in the face of distractions, which can be very useful in everyday life. “Even if your dog is running as a single, they are still racing against another dog in the next lane. Flyball can help your dog learn to focus on a task with other dogs around,” Susie tells us, adding that it’s especially suited to dogs who like patterns and routine. “The venue and the team might change, but there are always four jumps and a tennis ball on a box.”
Flyball is a dog sport for everyone! Susi points out that people shouldn’t rule themselves out because their dog isn’t a collie. “Small, fast dogs are priceless as they bring the jump heights down,” she explains. Jumps in flyball are lowered to the appropriate height for the smallest dog in the team, so small dogs give the rest of the team a big advantage. “You’ll see loads of whippets, collies and spaniels, but flyball is open to every dog,” Susi says. “If my chunky show lab can thud into a box, any dog can give it a go!”
Lure Coursing
This dog sport was designed specifically for sighthounds, dogs that were initially bred to chase prey using their sight rather than scent.
Lure coursing offers these dogs a more humane way to do what they were bred to do and satisfy their natural instincts in a safe way. In pairs, dogs chase a mechanically driven lure across a twisting and turning course that mimics the path a hare or rabbit might take. They are then scored on their speed, agility, endurance, follow and enthusiasm.
Josie Manley has been lure coursing for six years with her dogs after discovering it at a breed club event. Both Josie’s dogs have gone on to win lure coursing competitions at lurcher and terrier events.
Lure coursing can really benefit some dogs, as Josie explains. “This dog sport fosters a dog’s natural abilities in a world where they are normally restricted,” she says. “It’s a good outlet for dogs with high prey drives and gives dogs mental and physical stimulation. The best thing about lure coursing is watching your dog do what they love most – run!”
When asked if she had any advice for beginners, Josie encouraged people to start by finding a local event to let their dog have a go at lure coursing. “You will be able to see if they naturally take to the sport,” she says. “It can start off as just something fun and if the dog enjoys it, look into licensed events.”
Dog Rally
Rally is a dog sport that involves you and your pup working together as a team to progress through a course consisting of different signs. Each sign requires you to perform a certain exercise, thoroughly testing your dog’s ability to recall a wide range of commands.
There are around 80 different preset exercises that you could be asked to perform at each of the stations along the course, of which there can be up to 18. Depending on your level, these exercises start easy, like changing position or walking around a cone, and gradually progress to become more difficult. The course takes around 3 minutes to complete. In the first two levels of rally, dogs compete on a loose lead, and at higher levels, they compete off lead.
Any dog can compete in rally, as long as they are registered with the Kennel Club. They don’t have to be registered in terms of breed however, so if your dog is a crossbreed they can still take part in dog sports by being on the Kennel Club activity register.
Georgina Davies has a decade of experience in dog rally, and loves the way that it fosters a bond between dog and owner. “Rally is a great example of teamwork. You and the dog travel around the course together and it really improves your bond with your dog,” she says. “Anyone can do it! If you have a disability there is an Exercise Modification Request available, so it really is open to everyone.”
You don’t need any previous experience to get started either. We asked Georgina if she had any pearls of wisdom for those starting out in dog rally. “My advice for beginners would be to make sure you know how each exercise is meant to be performed,” she says. Once you’ve got the basics down, with some hard work and training, any pup can excel in dog rally! Find a rally club near you to give it a go.
Heelwork to Music
Heelwork to music is a unique dog sport that celebrates creativity and a close connection between dog and handler. It involves choreographing a routine to music for you and your dog to perform together.
Heelwork to music is split into two categories, heelwork and freestyle. The main difference between the two is about how long the dog is required to work in one of the eight heelwork positions during the routine. Other than this, there’s a lot of freedom in terms of the routine you can create with your dog.
Dogs and their handlers are marked out of 30 based on how well they do in three categories: content and flow, accuracy and team performance, and musical interpretation.
As the current Freestyle Heelwork to Music National and International Cruft champions, Lorna Syrette and her border collie Nora have plenty of incredible achievements under their belts. Lorna and Nora were also selected for the Freestyle UK Team that went to Italy in October 2023 for the European Open Championships, where they placed 8th individually and the UK won gold as a team.
Lorna is keen to encourage anyone who is interested to give heelwork to music a go. “Heelwork to music is a sport that requires a strong bond between you and your dog so it’s a great way to build an amazing relationship,” Lorna says. “A lot of people watch heelwork to music and think that they would never be able to do it with their dog, but it really is a sport for any dog and any person no matter size, age, skill or ability.”
Lorna recommends reaching out to some heelwork to music trainers, even if there are none local to you. “We all offer Zoom classes that can help get you started and will guide you from teaching your first move all the way to your first competitions and beyond.”
To read more about Lorna and Nora’s achievements in heelwork to music and their involvement in the Disney documentary ‘Dancing with Dogs’ read our interview with Lorna Syrett!
Field Trials and Working Trials
Gundogs such as Retrievers, Spaniels, Pointers and Setters were all originally bred as working dogs to help with hunting game. Field trials and working trials test these dogs’ abilities to range over fields and gather, flush and retrieve game under competitive conditions.
Field trials and working trials are ideal for dogs who have come from a working line, as these dogs require a lot of exercise off the lead and constant training and field work to keep them stimulated. To take part, your dog must be registered on The Kennel Club Breed Register as a pedigree gundog under one of the four sub-groups: Retriever; Spaniel; hunt, point and retrieve; or Pointer and Setter.
Field trials and working trials also require the owner to be fit and able, as trials will involve a lot of walking through the countryside, sometimes over difficult terrain.
It takes a lot of work over a long period of time to train and develop a dog to be a working gundog, and this would ideally be done from a young age. If you decide this dog sport is for you, the first step is to join a field trial society or gundog club to access training opportunities for you and your dog.
Scentwork
Dogs have an incredible sense of smell, which is estimated to be between 10 and 100 thousand times more acute than ours. Scentwork is a dog sport that taps into this extraordinary ability. It involves hiding something with a specific scent, and letting your dog lead you to it using just their nose.
Scentwork is a stimulating and rewarding dog sport that all pups can enjoy whatever their breed or age, as it doesn’t require too much physical exertion and it’s easy to get started. You can find Scentwork Trainers here to help you teach your dog the basics.
If you love it, you might want to consider competing in Scentwork UK trials which take the basic principles of Scentwork and present them as challenges in different environments and situations. You’ll need to work as a team with your dog, learning to read their body language so that they can communicate when they’ve found something, and then you can alert the judge.
On top of her 10 years experience in rally, Georgina Davies has another 5 in scentwork, with her current dog working at level 5 with Scentwork UK. “Dogs’ noses are incredible,” she says. “You can train them to find any odour. You have to learn to trust your dog, because their nose knows!” Georgina adds that scentwork can be fantastic for anxious dogs. “It’s really great for building confidence in dogs that are nervous,” she says. “Scentwork is something that is open to all dogs and handlers.”
Hoopers for Dogs
Canine Hoopers is one of the most inclusive dog sports available. It’s like a free-flowing, low-impact version of agility, meaning that the long-term well-being of dogs is protected, and senior dogs are able to take part too. In fact, any dog can take part in hoopers, whether they are old, young, tall, short, well-behaved or naughty! And even those pups who need extra space and understanding can enjoy hoopers.
A canine hoopers course consists of hoops, barrels, and large, straight tunnels to run through and around. The course is smooth and doesn’t involve any jumps or tight turns, and some courses also offer optional challenges for the handler! There are 7 different class types which include pairs and teams.
Not only is hoopers inclusive of dogs, but it’s inclusive of owners too. Unlike agility where handlers more often run alongside their dog, in hoopers this isn’t necessary as you guide your dog around the course from a distance, making it a great dog sport for those with limited mobility.
When Georgina Davies’ dog retired from agility, hoopers was the natural next step. “My retired agility dog loved moving onto hoopers and has won several classes!” she says. “It’s a bit like croquet but with dogs. It’s great for all abilities and it’s not just about speed,” she explains.
As with all dog sports, rewards are a very important part of training. Since the handler is often not near their dog while they complete the course in hoopers, Georgina’s main piece of advice for beginners is to consider the location of your rewards. “Where you reward your dog is really important,” she says. “If you want your dog to work away from you then you need to reward them out there.”
You can learn more about this fantastic and inclusive dog sport at Canine Hoopers UK, where you’ll also find information on how to become a member and find a trainer.
Reasons to Try a Dog Sport
We asked our experts how their dog sport benefits them and their dog. From making friends to improving fitness, taking up a dog sport can have countless positive impacts on your life as well as your dog’s. Reasons to try a dog sport include:
- Building a stronger relationship with your dog
- Keeping your dog fit and their mind active
- Keeping yourself fit and active!
- Developing your dog’s natural skills and providing a safe outlet for instinctive behaviours
- Honing your dog’s ability to focus and follow commands
- Improving your dog’s social skills as they meet other dogs and people on a regular basis
- Making friends for life with likeminded people
- Becoming part of a team and a community
- Having lots of fun!
Wrapping Up
There is a dog sport for everyone and every pup, and we hope you’ve been inspired to try one of the sports mentioned in this article. Whether you think the fast-paced thrill of agility is for you, or you love the idea of being part of a flyball team, the best way to find out is to just give it a go! You can look for local clubs and teams in your area on the Kennel Club website.
Before you join, just bear in mind that there are some age restrictions for competing in some dog sports – for example, dogs need to be 18 months old before they can take part in an agility competition, and it’s recommended that they don’t train on equipment until they are a year old. This is because agility training requires a lot of physical exertion. Dogs also need to be well socialised before joining any clubs with other dogs present.
We hope you and your furry friend enjoy getting stuck into the wonderful world of dog sports!
