Canines get active

The choreography was amazing, the costumes dazzling, the music up-beat and the connection between dance partners electric.
No, I’m not describing the latest episode of “Dancing with the Stars.” I’m describing world-class performances of canine freestyle — the crowd-pleasing sport where human and dog strut their stuff together on the dance floor.
What, you’ve never heard of such a thing? Well, log onto “You Tube,” enter “canine freestyle,” and you’ll be amazed at the fun shared by human and canine dance partners throughout the world.
Organized sports are not just for humans. If you and your canine friend share a competitive nature and enjoy athletic outings, then freestyle or another canine sport may be just the thing to lift your spirits and strengthen your relationship with your best friend.
All of the dog sports discussed here share one very important element. These sports are based upon a strong relationship between human and canine. The human/canine teams that excel at these sports have strong bonds.
If you are interested in participating in a dog sport it is important that you and your dog spend time mastering several basic commands; these commands will allow you and your canine partner to communicate effectively and perform at the highest level.
So, if you haven’t yet participated in a structured positive training program with your dog, this will be your first step before participating in any canine sport.
w If dancing with your dog appeals to you, visit http://www.canine-freestyle.com. To order canine freestyle or most other dog sport books or DVDs, visit http://www.dogwise.com.
w Does your pup beg you to throw his disc toy morning, noon and night? Are full-speed sprints, leaps and flips a normal part of his exuberant repertoire? If so, then you may have a champion disc dog in the making. Disc dogs compete in distance competitions (i.e. which dog catches the longest thrown disc) and/or judged choreographed catching displays involving multiple discs. Visit the International Disc Dog Handler Association Web site, http://www.iddha.com.
w If you’re not into throwing a disc for your dog, but your dog is definitely a high-energy canine, a team sport called fly ball, might be right for you. In fly ball, a team of four dogs competes against other teams by running an obstacle course composed of four hurdles. At the end of the course, the dogs reach a fly ball box, which releases a tennis ball into the air when the dog pushes on the proper lever. The dog must catch the tennis ball and return to the starting line by going back over the hurdles. Upon reaching the starting line, the next dog on the team runs the course. The team whose “anchor” dog completes the course first is the winner.
Fly ball is an excellent sport for humans who love to cheer for their dogs. Visit http://www.flyball.org or http://www.flyingfurdogs.com for more information.
w Is your best friend a member of the herding group? The herding group includes Border Collies, German Shepherds, Australian Cattle Dogs, Collies, Corgis and Shetland Sheepdogs, to name a few. For many dogs in this group, life is just not worth living if they are not allowed to work cattle or sheep. If you believe your pal falls in this category, then competing in herding trials may be your cup of tea. Herding events and training typically occur in gorgeous pastoral settings across the U.S. However, herding comes with its own vocabulary and unique set of rules. If you are interested in entering the world of herding, be prepared for a large time commitment. A good place to start your investigation of herding is at http://www.akc.org/
events/herding/getting_start
ed.cfm.
Canine freestyle, disc dog, fly ball and herding are just a few canine sports. If you want to learn about more canine sports, invest in the new paperback by Kristin Mehus-Roe, “Canine Sports & Games.” It’s available at http://www.dogwise.com for less than $20. Don’t get locked into the same old daily routine; investigate something new for you and your best friend, and show the world what a great team you are.