Dog Sports

There are several types of dog competitions and sports, such as, agility, earthdog, field trials, obedience, herding, tracking, rally, lure coursing, and schutzhund. Below you find information on rally, agility, obedience and tracking.

AKC Rally Overview

Rally became effective on January 1, 2005. The two kennel clubs held the first rally trials at the stroke of midnight; Dog Obedience Club of Rochester New York and the Rapid City Kennel Club.

Rally is a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course that has been designed by the rally judge. Each performance is timed, but times are only counted if two dogs earn the same score. Teamwork is essential as dog and handler negotiate the course, heeling from sign to sign. Each sign has an assigned exercise(s) and some are quite complex.

Communication from the handler to the dog is to be encouraged. Handlers are permitted to talk, praise, encourage, clap their hands, or use any verbal means of encouragement. Multiple commands and/or signals using one or both arms and hands are allowed.

All dogs and handlers begin with a perfect 100. A dog and handler team is awarded a qualifying score if it retains at least 70 points after the course has been completed. Once the team has completed the course, their score will be posted ringside.

The dogs must earn three qualifying scores under two different judges in order to receive a Rally title.

To be eligible to compete in AKC Rally trials, a dog must be:

Registered with the AKC or listed with the AKC Purebred Alternative Listing/Indefinite Listing Privilege (PAL/ILP) program,
Foundation Stock Service (FSS) recorded breed that meets the eligibility requirements for competition,
6 months of age or older.

Rally Novice: RN Title - this is the first level for those just getting started in competition.

All exercises are performed with the dog on leash.

There is a requirement of 10-15 stations to complete with no more than five stationary exercises.

At this level, handlers may clap their hands and pat their legs through the course.

Rally Advanced: RA Title - this is the second level, which includes more difficult exercises throughout the course.

All exercises are performed off-leash.

There is a requirement of 12-17 stations with no more than seven stationary exercises.

One jump is required.

Rally Excellent: RE Title - this third and highest level of Rally is the most challenging.

Exercises are performed off-leash except for the honor exercise.

There is a requirement of 15-20 stations, with no more than 7 stationary exercises.

Handlers are only allowed to encourage their dogs verbally. Physical encouragement is not allowed at this level, No patting of your legs.

Exercises include backing up three steps, while the dog stays in the heel position, moving down, and a moving stand.

Two jumps are required.

Rally Advanced Excellent: RAE title - the team must qualify ten times in both the Advanced B class and the Excellent B class on the same day at ten different trials.

Rally Signs and Regulations

Agility Overview

Agility began in England in 1978. The AKC held its first agility trial in 1994. In the first year of AKC agility there were 23 trials. In 2003, there were 1,379 trials and in 2007 2,014 were held.

Agility is a sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. The handler controls their dog through voice, movement, and various body signals, which require exceptional training. The essence of Agility is to run a course with your dog as fast as possible without any faults. Courses consist of jumps, tunnels, weave poles, pause tables, A-frames, dog walks.

This link provides contact information for agility trainers in San Diego.

Southwest Events provides agility trial dates and contact information.

There are several organizations that hold agility trials. Below are the organizations that represent most of the trials in the southern California.

American Kennel Club (AKC)
www.akc.org/events/agility
AKC sanctions agility trials that are open only to AKC-registrable breeds. AKC also selects a team to represent the U.S. at the FCI World Agility Championships.

Canine Performance Events (CPE)
www.k9cpe.com
CPE sanctions trials that are open to all dogs, regardless of pedigree, whether mixed or purebred.

North American Dog Agility Council (NADAC)
www.nadac.com
NADAC sanctions trials that are open to all dogs, regardless of pedigree, whether mixed or purebred. Many NADAC trials are held under dual-sanctioning with ASCA so that you may earn both NADAC and ASCA legs at the same trial.

United Kennel Club (UKC)
www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/WebPages/Home
UKC sanctions agility trials that are open to UKC permanently registered, limited privilege, or temporary listed dogs.

United States Dog Agility Association (USDAA)
usdaa.com
USDAA sanctions trials that are open to all dogs, regardless of pedigree, whether mixed or purebred.

AKC Obedience Overview and Links

Helen Whitehouse Walker developed the first AKC obedience test in 1933 and the first obedience trial was held in 1936. The purpose of AKC obedience “is to demonstrate the usefulness of a dog as a companion to humankind.”

Teams competing in obedience are judged on how closely they match the judge's mental picture of a theoretically perfect performance.

There are three classes of obedience competition; Novice, Open, and Utility. Titles are earned for each class after the dog receives three qualifying scores under three different judges.

Novice Class - Companion Dog: CD Title - requires heeling, both with and without a leash, figure 8, stand for examination, a recall, staying in both a sit (1 minute) and a down position (3 minutes) with a group of dogs.

Open Class - Companion Dog Excellent: CDX Title - requires off-leash heeling, figure 8, drop on recall, a broad jump, retrieving on flat and over a jump, staying in both a sit (3 minutes) and a down (5 minutes) position with a group of dogs while the handler is out of the dog's sight.

Utility Class - Utility Dog: UD Title - requires off-leash heeling with signal exercises (no voice commands), scent discrimination, directed retrieves, directed jumping, and a moving stand for examination. This is the most challenging class.

Utility Dog Excellent: UDX Title - upon completion of the UD Title, dogs may earn the UDX by receiving 10 passing scores in both Open B and Utility B on the same day at ten different trials.

Obedience Trial Champion: OTCH Title - requires that dogs must have won 100 points; dogs must receive at least one first place Open B, one first place Utility and a third first place ribbon in either class. First places must be awarded by 3 different judges. Must be at all-breed events - one of the required first places may have been won at a specialty show. Open B must have 6 dogs in competition and Utility must have 3 dogs in competition.

AKC Obedience
www.akc.org/events/obedience/

Southern California Dog Obedience Council Events
www.scdoc.org

AKC Tracking

On April 10, 1936, the first official "Regulations and Standard for Obedience Test Field Trials" was published. The first licensed tracking test held in accordance with these regulations took place on June 13, 1936, and was held with the North Westchester Kennel Club all-breed show at Mount Kisco, New York.

In 1947, tracking was made a separate class, and more detail began to appear in the regulations. Tracking and advanced tracking regulations went from the original single paragraph of description in 1936, to forty-five pages today.

AKC tracking events demonstrates the extremely high level of scent capability that dogs possess and allow dogs to demonstrate their natural ability to recognize and follow human scent. A dog only needs to complete one track successfully to earn each title.

AKC Tracking Beginner's Guide

Tracking Dog: TD Title - A dog earns a TD by following a track 440 to 500 yards long with three to five changes of direction. The track is laid by a human tracklayer and is "aged" 30 minutes to two hours before the dog begins scenting. The goal is to use the scented track to locate an article left at the end of the trail by the tracklayer. The owner follows the dog on a long leash and can encourage the dog during the tracking test.

Tracking Dog Excellent: TDX Title - The TDX is earned by following an "older" track (three to five hours) that is also longer (800 to 1,000 yard) and has five to seven directional changes with the additional challenge of human cross tracks.

Variable Surface Tracking: VST Title - In the real world, dogs track through urban settings, as well as through wilderness. A VST dog has demonstrated this ability by following a three- to five-hour-old track that may take him down a street, through a building and other areas devoid of vegetation.

Champion Tracker CT Title - A dog that has successfully completed all three tracking titles (TD, TDX and VST) earns the prestigious title of Champion Tracker.