Dog Care 101

If you don’t use it, you lose it. That’s the case with today’s Dog Care 101’s featured Dog Sport, Lure Coursing. This fast-paced, high-energy event was created to keep dogs on their toes and off the couch. This sport shows off the sheer speed and athleticism dogs are born with and BestBullySticks.com wants to share it with you. Read on to learn more about Lure Coursing!

What is Lure Coursing?
This Dog Sport consists of sighthounds chasing or coursing an artificial lure around an open field. If you’re unsure what qualifies as a sighthound, think Whippets, Greyhounds, or Rhodesian Ridgebcks (full list later in post). This purpose of this sport is to preserve the abilites and skills of sighthounds.

History
The inception of Lure Coursing is in ancient times. Sighthounds have been hunting live prey as far back as ancient Egypt.  People have used sighthounds for hunting throughout history to catch game because they hunt by sight, not smell, thus their name. Not only do they have sharp eyes but sighthounds are known for their sleek forms and extremely fast legs. However, the athleticism shown by these amazing dogs wasn’t always good for the dogs. Many fanciers of these hounds risked their dog’s safety because of barbed wire fencing and running in harsh elements. A better way was needed. Read more

Sometimes called the easiest of all Dog Sports, Dock Jumping is certainly an entertaining event to watch and be involved with. Not only is this Dog Sport easy and fun, but it’s also open to any dog willing to take a jump off a short pier. BestBullySticks.com outlines the great world of Dock Jumping in today’s Dog Care 101 spotlight on Dog Sports!

What is Dock Jumping?
Also called Dock Diving, this dog sport is a competition of jump distance and jump height off of a dock into a body of water. This sport is governed by a few different organizations including Dock Dogs, SplashDogs and Ultimate Air Dogs, who partners through the United Kennel Club. For these clubs, there are two basic kinds of play: Long Distance Jumping and Vertical Height Jumping.

History
This sport really doesn’t have one particular point of origin. However, it can be pretty well guessed. Most likely a couple of guys were with their loyal companions for a romp down by the lake. One guy probably said, “Hey, Watch this!” and threw a tennis ball off the dock, into the water and his dog soared far through the air after his favorite toy. Voila! Dock Jumping was born.

Even though there is not a definitive account of who thought of Dock Jumping or where it originated, it is known that in 1997 Dock Jumping first appeared in Purina’s Incredible Dog Challenge. Since then, many clubs have sprung up and some dog’s can earn titles in the UKC for their competitions. Dock Jumping competitions are now in the UK and Australia. Read more

Sit. Stay. Down. If your dog learned these commands easily, then Obedience Trial competitions may be perfect for your pooch. Through trust and training, your dog can be the next great Obedience Champ! BestBullySticks.com outlines the Dog Sport of intelligence and patience today on the Healthy Dog Blog.

What are Obedience Trials?
This dog sport asks dogs to complete a series of predetermined tasks from cues by a handler. However, according to the AKC the purpose behind Obedience Trials is to show dogs are not only purposeful to humans but can behave well in the home, in public and around other dogs.

Dogs and humans both need mental and physical stimulations, and Obedience Trials can give that. Intensive and thorough training is required for these trials and asks a dog to improve on and go beyond the standard “sit, stay, down, come” commands. The training process can be highly rewarding for handler and dog, providing a great hobby and closer bond for the human/dog team.

History
Obedience Trials have been around since the 1930s and are due to the credit of one woman, Helen Whitehouse Walker. Walker was the breeder of poodles who often had to fight the stereotype that poodles were only a pretty haircut. She wanted to prove the intelligence of these dogs, so she borrowed an idea from the English; competitive test used for Police, Army and Herding dogs.  After months of hard work, Walker held the first “test” in 1933 with 2 Labradors, 3 Poodles, 2 English Springer Spaniels and 1 German Shepherd. After the initial competition, interest in this sport gained momentum. She wrote this in the AKC’s newsletter:

Test classes could become popular-not only to prove the value of developing a dog’s brain, but also in interesting the average visiting public at a show.  The judging of dogs in the breed classes is a mystery to many, but a series of tests displaying the dog’s brain is something they can actually see. Read more

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! What is that flying through the air!? Why, it’s a dog with a disc in its mouth! BestBullySticks.com continues in the great realm of Dog Sports this week with a look into Disc Dog!

What is Disc Dog?
A game of high intensity fetch with a flying disc. You throw. They catch. That’s the basic concept.  However, the details of this dog sport do get a bit more complicated. This sport is all about teamwork and training. But more on that later!

Why aren’t we saying “Frisbee?” The word “Frisbee” is actually a trademarked word for a specific brand of flying discs. In this Dog Sport the term “disc” is preferred.

History
The rise of Disc Dog goes hand-in-hand with the rise of flying discs in the early 1970s. However this sport was popularized after a very smart and gutsy college student jumped the fence at a nationally televised baseball game. Alex Stein, then 19, hopped over the outfield fence at a Los Angeles Dodger and Cincinnati Reds game in 1974. He and his dog, Ashley Whippet, immediately dazzled the crowd with their high intensity, fast-moving routine. Some of Ashley’s stunts included 9 foot leaps into the air!  After performing for eight minutes, Stein & Ashley were finally escorted off the field. But it was too late. His exploitation of the national audience paid off and Disc Dog was a new national phenomenon. Stein & Ashley preformed at many high profile venues and events after their publicity stunt including the White House and the Super Bowl.

Ashley Whippet is still a legend in the Disc Dog sport today. He is the standard by which all other competitive Disc Dog’s are measured. Today, at least four continents organize Disc Dog competitions to enjoy this great way to bond with their dogs!

Play
There are two basic types of play. Each is a one dog/one person competition. Read more

It’s time again to delve into the great world of Dog Sports with BestBullySticks.com! We won’t go too heavy on the sports commentary here, but we will let you in on one of the most exciting canine competitions out there: Flyball!

What it is Flyball?
Fast paced, “Edge of your seat,” nail-biting excitement. If you’ve never heard of Flyball, you’re in for a great time. This sport might be a new favorite!

More specifically, Flyball is a two-team dog sport where teams compete in a hurdle jumping & ball fetching relay race. A dog must run and jump quickly over a series of low hurdles in a line, step on a spring-loaded pedestal releasing a tennis ball, catch the ball, then return back over the hurdles to the starting line with the ball in tow. We’ll talk more about the specifics later, so let’s talk about how this crazy dog sport got started!

History
Flyball was started in Southern California in the late 1960s, early 1970s, and since then the sport hasn’t really divulged from its origins. The architects of the sport combined scent-based hurdle racing with a retrieval of a tennis ball, which was carried back to the starting line. The actual box apparatus that releases tennis balls wasn’t added until later.

The first Flyball tournaments were held in the U.S. in 1983, but since this sport has spread to the UK, Germany, Australia, Canada and South Africa. These European countries have especially jumped on Flyball and hold an International European Flyball Championship each year.  

Field & Play
Now let’s talk about specifics!

Is Your Dog Right for Flyball?
The all-important question. The “players” of this dog sport tend to be Border Collies, but one of the beauties of this sport is that any dog can play. Mixed breeds are common because there are the most commonly owned dog. Labs and Australian Shepherds are also great at this sport. Whippets and Miniature Poodles have even been known to compete in Flyball. As long as your dog has lots of energy to burn, is willing to be trained and you are happy to teach, Flyball is an extremely rewarding and fun way to bond with your dog! Read more