The first time I took our Labrador retriever mix for a walk, she peered about warily, with her tail tucked down. Her fear didn’t surprise me; she’d had a rough start in life. When she was less than a year old, her owner had threatened to abandon both her and her puppies before we adopted her.
Flash forward to now. She and I recently competed in our first agility competition. She raced confidently around the ring, soaring up and over the various obstacles. She had a doggy smile on her face and her tail was high the entire time. I credit taking her to agility and earlier to rally obedience classes, for helping her to gain confidence.
Training and competing in dog sports provides many benefits to both you and your dog. It’s a great way to bond with your dog, plus it gives the dog (and you) mental and physical stimulation.
Here are my tips for doing your best in your first competition and beyond.
Find a good instructor. You can learn and practice the skills without taking a class, but having an instructor who will point out what you’re doing right and wrong is helpful. One note, there are many different techniques in dog training. I personally believe that positive training is best, and if you agree, be sure to find a trainer/instructor that teaches positive techniques.
Find supportive classmates. You’ll learn from watching others. Plus it’s rewarding to be around other people who are learning, and who will cheer you on.
Cover the basics well. Practice and make sure your dog knows the basic skills really well. Sit, down, heel, stay, and come are the foundation of nearly every dog sport. Also have a good “watch me.”
Keep practice short. At home, keep practice sessions positive and fun for your dog, and for yourself. Practice for five to 10 minutes at a time.
Practice in different settings. Once you have the basics down, practice in various settings, and around different types of distractions. Go to a park and practice with kids playing nearby on a playground. Go to Lowe’s or another store that allows dogs, and practice commands there. This will help your dog learn to ignore distractions, plus she’ll learn to generalize the commands to everywhere.
Everything in one spot. Have a training bag filled with all of the items you need for class, and for trials. For starters, you’ll likely want your dog’s training/competition collar and leash, a bottle of water, dog water bowl, and poo bags.
Participate in practice show ‘n gos. Some training clubs have practice shows. These are set up like a real competition, but you’re able to train your dog while you’re in the ring. You can give treats, repeat obstacles and exercises, etc. It’s a good introduction to competition.
Visit trial locations early. If possible, take your dog to the venue before the trial, or get there early. This will help familiarize yourself and your dog with the location.
On competition day
Bring a crate. You’ll want to bring a crate as a place for your dog to go in while you walk the course, and also if you need to use the restroom, and check in. It will also give your dog a place to chill out. Of course, teach your dog how to relax in a crate before the competition.
Cover it. Bring a blanket or sheet – or some kind of covering – to put over the crate. It should help your dog feel more secure.
Bring treats. You can’t take treats into the ring with you, but bring some to give before and after your run.
Bring a water bowl and water. Your dog might get thirsty.
Bring a chair. Most venues don’t provide chairs so if you want to sit, bring your own.
About awards. At least in my area, the judge at obedience and rally obedience trials calls all the qualifying dogs back into the ring at the end of each group, and acknowledges the qualifying dogs, and announces the placements. In agility, the trial secretary puts the qualifying and placement ribbons out for each person to grab on their own. This keeps everything moving along.
Bring extra shoes. If it’s predicted to rain on the day of the trial, bring extra shoes to wear when taking the dog outside to potty, and bring a towel or two to dry your dog off after potty breaks.
Plan potty time. Take your dog outside to potty as close as possible before your turn in the ring.
Dress for the event. Wear athletic clothes if possible. A shirt and pants that are comfortable for moving and running, and running shoes.
Bring your patience. You may (will) have to wait a while for your turn, so bring your patience.
Bring your sense of humor. You never know what will happen, but it will likely be funny so be ready to laugh.
Have fun! Go with the mind set to just have fun. No matter what happens, you have the best dog. So relax, have fun, and enjoy spending time with your best buddy.
There are my thoughts to help you get started in dog sports. So go get started! Both you and your dog might gain a whole new world of possibilities.
Gina Parsons - Writer 