# how did you decide?



## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

How did you decide what activities to pursue with your dog(s)? 

When I first started thinking about what to do with my dog, I considered things like nose work or participating in therapy dog-type activities. They seemed like easy activities for the handler, especially someone as uncoordinated and graceless as me. 

Now that I have Katie, I think she'd enjoy something more active. I plan to try a few different classes with her, but have trouble knowing if she's enjoying them.

Thanks!


----------



## SDRRanger (May 2, 2013)

I looked based on what my dog seems to like and what his personality would suit. He's very calm and good for being fawned over so we're going to try the therapy dog evaluation in the fall. I did a basic obedience class with him (as I figured it would help us bond) and based on that and his athletic ability we decided to try agility and he seems to be having fun. 

We'll do whatever seems to keep him interested and mentally happy.


----------



## zhaor (Jul 2, 2009)

I'm still waiting for competitive napping to catch on. I know my dog would be a champion.


----------



## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

Well, yesterday Maisy (who is shorter than knee high and only 5 months old) jumped a 5 foot span from a porch railing (so not much of a running start) to get over a 6 ft fence. This cemented in me that she needs to go into agility. I also plan on doing competitive obedience with her, but I will start in Rally I think because sometimes it seems she is smarter than me (and I'm no dunce.)


----------



## GottaLuvMutts (Jun 1, 2009)

I tried everything of interest that was available in my area and waited to see what would stick. 

Flyball definitely didn't stick - Kit loved it, but I hated being nothing more than a cheerleader.
Disc stuck. I've loved frisbee since I was a kid and I've even played on a couple of ultimate teams. With a little training, Kit became an expert.
Agility stuck big time. The instructor of the disc class was big into agility and encouraged me to pursue that. He recently became our agility instructor.
Nosework stuck. Kit goes bananas for nosework and it's cheap and easy for me to do on my own. We practice on our own about once a week, but haven't competed.
Therapy work would be a disaster. She *adores* everyone she meets, so I know she'd love it. Even so, we'd get kicked out in a heartbeat cause she'd be jumping in laps and slathering everyone in kisses. She's just too much dog for someone who is old and frail.
I'm pretty much convinced that both Kit and I would *hate* obedience and rally. For me, watching those activities is like watching paint dry. Ditto for conformation showing (though she's a mutt, so that's a mute point).


----------



## voodookitten (Nov 25, 2012)

Im waiting to see what they love - and if I love it too, win win.

I'm hoping Kylie will love Agility and Treiball.

And we are trying Kayla out with Docking when the weather warms up a bit here.

BUt if they dont like them, we can always find something different


----------



## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

I don't, my dogs do.I have done a lot of sports that I dont enjoy at all because my dog loves it, and I enjoy doing it for them.


----------



## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Thanks for the comments. I guess my next question, how did you know your dog enjoyed a particular activity? I really can't tell if Katie enjoys certain things. For example, in class, she mostly just barks when we're not actively working (thus, I try to keep her working all the time). Is she happy? Excited? Bored? The instructor said she seems to enjoy classes, but it's the basic dog sport class that is a pre-req to all other sport classes. Would someone want to interpret my dog for me?? 

Agility and freestyle have been suggested, but I don't know how much is because the instructors think she'd enjoy it and how much is because it's the instructors' specialty.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Right now I'm just trying everything I can find to see what we enjoy. I decided before I got Watson that I wanted to try obedience and rally, though I'm not committed beyond a CD and RN which shouldn't be outrageously hard to get. At that point I'll evaluate if we're having enough fun with it to keep going. I'm not sure about agility, but we will try it one day. We are going to try dock diving at the end of July, but doubt we would compete in it. I didn't initially intend to stick with nosework, but Watson is obsessed so we'll keep doing it. Some day I plan to get his TDI certification and work with kids, but he needs to mature first. 

I also feel some responsibility to put titles on him as a prospective breeding dog. I'm not a big fan of conformation at this point, but finishing him is necessary, so I'll give it a shot. This is also my main reason for wanting a nosework title. He's bred to find and flush birds, and since I won't be putting a hunting title on him I think nosework is a good way to show he has the necessary instincts. If it wasn't for the future breeding issue I would just do nosework for fun around the house.

I don't have a problem figuring out what Watson enjoys. He is very expressive and it's easy to tell if he enjoys an activity or not. So far he's liked just about everything, though conformation is his least favorite - he just isn't interested in standing still where I have placed him. He does enjoy going to shows, trotting around the ring, and especially having judges handle him, so it's not like he hates it - it just wouldn't be his first choice of activities. Nosework is clearly his favorite and his drive for that is pretty intense. Obedience is somewhere in between because he likes working with me and doing movement oriented things like heeling or recalls, but staying in one place isn't particularly fun.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

cookieface said:


> Thanks for the comments. I guess my next question, how did you know your dog enjoyed a particular activity? I really can't tell if Katie enjoys certain things. For example, in class, she mostly just barks when we're not actively working (thus, I try to keep her working all the time). Is she happy? Excited? Bored? The instructor said she seems to enjoy classes, but it's the basic dog sport class that is a pre-req to all other sport classes. Would someone want to interpret my dog for me??
> 
> Agility and freestyle have been suggested, but I don't know how much is because the instructors think she'd enjoy it and how much is because it's the instructors' specialty.


To me it sounds like she's eager to work with you, hence the barking. Watson is very similar. The dogs in class who don't especially enjoy it just sit there and their owners have to work to keep them actively engaged. Of course, some dogs enjoy class and are also good at relaxing while there, but I think the ones who are excited and ready to go are the most interesting to watch with their owners. 

For Watson, I can tell by the huge doofy smile on this face whether he enjoys something or not. When he's not enjoying things, he puts his head and ears down, and generally looks uncomfortable.


----------



## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

I'm willing to try most activities and gauge Jubel's interest and go from there. He enjoys any class really as it's going out and doing something with me but I can tell which classes he likes more based on how excited he is in class. The obedience classes we've done are fun simply because we are out doing something and he's getting treats, agility was fun for him but not something I was that excited to pursue, nosework he absolutely LOVES. So we are focusing on nosework right now and he's having a blast. 

Things I'd like to try with another dog in the future would be dock diving and flyball. Jubel does NOT want to swim and isn't very ball/fetch motivated so neither of those would be a good fit for him. I wanted to try treibball with him but I was the only one who signed up for the class and it got canceled, not sure how he'd do with that or how much he'd enjoy it but I was willing to try.

Jubel is like Kit when it comes to possible therapy work. He LOVES everyone but it isn't a subdued affection, it's an in your face "Hi!!! I love you and want to be your friend. Kisses for all!!!" Not the calm, gentle "pet me" attitude suited for therapy work. He's also a really busy body and would be sticking his nose in everything, on top of food not being safe from theft.


----------



## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

Not sure what breed you have but I think a good starting point would be to consider the breed's natural tendencies. For example: Border Collie / herding; Pit / weight pull; Terrier / earthdog; PWD / dock diving; GSD / schutzhund, etc. If it's agility or obedience or freestyle etc, then I think just about any breed can excel if both partners are willing. 

Which brings me to my next point - most activities are 'team' oriented, so both members should have at least a nominal amount of interest and enjoyment in order to be successful at it.


----------



## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Thanks again!

I'm trying to think of things Katie (she's a standard poodle) seems to enjoy. She likes to chase things (balls, other dogs, yard critters), but she isn't always good about retuning thrown items (as in fetch). She seems to like to jump and will go _over_ barriers meant to be gone under. She loves to run, especially in snow and sand. She sniffs and will follow scents, but I don't know if she does it more or less than other dogs. She's not fond of water, but I think that could be overcome (she jumped in the ocean while chasing a gull and wasn't expecting to get wet - I think that experience turned her off to deep water).

I've volunteered at obedience matches and agility trials. I think I'd enjoy agility more just because it seemed more relaxed. As much as I like seeing poodles doing poodle-type activities, I don't want to do hunting/retrieving. Not sure I'd enjoy tracking as I'm not super outdoorsy. Maybe rally or freestyle would work for us, along with agility.

Therapy work wouldn't be a good idea now as she's still very bouncy and enthusiastic about meeting people. Maybe when she's older. Or maybe not since I really don't like people.

What frustrates me is that people tell me, "she has such an expressive face," but I don't know what she's saying. I've watched videos, read books, looked at pictures - I can see it in other dogs, but not her! I think my best option is to try several different classes, take notes on her demeanor, and ask the instructors for advice.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

If your instructors think she's expressive, maybe they can tell you what they're seeing so you can look for it. When you do things in class, does she seem eager to move forward and work with you, or does she hang back and look confused?

I think most dogs who enjoy learning and working with their owners could do lower level agility, obedience, or rally, so it's really picking something you're excited to do with you dog and going with it. A dog who doesn't like the activity will let yo know. Katie sounds like a dog who wants to do things with you and train, so it probably won't matter too much to her what you pick, as long as she can be working with you.


----------



## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

its usually pretty easy to tell, I am very much against conformation showing, I did not seek out a show dog etc.. I showed Baby because when she was in the ring, she lit up, all the people watching her and cheering her on and clapping? she was in her element, and I enjoyed it because her joy made me happy. what I WANTED to do with her was hunt trials but aside from the not retrieving thing she was very disengaged in classes it took a LOT of effort to get her interest, people would be jumping around in front of her waving their arms and squealing and she would not even glance in their direction, every part of the training had to be forced. 

Gem is easy..she hates to run but she loves obsticals, she loves agility but would not enjoy bike joring type sports, she hates to pull and stares at me like I'm nuts if I try to run with her. im actually suprised she likes agility but she loves the obsticals so I guess that cancells out the running thing for her lol. she also loves to move with her sticking to my side, maneuvering around me etc.. so Rally is her element as well.


----------



## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

This is one of the videos I have of Jubel doing nosework. This is a happy dog doing what he loves.


----------



## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Well, I got this Alaskan husky and I live in Minnesota, so I thought I should try my hand at this skijoring thing. And then it turned out that Maisy LOVES it. So yea.

Otherwise, I've just tried a variety of classes and stuck with things I clicked with. The only thing I had no interest in was flyball, partially because it's just not my cup of tea and partially because my dogs don't really seem suited to it. Otherwise we've done some beginner agility, nosework, tricks classes, and rally. Rally is my favorite of those. 

I would really like to try Squash in a nosework class (I've done it with Maisy but not him yet), because every once in awhile he stops dead while we're mushing and just air scents for awhile when I can see nothing whatsoever and Maisy isn't reacting. But the place I want to take it at won't have it offered until the fall most likely.


----------



## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

When I first got Sam, I had hopes of him being a therapy dog. However, he is the type of dog that just really doesn't care for being petted by strangers. He loves being loved on by his family, but really just doesn't want to be touched by people he doesn't know. So, I nixed that as a goal. I might be able to train him to tolerate it, but I'd rather follow something he actually enjoys.

Agility poses worries for his bones and joints and generally isn't something that really big dogs do well at. I have seen videos of St. Bernard's doing agility and while it looked like the dog was having fun, I just don't see it fitting Sam's personality.

I looked at Rally and obedience and I think those might be a good fit for him. He loves to learn a new command and I'd love him to be very well trained. SO, those are still on the list.

Skijorring and bikejorring are also still on the list. He's strong and while we might be slow, it would still be fun to be out with him in the snow and on the trails. That will have to wait until he's 2 or older, though, for the sake of his bones and joints.

Schutzhund is something I never thought I'd consider for a dog of mine, but it seems like it might be a good fit. He LOVES to tug and I like the obedience part of it. We're exploring that as well.

SO...I guess you'd say that my dog sport interests are driven by his interests. I get the most enjoyment out of seeing him doing something HE enjoys and I'm willing to adjust my goals and expectations to suit him. My list shifts and changes as he shifts and changes and who knows what all we'll end up doing together. For me, that's the important part...that we're both enjoying it...TOGETHER.


----------



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I really like agility. It's just a lot more fun for me. My current dogs enjoy it most days (yesterday was a bum practice but usually we do well). Future dogs will be chosen with aptitude for agility in mind just because it really is what I enjoy best.


----------



## Jacksons Mom (Mar 12, 2010)

I like agility best I think. I have a dog that really loves it and I knew he would, because he's very agile in his every day life, but it's also fun for me and exercise. 

I do wanna TRY some rally possibly but it seems like it would bore me. I really wanna try nosework too but I'm not sure I can justify paying $175 just to let my dog sniff, which he does every day in the yard looking for bunnies, lol. But I do kind of want to give it a whirl anyway. 

I think dock diving is one I really can get into though. He looovess to swim and he jumps into the pool at my dads house but I haven't got him to jump off a dock yet. But I found this awesome facility near my house that has open swim every Thursday, of course I've only gone once, as something has come up every other week. But I'm going this week yay. I really loved the vibe I got from our first dock diving event though, everyone is so nice and helpful, and I was worried people would look at me funny with my 16lb yorkie trying to do dock diving, but no one did.


----------



## DJEtzel (Dec 28, 2009)

I just tried everything and looked for what the dogs liked the most and what I enjoyed the most.


----------



## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

I had gotten Lars to do competitive obedience and hadn't really considered agility at that point. I put him in a foundation class and he was seriously into it. That's why I have become an agility convert. Ocean loves agility so right now...that's his gig. Because he's a little suspicious of things by nature, he may have too much time to over think and possibly worry about things he doesn't need to worry about in competitive obedience. I'll have to see how that turns out as he grows up. Agility suits him well because he's moving too fast to be concerned about ring crew and the judge in agility. 

If I had unlimited time and funds...I would do Schutzhund with both dogs on top of obedience and agility. I think they would enjoy that sort of work too since they both have successful IPO dogs in their lines. 

I have been recently wondering about the future of competitive obedience with all of these cool dog sports that are gaining popularity. When I started showing my rescue...there wasn't rally, therapy dog work, nose work, trieball, (I don't think I spelled that right) lure coursing, etc. Agility has exploded around here and lots of trials fill on the first day and you have to overnight entries...and you still don't get in! That's unheard of in obedience. Competitive obedience is a hard sell to those people who are new to dog sports...they all want to do agility or rally or something else they consider "fun" and less formal. I think in the next ten years, competitive obedience as a sport will be in some major trouble.


----------



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I do nosework just because the dogs like it and the group that does it here is really neat people. I just enjoy hanging out and taking trips to work our dogs places. Nosework is Mia's calling. 

I am really interested in disc but don't have a dog to do it. Dock diving looks... like something I might dabble in. maybe if the dog likes it but I don't see training for it. My trainer is starting disc though with her terv so hopefully once I get Nextdog there will be disc options around here. I REALLY want to do that with the next dog.

Tried rally and it bored me. Competitive obedience would be even worse. My trianer is trying to get me to sign up Summer for treibball and tricks classes but I think she just loves Summer, haha. I've done one treibball class with Mia before.

I've gone to a flyball practice and it seems neat but the time commitment is just too much. I MAY try with Nextdog depending. It would have to be a specific situation where Nextdog is not AKC registerable but would need to be intact for breeding so I couldn't PAL it until after it is bred, which would prevent much agility from happening. Then I could see joining the flyball team. But around here the flyball team travels a lot and is very competitive. They're often competing on big agility trial days. Probably not likely I'll do the aforementioned scenario but it's in my mind..

Agility is where it's at though as far as I'm concerned. It's got a lot more variation in it and a lot more handler participation than some sports. No course is ever the same. There's always something new to learn!


----------



## MrsBoats (May 20, 2010)

Laurelin said:


> Agility is where it's at though as far as I'm concerned. It's got a lot more variation in it and a lot more handler participation than some sports. No course is ever the same. There's always something new to learn!



This is my feeling too...if given the choice, I will choose agility over obedience. I look at agility as a huge puzzle and how to I successful navigate us through it correctly. It's never the same and there are so many skill sets to learn and teach your dog. Everyone has a different way to teach something. Agility will make you a creative dog trainer. 

I continue to do obedience because Lars is so damn good at it. But, yes...it can get boring because it's the same exercises but in different order. I find a lot of the people in the higher levels of obedience to take it WAY too seriously. They really have brought down the fun factor in the sport. I think it's kind of funny (and sad) how spun up they get over it and it can be intimidating for newbie handlers. I keep dragging my feet on getting out there with Lars in Utility and I honestly think it's because I don't want to jump into the "Shark Tank" with those people who suck the fun out of the sport. I could totally walk away from competitive obedience and be completely okay with it. Rally is more exciting because the courses are usually different and some of the things I've seen judges lay out make you think (like a right turn right in front of a jump.) You can communicate with your dog and it's supposed to be fun.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

I'm new to dog sports, but I look at agility vs obedience like jumping vs dressage in horses. I love jumping, and it's fun to work out a course and then go through it at speed. I also think it's fun to develop the subtle level of communication required for dressage, but I didn't always feel that way. I think Rally might be a good blend of the two for us.


----------



## Faux (Aug 5, 2013)

I think Phoebe's niche is Flyball. She gets so revved up for it! She liked agility okay, but it wasn't as engaging for her I guess. Flyball is doing what she does best! She loves to sprint, and bounce off of things. She literally bounces off walls, so doing turns on the box was a breeze for her. She also likes balls, and more importantly tugging! 

She also really loves doing frisbee with me! The disc is huge for her! She'll do about anything for it. She LOVES jumping, and even more so, jumping off of me haha.

I'm not really sure what my other dog is going to like. I had planned disc and flyball for him, but he can't. So we'll see if something less active suits him. He just likes making me happy.


----------



## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

I do what makes my dogs happy. Thats my only goal. If the dogs are not happy doing something (even if I love it!) then we will find something else. I train my dogs hard and push them to be the best they can. I love having them working.  I can tell they love something by the way the act. If I have to try to hard to engage them then something is wrong. They should want to be working, training, competing, etc. Some of my dogs cry and jump around as they wait for their turn and that is usually a great sign. I have tried different sports with different dogs. Sophie hates water so no dockdog for her. Max hates rally, its too boring for him and he lays in the corner of his crate and I have to call him a few times before he comes out to have his turn. Over time I have found what each dog loves. It took some time...and money. lol. Some of the dogs were easier than others to match with perfect sport. 

*Damon-* Agility, Dockdog, and we are starting Flyball soon. (I hope to compete in Agility.)
*Max-* Dockdog. He LOVES it. We also do Flyball. (I hope to compete in Dockdog soon.)
*Piper-*Dockdog, agility, and tracking. (We will not be competing.)
*Sophie-*Agility (We will not be competing.)
*Jasper-*Rally, herding, carting basics, tracking. We start flyball in the fall. Dockdog summer 2014. Treibball Spring 2014. Agility once I get his OFA (elbows and hips) done. I had hopes of him being a therapy dog but that is not likely to happen. He does not like strangers too much, and hates his head being messed with. Jasper is my pride and joy, haha, he enjoys almost anything that I try with him. As long as I am there he would do just about anything. (I hope to be competing in Herding, rally, and tracking, by fall 2014. I had to push back when I wanted to start competing because of his injury. ) Now that he is having joint problems I have to keep that into consideration as well. I do not want to hurt him. It breaks my heart he might not be able to do some of the things he loves anymore. :'(


----------

