Dog Sports!
Dogs That Do It All
Not everyone agrees with that statement above. There's a growing problem in many breeds with the belief that show and working dogs can't all be one dog. There are now some breeds in the sporting group which have split into "show lines" and "working lines". Thankfully, the Field Spaniel has not succumbed to this and we work hard to maintain not only dogs that adhere to the breed standard, but dogs that can still work and do performance activities.
What is true however, is that all dogs are not created equal. When looking for a performance dog you need a dog with confidence and enthusiasm. Owners looking to get into dog sports should not only have a confident dog, but one that enjoys the sport(s) as much as they do! Fields can participate in: Agility, Barn Hunt, Obedience, Hunting, Dock Diving, Rally Obedience, Tracking, Nose Work, and Lure coursing. If you're looking to try any of these venues you want a dog that is going to rock it, not one you have to cheerlead along the way. This is why puppy selection on the breeder's part is so very critical (more on that here)!!!
AKC Recognized Performance Venues For Field Spaniels:
Agility: In agility, a dog and handler navigate an obstacle course as they race against the clock. In every trial the judge will lay out the obstacles in a different sequence, and the handler must decide how to run the course cleanly and efficiently. Typical courses include tunnels, jumps, an A-frame, weave poles, and a seesaw.Classes are divided by jump height to make competition equal among dogs of different sizes, so tiny toys and galloping giants can perform at the highest championship levels. If your mixed-breed exhibits confidence, energy, focus, and athleticism, you just might have an agility champ waiting to be discovered.
Barn Hunt: The sport of Barn Hunt is based on the hunting and teamwork skills historically used by “rat catchers,” who traveled the countryside ridding farms of vermin. Dogs and handlers work as a team to locate and mark rats (safe and aerated tubes) hidden in a maze of straw or hay bales. Legs, or qualifying scores, toward Barn Hunt titles are earned by the dog and handler team completing the course within maximum course time. Placements based on time are awarded, but Barn Hunt is a non-competitive event and teams do not have to beat other dogs to title.
Obedience: Dog-and-handler obedience teams compete at three levels: Novice, Open, and Utility. Novice work includes the basic training all dogs require. They must heel on and off leash, stay, stand for a simple physical examination, and come when called. At the Open level, the dog is required to work only off leash and for longer periods. There are also jumping and retrieving tasks. Utility adds still more difficult exercises, and the dog must perform scent-discrimination. The judge rewards the team performing nearest to perfect, as measured against AKC regulations.
Hunting: Hunt tests were designed to evaluate the abilities of various types of dogs by testing them against a standard. Committees that were comprised of representatives of the parent clubs of the breeds to be tested designed these tests. Dogs are tested at various levels and when the requirements of a level were met, the dog is awarded a title. In the case of the sporting breeds, these titles would be the Junior Hunter (JH), Senior Hunter (SH), and the Master Hunter (MH). The sporting breeds include spaniels, retrievers, and pointing dogs.
Dock Diving: If your dog loves the water and loves to retrieve, then the fun sport of dock diving should be a natural. The AKC began recognizing titles of the new North America Diving Dogs (NADD) organization in June 2014 so now you can also add a dock jumping title to your dog’s AKC records.
Rally Obedience: In AKC Rally, a dog-and-handler team negotiate a course of exercises according to sequentially numbered signs. The team works at its own pace, with the dog heeling from sign to sign. Each sign contains a pictograph that illustrates the particular exercise. Judges choose from 50 signs to design courses unique to each trial. Novice exercises are performed on a leash. The Advanced and Excellent classes are done off leash. Rally is less formal than traditional obedience. The handler may use signals, verbal encouragement, and body language to urge their dog through the course, and it isn’t scored as tightly, but the principles are the same: A biddable, energetic dog looking for a job to do is an ideal candidate.
Scent Work: AKC Scent Work is a sport that mimics the task of working detection dogs to locate a scent and communicate to the handler that the scent has been found. Scent Work is a positive, challenging activity that allows dogs the opportunity to use their strongest natural sense in a way that is fun, engaging, and that builds and strengthens a foundation of trust between the handler and dog.
Lure Coursing: The Coursing Ability Test (CAT) is based on the sport of lure coursing, in which sighthound breeds (Greyhounds and their fleet-footed cousins) test their instinct for high-speed pursuit by chasing a plastic lure over a course of straight-aways and turns. Unlike the hound-specific realm of lure coursing, CAT is open to all breeds and mixed-breeds.The democratic nature of CAT gives it a particular charm. A galumphing Newfoundland or prancing Pomeranian, to say nothing of mixes of all conceivable shapes and sizes, competing in a sport usually reserved for leggy, aristocratic hounds is a sight not soon forgotten.
Tracking: In a tracking test, dogs demonstrate the ability to follow human scent over a range of surfaces, from concrete and asphalt to grass and dirt. A dog-and-handler team works against the track, not against another team. Performance is judged with neither a stopwatch nor scorecard but on a pass/fail basis. Unlike in obedience and rally, where dogs respond to the handler’s commands, in tracking the dog is completely in charge. Many breeds are famous for their scenting ability, but any dog, purebred or mix, should have enough nose to complete a basic track.
Other titling opportunities:
Canine Good Citizen: This program is recognized as the gold standard for dog behavior. In CGC, dogs who pass the 10 step CGC test can earn a certificate and/or the official AKC CGC title. Dogs with the CGC title have the suffix, "CGC" after their names. Further titling can be obtained by completing the Canine Good Citizen Advanced (CGCA) and the Canine Good Citizen Urban (CGCU)
Farm Dog Certified: Open to all breeds of dogs, this test involves your dog performing a series of 12 exercises that are typical for a farm environment such as being in close proximity to livestock (who are always penned to avoid any altercations); jumping and staying on hay/straw bales; walking on unusual terrain; and jumping over logs. There is no herding involved. Instead, the goal is to assess his aptitude as a working farm dog by exhibiting self-control, confidence and trust with you or his handler.
Trick Dog: From the 1920’s and 1940’s when trick dogs such as Rin Tin Tin and Lassie won peoples’ hearts, trick dog training has become one of the most exciting new areas in dog training today. Dogs must perform a minimum number of tricks for each title. Titles start at Novice and go through Elite Performer. Fun Fact: Our very own Arnold was the first Field Spaniel to earn the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced titles.
Not everyone agrees with that statement above. There's a growing problem in many breeds with the belief that show and working dogs can't all be one dog. There are now some breeds in the sporting group which have split into "show lines" and "working lines". Thankfully, the Field Spaniel has not succumbed to this and we work hard to maintain not only dogs that adhere to the breed standard, but dogs that can still work and do performance activities.
What is true however, is that all dogs are not created equal. When looking for a performance dog you need a dog with confidence and enthusiasm. Owners looking to get into dog sports should not only have a confident dog, but one that enjoys the sport(s) as much as they do! Fields can participate in: Agility, Barn Hunt, Obedience, Hunting, Dock Diving, Rally Obedience, Tracking, Nose Work, and Lure coursing. If you're looking to try any of these venues you want a dog that is going to rock it, not one you have to cheerlead along the way. This is why puppy selection on the breeder's part is so very critical (more on that here)!!!
AKC Recognized Performance Venues For Field Spaniels:
Agility: In agility, a dog and handler navigate an obstacle course as they race against the clock. In every trial the judge will lay out the obstacles in a different sequence, and the handler must decide how to run the course cleanly and efficiently. Typical courses include tunnels, jumps, an A-frame, weave poles, and a seesaw.Classes are divided by jump height to make competition equal among dogs of different sizes, so tiny toys and galloping giants can perform at the highest championship levels. If your mixed-breed exhibits confidence, energy, focus, and athleticism, you just might have an agility champ waiting to be discovered.
Barn Hunt: The sport of Barn Hunt is based on the hunting and teamwork skills historically used by “rat catchers,” who traveled the countryside ridding farms of vermin. Dogs and handlers work as a team to locate and mark rats (safe and aerated tubes) hidden in a maze of straw or hay bales. Legs, or qualifying scores, toward Barn Hunt titles are earned by the dog and handler team completing the course within maximum course time. Placements based on time are awarded, but Barn Hunt is a non-competitive event and teams do not have to beat other dogs to title.
Obedience: Dog-and-handler obedience teams compete at three levels: Novice, Open, and Utility. Novice work includes the basic training all dogs require. They must heel on and off leash, stay, stand for a simple physical examination, and come when called. At the Open level, the dog is required to work only off leash and for longer periods. There are also jumping and retrieving tasks. Utility adds still more difficult exercises, and the dog must perform scent-discrimination. The judge rewards the team performing nearest to perfect, as measured against AKC regulations.
Hunting: Hunt tests were designed to evaluate the abilities of various types of dogs by testing them against a standard. Committees that were comprised of representatives of the parent clubs of the breeds to be tested designed these tests. Dogs are tested at various levels and when the requirements of a level were met, the dog is awarded a title. In the case of the sporting breeds, these titles would be the Junior Hunter (JH), Senior Hunter (SH), and the Master Hunter (MH). The sporting breeds include spaniels, retrievers, and pointing dogs.
Dock Diving: If your dog loves the water and loves to retrieve, then the fun sport of dock diving should be a natural. The AKC began recognizing titles of the new North America Diving Dogs (NADD) organization in June 2014 so now you can also add a dock jumping title to your dog’s AKC records.
Rally Obedience: In AKC Rally, a dog-and-handler team negotiate a course of exercises according to sequentially numbered signs. The team works at its own pace, with the dog heeling from sign to sign. Each sign contains a pictograph that illustrates the particular exercise. Judges choose from 50 signs to design courses unique to each trial. Novice exercises are performed on a leash. The Advanced and Excellent classes are done off leash. Rally is less formal than traditional obedience. The handler may use signals, verbal encouragement, and body language to urge their dog through the course, and it isn’t scored as tightly, but the principles are the same: A biddable, energetic dog looking for a job to do is an ideal candidate.
Scent Work: AKC Scent Work is a sport that mimics the task of working detection dogs to locate a scent and communicate to the handler that the scent has been found. Scent Work is a positive, challenging activity that allows dogs the opportunity to use their strongest natural sense in a way that is fun, engaging, and that builds and strengthens a foundation of trust between the handler and dog.
Lure Coursing: The Coursing Ability Test (CAT) is based on the sport of lure coursing, in which sighthound breeds (Greyhounds and their fleet-footed cousins) test their instinct for high-speed pursuit by chasing a plastic lure over a course of straight-aways and turns. Unlike the hound-specific realm of lure coursing, CAT is open to all breeds and mixed-breeds.The democratic nature of CAT gives it a particular charm. A galumphing Newfoundland or prancing Pomeranian, to say nothing of mixes of all conceivable shapes and sizes, competing in a sport usually reserved for leggy, aristocratic hounds is a sight not soon forgotten.
Tracking: In a tracking test, dogs demonstrate the ability to follow human scent over a range of surfaces, from concrete and asphalt to grass and dirt. A dog-and-handler team works against the track, not against another team. Performance is judged with neither a stopwatch nor scorecard but on a pass/fail basis. Unlike in obedience and rally, where dogs respond to the handler’s commands, in tracking the dog is completely in charge. Many breeds are famous for their scenting ability, but any dog, purebred or mix, should have enough nose to complete a basic track.
Other titling opportunities:
Canine Good Citizen: This program is recognized as the gold standard for dog behavior. In CGC, dogs who pass the 10 step CGC test can earn a certificate and/or the official AKC CGC title. Dogs with the CGC title have the suffix, "CGC" after their names. Further titling can be obtained by completing the Canine Good Citizen Advanced (CGCA) and the Canine Good Citizen Urban (CGCU)
Farm Dog Certified: Open to all breeds of dogs, this test involves your dog performing a series of 12 exercises that are typical for a farm environment such as being in close proximity to livestock (who are always penned to avoid any altercations); jumping and staying on hay/straw bales; walking on unusual terrain; and jumping over logs. There is no herding involved. Instead, the goal is to assess his aptitude as a working farm dog by exhibiting self-control, confidence and trust with you or his handler.
Trick Dog: From the 1920’s and 1940’s when trick dogs such as Rin Tin Tin and Lassie won peoples’ hearts, trick dog training has become one of the most exciting new areas in dog training today. Dogs must perform a minimum number of tricks for each title. Titles start at Novice and go through Elite Performer. Fun Fact: Our very own Arnold was the first Field Spaniel to earn the Novice, Intermediate and Advanced titles.