Jersey loves her dock diving sessions at PJs Canine Club! Labrador Retrievers were bred to spend long, cold days tirelessly retrieving ducks out of ponds and wetlands for their owners so her genetics definitely shine through in the pool!
While she may only be retrieving a bumper, this is still an appropriate activity to fulfill her needs and it is important for us to meet the needs of our specific dogs for their mental and physical well-being. Dog sports are a super fun way to try something new with your dog, meet new people and satisfy their needs.
Sporting breeds (retrievers, spaniels, pointers, setters, etc) of course love to play fetch but they also love to use their nose as they would do finding a dead bird in thick marsh grass. Jersey loves to compete in rat hunting trials as well where using her nose is the only objective! Scent work (which can be done at home and can be as easy as playing hide and seek with treats), hunt trials, lure coursing, and tracking are all options to get their nose working.
Other dogs like herding breeds (collies, cattle dogs, shepherds, etc) are super intelligent, VERY high energy as they were bred to work cattle and/or sheep all day long. Exercise is very rarely enough for them (especially not just a leash walk around the block) and they need positive outlets for their drive. Agility, FastCAT, disc, and flyball are all great sport options for these fast paced, quick thinking dogs but scent work, rat sports and trick training are great options for mental stimulation. Remember; tiring out their minds is more important than trying to tire out their bodies!
There are MANY other sports out there to suit every dog. Canicross, bikejoring and scootering are “pulling” sports, suitable for huskies or any breed that wants to pull weight behind them!
Protection sports (IGP), obedience sports (rally, heelwork, etc) are also other options, obedience in particular is a very breed-friendly sport for any type of dog that has a willingnes