Dogs are not animals that are supposed to be kept inside in a safe environment all the time. That would be a disservice to the pet on the part of any pet owner. Instead, it is a good practice to take your dog, or cat for that matter, outside for a walk every day, this ensures they have proper exercise and a chance to enjoy the sun and clear sky.
However, mere walking is, in many ways, the minimum of physical exercise appetites for most pets. If you are willing, there are plenty of other things you can do to make your pet fitter, healthier and more involved in physical activities. And some of those can be the most popular dog sports.
Dog sports are just sports. Except here, dogs are competing with other dogs for different prizes. The pride associated with it may be an incentive for owners but the real reason in many cases is the physical and mental health as well as the prospects of consistent exercise activities.
In this blog piece, we will be looking at some of the popular dog sports you can teach your pet dog. What you do afterwards is up to you but in the immediate, these sports can be good for your pet in many ways.
Dock Diving
This sport is where dogs compete with each at jumping the farthermost while diving into a pool of water usually to retrieve something. The platform from which the dogs jump is a little higher than the pool level. The height and the length are the factors on which the dogs are judged.
Earthdog
In this game, underground tunnels and dens are made, artificially, where little dogs hunt a prey to win. The prey is, of course, safe in a box which the dogs can’t penetrate even if they catch it. The tunnels are constructed in a way that is safe and the difficulty increases with each level, just like in any other game.
Agility Challenge
The dogs are tested on how agile they are by virtue of a run through a variety of hurdles. These obstacles can be mazes, tunnels, jumps, or any other type. The dog that completes all the challenges first wins. You can be running alongside your dog to guide and encourage it.
Obedience Trial
Train your dog to follow your commands. A huge number of different commands can make your dog a challenger in this competition. Training your dog this many commands may take a lot of time but if you are serious about winning a challenge like this, you might as well do it.
Dog Racing
The simplest game in the world. The dogs run against each other for short to medium distances just like sprinters would in an actual competition. Of course, you need to provide your dog with a lot of training, proper diet and may have to spend a lot of time and resources on this “project” but all that would be good for the dog’s health as well as your health and fulfillment.
Hopefully, you now know enough about popular dog sports to give them at least a try with your pet. For more information about dogs and other pets, visit SunnydaysPets.co.uk.