| Canine performance events are diverse. Here are some examples of SMKC students and members partaking in other dog events outside of Agility, Obedience, or Conformation. Hunting Tests Campbelltown SwampLilly JH NA SH CGC "Bring home the Bacon" at a recent Hunt test. A Hunt Test is supposed to represent as near as possible a real life hunting situation. There can be multiple guns and birds in the field. All of this is done over varying terrains and types of field cover including entering into water. Dogs must remain steady while other dogs work, returning to the handler when called and gently returning the "game" to the hand. They must also respond to whistle commands and hand casts in order to take direction to the fallen game that only the handler saw go down, this is called "a Blind Retrieve." Lure Coursing FCh. Zanzibar's Aruba at Jaytea, SC "Ruby" Lure Coursing, March 2004 - Courtesy of Joanne RonningThe purpose of non-competitive lure coursing tests is to offer sighthound breed owners a standardized gauge to measure their hounds' coursing instinct. The competitive lure coursing trial program aims to preserve and develop the coursing skills inherent in the sighthounds and to demonstrate that they can perform the functions for which they were originally bred. The eligible breeds are: Whippets, Basenjis, Greyhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Afghan Hounds, Borzois, Ibizan Hounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Scottish Deerhounds, Salukis and Rhodesian Ridgebacks. - from the American Kennel Club website www.akc.org http://www.akc.org/events/lure_coursing/index.cfm Weight Pulling "Zuli" Weight Pulling - Joanne Ronnning Weight pull competition tests a dog’s strength and stamina based on the dog’s ability to pull a maximum amount of weight on a sled or cart over a prescribed distance within a prescribed amount of time. Scores are based on the amount of weight pulled and the amount of time required to complete the pull. The type of weight vehicle may vary according to the surface of the pull area. - from the United Kennel Club website www.ukcdogs.com Dock Dogs DockDogs--"Big Air" - by Jean Stavely Photo from ESPN "Great Outdoors Games" Website http://espn.go. com/gog04/dog/s/desc_dog_bigair.html After starting her flying career "on a lark" so to speak, my Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Abby (CH Waterways Hurricane Abigail CGC), earned a qualifying Senior (distance) jump at Middleburg VA last autumn. We then went to BassPro in Baltimore for our first DockDogs event this year and got a 1st and two 2nds, finishing in second place overall (160+ entries). At Cabela's in Hamburg PA she even blew me away with jumps of 20' and 20'8" as her best so far. She finished her Senior Jumper title and got those two Master qualifiers (both 1st place), ending in 3rd place overall that weekend. My big dead grass boy, Teddy (WindRidge Butch Cassidy) started that day and took a 1st in Juniors. The following weekend at the Norwalk CT Oyster Festival & the 1st Annual Kiki Classic, Abby garnered some more Senior level jumps, finishing 6th place overall and getting us some incredible prizes from various sponsors. Teddy is totally taken with the idea of jumping into a big swimming pool all by himself and continued taking Junior awards to finish his Junior Jumper title. These dogs get so psyched up at this event it's wild! Learn more about Dock Dogs at www.dockdogs.com |
