MSNBC.com: Teaching your dog to swim safely, 2008-Jul-8, by Mike Celizic: Some dogs have to be taught to swim, Wendy Diamond of Animal Fair magazine said, and others, like bulldogs, take to the water like submarines take to the Cross Bronx Expressway. For the former, there is hope. For the latter, there are those bright orange canine flotation devices. Among the dogs that swim naturally and gladly, she said, are water spaniels, setters, retrievers, Barbets, akitas, Kerry blue terriers, poodles and Hungarian pulis. Among those that can’t swim at all or swim only with great difficulty are basset hounds, bulldogs, dachshunds, pugs, corgis, Scottish and Boston terriers and greyhounds.
Sports
Have a Happy Hike with your Dog
Trail Journals 2007: Hiking with a Dog, 2003-Mar-25, by "Superman" Jim Thompson: Both you and your dog will have a better hike if you train your dog for the trail. All of the things listed above are pretty easily learned due to the repetition of these events on the trail. You simply have to be consistent in what you expect from your dog. You get to hold the leash so that means you’re the one in charge. Taking an ill suited pooch on a long hike is not good, unsafe and unfair to everyone. Your dog should be your best friend and you will both be happier if it is trained for what you are doing. Hiking is not just taking your dog to the woods and walking.
City Mushing
It's pretty hard to imagine this product until you see it, but active dogs can now pull the owner of a scooter along while the person, not the dog, does the steering. The same guy also has developed an adult-sized trike. These products are fun for everyone but especially for adults with some physical disability. Dog Powered Scooter: Introducing the first dog-pulled devices which...give the rider precision steering control of the
dog. Easy to ride, safe and appropriate for the urban environment, making dog
mushing accessible to every breed, age of rider, location, and season.
Born to Jump
Excuse me, I'm new to this thing of embedded video (so behind the times!) but you have got to see the dog with pink ears jumping double dutch! She's quite the little athlete. These are happy dogs.
Link: YouTube - Jump Rope Dogs.
Dock Dogs on TV
In the fast-growing "Dock Dogs" sport, trainers throw a toy off the end of the dock and the dogs can win by jumping the highest or furtherest into the water. Learn how your dog can participate at www.DockDogs.com.
DockDogs will be televised exclusively on Outdoor Channel beginning in October...featuring head-to-head competition between North America's top dock jumping teams in both the Dock-Diving (long jump) and the Extreme Vertical (high jump) competition. Top qualifiers in each region will be invited to compete in the National Championship finals. This seven-part original series featuring America’s fastest growing canine dock jumping competition can be seen Thursday evenings at 9 PM.
Wallace the Pit Bull, Champion Disc Dog
Andrew Yori maintains a wonderful site for dog athletes, especially Pit Bulls. WallaceThePitBull.com: With the help of some others, my wife and I were able to pull him out [of the shelter] before he was put down. The negative comments kept on flowing even after we had pulled him out though. However, after qualifying for the 2005 Skyhound World Finals in pairs freestyle 9 months after we brought him into our house and having a full page article in the local paper, the talk didn't have a whole lot of validity and stopped.
5th Annual Classic Sheepdog Championship
A few years ago, artist Mark Petersen saw a sheepdog competition in Britain and decided it was exactly what he and his border collie back at home needed to do. So he founded the Soldier Hollow Sheepdog Trials. USA Today: Thousands flock to see sheepdogs - USATODAY.com. 2007-Aug-31, by Brian Passey: Handlers praise Petersen for making the competition popular and for providing social opportunities for the handlers in the event, which, Petersen stresses, is "a dog competition; it's not a dog-eat-dog competition." ... "I know this sounds kind of corny, but we go because we love the dogs and the people," says Herbert Holmes of Sanderson, Texas, who is president of the U.S. Border Collie Handlers Association. See the winners for 2007.
Surfing Dogs Raise Money
This year's Surf Dog Surf-A-Ton will be on Sept. 9, 2007, benefiting the Helen Woodward Animal Center in San Diego. Surf Dog Surf A Thon: How does a Surf-A –Thon work ? Surfers and Dogs will raise money per wave they ride for animals. Surfers and Dogs will get their friends to sponsor them by pledging money per wave they catch. (ie $1.00 per wave or $10.00 per wave) Surfers and Dogs will estimate the number of waves they think they can catch so they can collect pledges prior to the Surf-A-Thon They will raise money by the number of waves they catch in one hour. This should encourage everyone to go out in the water and cheer each other on, and have a great time.
How to Play Fetch
The more athletic your dog, the more likely he may be to over-extend himself playing fetch, hurting his neck, jaw or back. To avoid injuries, check out this story, which includes comments from many owners of active dogs who've confronted the "fetch problem."
AgilityNerd: Safe Fetch Games?, 2007-Aug-4, by Steve Schwarz: A number of trainers/handlers just won't play fetch games with their dogs. ... An alternative to not playing fetch is to have your dog wait with you in a stay, throw the toy and then release your dog to get the toy when it is stopped. I'm not too happy with this approach as our dogs tend to twist their head and neck dramatically as they rocket up to the toy and snatch it from the ground while not really slowing down. ... My final idea is to throw the toy/disc so it "leads" just ahead of your dog and your dog runs up to the toy and grabs it while not breaking their stride.
Bulldog Picks His Own Sport
Are you having trouble finding the right exercise program for your dog? Maybe you haven't exposed him to enough options yet. When a friend of his owner brought over a skateboard, 1-year-old English bulldog Chief hopped on board and taught himself to use it. You can see in this brief video clip how much the dog enjoys his discovery: WCBSTV.com - Amazing Video: Skateboarding Bulldog, 2007-May-10
