Ready! Set! Go!
Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Not me! Tomorrow I am taking my older girl, Sera to Bark Week in Greenback, TN. There we will try our hands and paws at some new events and I could not be more excited to see what she can do!
Working my dogs has always been an outlet for my own stress and energy, but it also gives me a way to bond with each of my dogs individually and in a unique way that they, too can enjoy. Now, for those of you who don’t know me very well, I have six dogs. Every one of my dogs enjoys working, but each of them has one skill set that they excel at and love. Remember, every dog is different, so finding that one thing that really gets them motivated and makes them tick can be a game changer for your training and for your relationship with your dog. My dogs are all the same breed (Cane corso), but enjoy very different arenas of training.
Fiddle lives for head pats and belly rubs. She is my therapy dog and the one I use as my demo dog when I give dog safety seminars for kids. Snickers is my obedience girl all the way. Her eyes never leave me and she is always eagerly awaiting a signal or cue from me, ready to execute the next command. Emmy is my show princess and fully lives up to the tiara she earned when she became a champion in the conformation ring. Waylon is my handsome protector and, even though his best friend is a cat, a bad guy might find himself in need of a change of pants after attempting to threaten me in a dark alley. Bella is still a work in progress, as she has been with me the least amount of time. She is eager to please, extremely toy driven and she loves the flirt pole. She might enjoy trying lure coursing (Fast CAT) or dock-diving. Sera is the oldest of my dogs and will be 7 years young in August. She has prey drive like no other, is fast and agile, and loves nose work and tracking. This weekend we will put those skills to the test in some events new to both of us!
First, we will be testing her tracking ability and agility skills in an event called Barn Hunt, where she will have to tunnel and climb through a maze of hay bales in search of a live rat. Don’t worry, no rats are harmed in Barn Hunt; they are in fact treated like royalty! For more information on this event, please click on the link.
https://www.akc.org/sports/title-recognition-program/barn-hunt/
We will also be testing Sera’s prey drive and speed in an event called Fast CAT. This event is essentially the dog-version of the 100-yard dash. Here she will chase a lure as fast as she can and will be timed to determine her speed. She will earn one point for each mile per hour of speed to work towards a title. Please click on the link below for more information on this event.
https://www.akc.org/sports/coursing/fast-cat/
Bark Week will not only include Barn Hunt and Fast CAT, but also Farm Dog, Dock Diving, Up Dog, Trick Dog, CGC and CGCA testing, NADD and NADAC. Attending events like this one, whether as a spectator or a participant, can be a great way to find something fun and new for you to do with your own dog as well as give you some goals to work towards. So come join us to learn, watch some amazing dogs and handlers, have some fun and help cheer us on!
These are all American Kennel Club events and are open to all AKC registered dogs. So if you haven’t already, get your dog registered with AKC, either in the purebred registry or in the mixed breed (AKC Canine Partners) registry, and let’s get you started!
Wish us luck and I hope to see you all there!
Side note:
I will try to keep you all posted on our adventures this weekend as time allows. But when we get back, I will get back to business and continue with the socialization blog. Stay tuned!
~Heather