Dog Olympics is primarily a competitive sporting event where your dog competes in various athletic and non-athletic activities.
The type of events involved varies widely between each dog Olympics game and can include limbo, howling contest, frisbee toss, high jump, best trick, most extended tail, and most prolonged stay.
Are there dog Olympics events held around the world?
There is no massive worldwide dog Olympics event where countries compete against each other. However, worldwide, several smaller events are held each year.
These events help raise money for dog-related charities or rescue groups. As well as being a fun family day out, dog Olympics provides an excellent opportunity for your dog to show off their skills. They also offer socialization opportunities for your well-behaved dog.
What Are Dog Olympics Events?
There are many types of competitive dog events you can enter your dog. Some of the most popular include:
Herding Trials or Sheepdog Trials
Trials are events where dogs move a group of animals (usually sheep) from one area in a field to another under their owner’s instruction. Obstacles make it more difficult for the dog and sheep to negotiate around, over, or through them. These obstacles are things like bridges, gates, or enclosures.
Dog Frisbee or Disc Dog Events
In disc dog competitions, dogs compete in a team of two (one human and one dog) in distance catching and freestyle catching events. The dog is thrown a flying dog disc and then runs after it to catch it, and then points are awarded. Freestyle, however, is quite different.
Freestyle is where teams show off their short, choreographed routine to impress the judges and the crowd.
Is dog agility in the Olympics?
Dog agility Olympics is where a handler guides their dog through an obstacle course. These events score the time taken to complete the course and how accurately the dog navigated it. Handlers cannot use any incentives to guide their dog and only do so using body signals or their voice.
What are “tracking” dog Olympic events?
In “tracking” events, dogs use their most powerful tool, their sense of smell. Here dogs have to navigate a scent trail to locate a ‘missing’ item or person; primarily, the course becomes a search and rescue event for the dog.
In the beginning, scent trails are usually up to 500 yards long and are laid between 30 minutes and two hours before the dog starts. The more accomplished dogs can compete on trails up to double this length. The path is laid with scent up to five hours before the start.
Dog Olympic Games
While serious dog Olympians will compete in the ECF European Championship in England this fall, several canine games are happening across this country that offers something for everyone.
“It was never meant to be real serious competition. It’s all fun,” says Anne Solis, a spokeswoman for the Doggie Olympics, sponsored by the Larimer Animal People Partnership. This event began 16 years ago as a way for owners to bond with their dogs. Here’s a look at this and other similar competitions:
Doggie Olympics, Fort Collins, Colo.
Organizers offer 14 different games in four divisions: competitive, fun, junior handler (for owners 15 and younger), and senior dog (for dogs older than 10). Participants register in advance if they want to be eligible for medals.
Some 150 dogs compete, but many more dog lovers and their dogs show up to cheer on the competitors, laugh at their antics, and cruise vendor booths, says Solis.
Among the more popular events is the hot dog retrieve, in which dogs race to recover a hot dog from a bucket of water and return it to their owners. It’s OK if the hot dog comes back either “internally or externally,” says Solis.
The Monday morning obstacle course
It is a crowd-pleaser, as owners coach their dogs through a course that mimics the routine of getting a kid ready for school, including the struggle to put a T-shirt on the dog.
The event also offers demonstrations of up-and-coming dog sports — another way to encourage dog owners to spend time with their dogs. The Doggie Olympics occasionally draws participants from as far away as South Dakota and Wyoming.
“We start in March, and it takes a lot of hours from a lot of volunteers to pull it off,” says Solis. This year’s Olympics take place in September.
North Carolina State University’s Dog Olympics
Each fall, North Carolina State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine holds the Dog Olympics in Raleigh, N.C., to raise funds for local rescue groups. “It’s become a great community event,” says spokesman David Green. “We encourage people to bring their dogs even if they don’t compete.”
Whether your dog is a star athlete or a lap sitter, the Dog Olympics offers the potential for stardom for you and your dog. Competitions include a Frisbee toss, a high jump, an owner/dog look-a-like contest, and Best Trick and Longest Tail awards.
An Olympic Village
Also provides booths where veterinary students can share information with dog owners. “We make it an opportunity to do some teaching,” says Green.
The school sets the schedule for the Olympics once it knows the football schedule. Search for “N.C. State” and “Dog Olympics” online this summer to learn the date and more information.
Woofstock Dog Festival
Are you looking for some fun dog competitions near you? Dog festivals also often offer games. At the Woofstock Dog Festival in Roanoke, Va., there are no Olympic rings or medals but plenty of opportunities for competition for you and your dog.
Games include stupid pet tricks, pet/parent look-alike contests, bobbing for hot dogs, and a lucky duck game, in which dogs pick squeaky ducks for prizes. Of course, the duck is prize enough for plenty of dogs, says Waynette Anderson, president and owner of Sponsor Hounds, which sponsors the event.
“It’s all just fun games,” says Anderson, who adds that dogs can either directly participate or sit in their owners’ laps and enjoy the day.
You can generally expect a relaxed attitude and plenty of “Atta-boys” and “Atta-girls” at dog Olympic-style games across the country. “To me, it’s my happiest day of the year,” says Anderson. “I’m very inspired by dogs.”
What are Rescue Dog Olympics?
These fun-filled festivals can be found countrywide and organized to promote and encourage people to adopt a dog rather than buy one. Rescue dog games allow people to have fun with their dogs while participating in various fun-filled games and events with other dog owners and their dogs.
There are also plenty of opportunities to talk with volunteers who work with rescue dogs and even meet and adopt your new best friend.
Dog Olympics at Home
The Olympic athlete in your family may be the one you pet in bed every night. Your dog can be an Olympian, even without years of preparation and dedication, and the fun can begin at home. You can play a vast array of games and activities with your dog and your dog-loving friends.
Dog Olympics at Home Game Ideas
Snoopy Says
In a canine version of Simon Says, dogs and their owners must follow Snoopy’s instructions, but only if Snoopy says so.
Doggy Limbo
Split the dogs by their size – small or large. Have them shimmy under a low bar to see how low they can go.
Dog Disc
Compete against your friends to see who’s dog can catch the most discs.
Doggy Running Races
The dogs are lined up at the start line. The owners call their dogs and the first dog to reach their owner and sit is the winner.
Tail Wag Off
Owners stand facing their dogs and, through only talking to their dog, attempt to get their dog to wag their tail. The dog with the best wag is the winner.
If you would like further ideas on the best activities to do with your dog, check out our article ‘The Best Summer Activities for You and Your Dog.’
Article written by Author: Kim Boatman and The Dog Daily Expert
