About the Club and its Varied Members Activities

ABOUT OUR MEMBERS VARIED ACTIVITIES

As members of the Albany Kennel Club, each of us supports the advancement of Pure-Bred Dogs, and our members have varying interests in the sport of Dogs. Some show dogs in Breed Conformation shows and some may be involved in companion dog events such as Obedience and Agility. Because of this variety of interests our club is a well rounded knowledgeable group. Other members may participate in Tracking, Carting, Field Trials, and Therapy Dog work. The following page shows some examples of the variety of things our members participate in. We hope that you too are involved with your dogs, as this can only strengthen the bond between People and Dogs. Like our members, there are many other activities available to you and are listed at the end of this page. —

What do you do with your dog?

NOTE:

Photos on this page:

By Members of the

Albany Kennel Club, Inc.

BREED CONFORMATION

Dogs are judged on how close they conform to their own breed standard. The winner of each breed competes in one of seven recognized groups, then the seven winners of each group compete for the overall Best-in-Show. The best dogs accumulate points and can then be called Champion.

OBEDIENCE

Dogs compete in Pre-Novice, Novice, Open and Utility Classes each with a higher level of skill. They must Heel, Sit, Down, Stay, Come, and perform Figure-8’s. At the higher levels, dogs will perform retrievals of a dumbbell and must drop on command. And at the highest level, they must perform based on hand signals and must find the correctly scented article from a pile of un-scented articles.

TRACKING

Here dogs must follow a trail of scent that was laid down by a person at an earlier time. The course can zigzag and even cross over streams. The dog must follow the track and find the person or object at the end of the trail.

AGILITY

A fast paced activity where dogs negotiate over and through various obstacles such as the A-frame, Teeter-Totter, Tunnel, Chute, and various Jumps and High Walks in the shortest time. Points are awarded and faults issued for how well the dog performs each station. The quickest time with the least amount of errors wins!

FRISBEE

Another fast paced challenge. Dogs leap and catch Frisbees thrown by their owners either singly or in rapid succession. A dog can perform twists and flips off their owners lap or back as they reach heights unknown, to catch the plastic flying disc.

WATER RETRIEVALS

Great fun, exercise and keeps your dog cool during the dog days of Summer. Dogs are taught to retrieve a bumper thrown from the shore for the fun of it. Advanced learning may include whistle commands, hand signals, and multiple bumpers and dogs are taught to ‘honor’ another dogs bumper throw.

THERAPY DOG VOLUNTEERS

Share the love of your dog with those in Nursing Homes and Hospitals. Certified Therapy Dogs bring a smile to an ill child. It has been shown that petting a dog increases the well being of the elderly and children. It breaks up the day, jogs the memory and initiates conversation for those in nursing homes that lead a rather mundane life.

CARTING

Working dogs were the farmers best friend. These days Carting is a fun sport. Dogs can be taught to pull wagons, carriages, sulkies and the like. They master the Gee and Haw (left & right), will perform Driving and Backing exercises and can even perform carting tasks as a team of dogs, called a Brace. Carting is also a competitive dog sport you may participate in.

SCHUTZHUND

Schutzhund is the art and practice of protective or police dog work. Dogs are trained to negotiate obstacles including a sheer wall, narrow high walks, and tracking. Training usually involves some sleeve work, where dogs are trained to detain a fleeing person.

Other Activities not depicted here are:

FIELD TRIALS: Carried out in part on horseback, this mock hunt allows the handler to show off the dogs ability to hunt for and retrieve game and fowl. The dog needs to be able to take hand signal and whistle commands as they work with the hunter in the field.

RALLY OBEDIENCE: Dogs perform obedience exercises as directed by signs, moving from station to station on a course layout.

JR. SPORTSMANSHIP: For Juniors age 9 to 18 years old, this competition showcases their dog handling abilities and sportsman-like behavior.

IDITEROD: Dog Sledding. A team of sled dogs, pull a sled filled with gear and a person over snow cover trails. This race usually takes several days and covers many hundreds of miles.

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON THESE, OR ANY OTHER ACTIVITY WITH YOUR DOG, START BY SEEING THE

AMERICAN KENNEL CLUB (AKC) WEB SITE.

HERDING

Herding is using dogs to control the movement of livestock or foul, including preventing stock from escaping, corralling stock in a corner, overseeing a grazing area and preventing stock from going into other areas of the farm.