ACTIVITIES WITH YOUR AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER
Besides the events ran by our Club, there are a number of other activities that you can do with your American Staffordshire Terrier. These are great at keeping your dog mentally stimulated, along with strengthening your bond with your dog, as you work together to complete courses and tasks.
TRACKING
A dog's ability to track – that is, to follow a scent trail – is well known. Man has utilised this ability for centuries. Dogs have helped the hunter to find game and food. In France, dogs hunt for exotica like truffles. Dogs have been used by police to hunt criminals and by search and rescue workers to find lost people.
Tracking is something that all dogs can do. It is a natural instinct for a dog to use this ability. From birth, a puppy makes its way to its mother’s nipple for a drink. How? The puppy is born blind. It uses its sense of smell.
The dog's tracking ability is extremely acute; we still don't fully understand the dog's capabilities in this area. The dog's olfactory sense is much, much more greatly developed than humans. Dogs naturally track for food; we could call this their hunting instinct. We don't have to teach a dog to track; we use their natural instinct to teach them that we want them to follow a certain track.
In Australia, most tracking dogs and their owners are involved in tracking as a recreational sport. Many people who have trained their dogs to compete in obedience or agility trials also train them to track and then enter tracking trials where they compete for Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) titles. All types of dogs complete in these trials from toy breeds such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to larger gundogs and working breeds like German Shepherd Dogs and Rottweilers.
For more information on how to get started and involved please visit http://www.trackingclubvic.org.au/
A dog's ability to track – that is, to follow a scent trail – is well known. Man has utilised this ability for centuries. Dogs have helped the hunter to find game and food. In France, dogs hunt for exotica like truffles. Dogs have been used by police to hunt criminals and by search and rescue workers to find lost people.
Tracking is something that all dogs can do. It is a natural instinct for a dog to use this ability. From birth, a puppy makes its way to its mother’s nipple for a drink. How? The puppy is born blind. It uses its sense of smell.
The dog's tracking ability is extremely acute; we still don't fully understand the dog's capabilities in this area. The dog's olfactory sense is much, much more greatly developed than humans. Dogs naturally track for food; we could call this their hunting instinct. We don't have to teach a dog to track; we use their natural instinct to teach them that we want them to follow a certain track.
In Australia, most tracking dogs and their owners are involved in tracking as a recreational sport. Many people who have trained their dogs to compete in obedience or agility trials also train them to track and then enter tracking trials where they compete for Australian National Kennel Council (ANKC) titles. All types of dogs complete in these trials from toy breeds such as Cavalier King Charles Spaniels to larger gundogs and working breeds like German Shepherd Dogs and Rottweilers.
For more information on how to get started and involved please visit http://www.trackingclubvic.org.au/
AGILITY
Agility is a fast, exciting, fun activity for you and your dog. Agility involves competitors directing their dogs around obstacle courses in an attempt to both negotiate the obstacles correctly and ‘beat the clock’. The obstacles comprise various types of jumps, ramps, elevated walks, poles that the dogs weave through, different types of tunnels and a see-saw.
Participation in agility training or trialling is great fun. It enables you to provide a release for the energy of your pet and yourself in a way that can be much more interesting and exciting than simply taking your dog for a walk. It helps your family pet to become more responsive to you and also helps you to gain more control and have a more obedient dog. Agility is an exciting way to enhance your leisure time with your dog. In many suburbs of Melbourne and country towns and cities throughout the state there are clubs which, for a modest fee, provide training in agility during the weekends, weekday evenings or both.
To find an agility club or for more information, please visit http://www.dogsvictoria.org.au/GetInvolved/Agility.aspx
Agility is a fast, exciting, fun activity for you and your dog. Agility involves competitors directing their dogs around obstacle courses in an attempt to both negotiate the obstacles correctly and ‘beat the clock’. The obstacles comprise various types of jumps, ramps, elevated walks, poles that the dogs weave through, different types of tunnels and a see-saw.
Participation in agility training or trialling is great fun. It enables you to provide a release for the energy of your pet and yourself in a way that can be much more interesting and exciting than simply taking your dog for a walk. It helps your family pet to become more responsive to you and also helps you to gain more control and have a more obedient dog. Agility is an exciting way to enhance your leisure time with your dog. In many suburbs of Melbourne and country towns and cities throughout the state there are clubs which, for a modest fee, provide training in agility during the weekends, weekday evenings or both.
To find an agility club or for more information, please visit http://www.dogsvictoria.org.au/GetInvolved/Agility.aspx
LURE COURSING
Regardless of the breed of dog, they are able to run and enjoy themselves in a safe and controlled environment. There are no dangerous obstacles which they can run into and the area is enclosed within KCC Park, owned by DOGS Victoria. This area is fully fenced and gives the dog the perfect opportunity to play a sport that comes closest to what they do naturally... to chase off lead.
The equipment used is quite simple and consists of 300 metres of fishing line strung around several pulleys set into the ground to form the course. A plastic bag is tied to the line and is powered around the pulleys by a battery-operated motor. The operator can stop the lure at any time and can change direction as well.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Victoria run Lure Coursing almost every month. For more information, please visit http://members.optusnet.com.au/ashtar1/new_page_2.html
Regardless of the breed of dog, they are able to run and enjoy themselves in a safe and controlled environment. There are no dangerous obstacles which they can run into and the area is enclosed within KCC Park, owned by DOGS Victoria. This area is fully fenced and gives the dog the perfect opportunity to play a sport that comes closest to what they do naturally... to chase off lead.
The equipment used is quite simple and consists of 300 metres of fishing line strung around several pulleys set into the ground to form the course. A plastic bag is tied to the line and is powered around the pulleys by a battery-operated motor. The operator can stop the lure at any time and can change direction as well.
The Rhodesian Ridgeback Club of Victoria run Lure Coursing almost every month. For more information, please visit http://members.optusnet.com.au/ashtar1/new_page_2.html
