Events
Agility
Agility is designed to demonstrate a dog's willingness to work with his handler in a variety of situations. It is an athletic event that requires conditioning, concentration, training and teamwork. Dogs and handlers negotiate an obstacle course racing against the clock.
The York County Dog Training Club participates in agility that has been established by the American Kennel Club (AKC). The AKC offers three types of agility classes. The first, Standard Class, includes contact objects such as the dog walk, the A-frame, and the seesaw. Each of the contact obstacles has a "safety zone" painted on the object and the dog must place at least one paw in that area to complete the obstacle. The second is Jumpers With Weaves. It has only jumps, tunnels and weaves poles, with no contact objects to slow the pace. The third is FAST, which stands for "Fifteen and Send Time." This class is designed to test the handler and the dog team's strategy skills, accuracy, speed and distance handling.
All classes offer increasing levels of difficulty to earn Novice, Open, Excellent and Master titles. After completing both an Excellent Standard title and an Excellent Jumpers title, handler and dog teams can compete for the MACH (Master Agility Championship title).
AKC agility is open to every registered breed. From tiny Yorkshire Terriers to giant Irish Wolfhounds, the dogs run the same course, with adjustments in the expected time and jump height. The classes are divided by jump heights in order to make the competition equal among the different sizes of dogs. Beginning in 2010, mixed breed dogs also will be able to compete at AKC agility trials and earn titles and ribbons.
The York County Dog Training Club (YCDTC) has been involved with AKC Agility trials since the creation of the club. The YCDTC recognizes the importance of the teamwork that is developed between the dog and the handler through agility training and competition. Because of this, the YCDTC focuses on providing opportunities to enhance agility capabilities through training, education and competition.
The YCDTC sponsors seminars by leading agility handlers/instructors so that people can learn new techniques that can be applied to personal training regimens and their competitive experiences.
The YCDTC also sponsors two AKC agility trials during the calendar year, competition events where people take the skills they have learned to the competition level in a fun and positive way. These trials also provide an opportunity for the YCDTC members to be actively involved through volunteering at trials. Through the participation of the club membership, the reputation of the club exceeds the boundaries of the local area. The reputation of the club is truly reflected by the membership's dedication and commitment to strengthening the relationship between the dog and the handler.
Earth Dog
Small terriers and Dachshunds are breeds of dogs that were bred to "go to ground." Earthdog is a sport that allows the dogs to demonstrate their natural hunting aptitude when exposed to an underground hunting situation. Trials take place outdoors in all types of weather. The York County Dog Training Club holds four trials each year - one weekend in May and one weekend in November. It is a lot of fun for dogs and handlers!
The first level in Earthdog competition is called Introduction to Quarry. At this stage, the dog goes underground into a ten-foot tunnel that has one ninety degree turn to find the quarry (rats in a cage) at the end of the tunnel. The owner releases the dog near the entrance to the tunnel. The ground from the release point to the tunnel entrance and the floor of the tunnel are scented with the smell of the rats. The dog must follow the scent to the quarry in a given time period. Once the dog reaches the caged rats, he is required to "work the rats" (barking, digging, growling, lunging, biting at the bars in front of the rats' cage) for thirty seconds in order to qualify. While the rats are safely protected in a wire cage behind wooden dowels, the dog believes that he is able to "get the rats!" In fact, this is often the command used when the handler releases the dog to find the quarry. While there is no official title for successful completion of Introduction to Quarry Class, it is an excellent way to expose dogs to this type of competition and a great way to see if a dog is a natural Earthdog.
The American Kennel Club titles for this sport are Junior Earthdog, Senior Earthdog, and Master Earthdog. Each level requires the dog to complete a more complicated hunting task, including investigating false dens and locating the correct dens at the Senior and Master levels. Recall skills also become very important at these advanced levels.
It's easy to get started in Earthdog. Your dog already may be showing you signs of his hunting instinct every day as he excitedly follows and/or barks at squirrels and rabbits in your yard. If you see this natural instinct coming out, your dog is ready to give Earthdog a try. The York County Dog Training Club offers occasional practice sessions for new and experienced dogs. If your dog is built sturdy to get dirty, give Earthdog a try!
Obedience
Isn't it a pleasant fantasy to imagine a family where every member knows what is expected of him or her and (Are you sitting down?) -- complies? This is not unachievable with either the human OR canine members of a family. The bottom line is learned basic standards of behavior, and this is where obedience enters the picture.
Some of our club's most popular classes are in basic obedience for puppies and adult dogs. This means learning basic commands, such as sit, stay, and come, which could be a life-saver in certain situations. The first step for more advanced obedience training begins with the AKC's Canine Good Citizen (CGC) title, which can be earned by any dog, purebred or mixed breed, and is offered by the club many times throughout the year. This tests your control over your dog in situations such as walking quietly on leash through a crowd, sitting/staying, coming when called, and remaining calmly with the tester for several minutes while you leave the room.
The American Kennel Club (AKC) offers several levels of obedience competition and titles. The first level for competition in an obedience career is the CD (Companion Dog). At this level, a dog must heel on and off leash, come when called, stand for a brief examination by the judge, and sit or lie down in a line with other dogs present around him.
Once attaining a CD title (after three qualifying trials), you and your dog might train for a CDX, Companion Dog Excellent. This level is performed all off-lead. Your dog must do a quick recall with a "down," retrieve a dumbbell, and do the same sits and downs, but this time for longer and without you in sight.
The UD (Utility Dog) title is the most challenging, as the dog has to respond to your nonverbal signals. (Talk about trust and teamwork!) The dog also has to demonstrate scent discrimination in finding two articles that you touched.
If you and your dog work hard and are successful at these levels, the UDX and OTCH titles await. The OTCH stands for Obedience Trial Champion, which is the highest level you can achieve in AKC obedience. It also means that you are one very special team!
Rally obedience is another event that builds on basic obedience skills. You and your dog move together through a course that consists of various exercises. Your dog might have to sit beside you, then lie down; heel beside you at a fast pace or a slow pace; walk 360 degrees in a circle to the left or right, or move through a set of traffic cones in a figure-8 pattern. The exercises become more complex as the handler/dog team progresses through more advanced levels, where the dog is off-leash. There are four titles you and your dog can earn in AKC Rally: Rally Novice (RN), Rally Advanced (RA), Rally Excellent (RE) and Rally Advanced Excellent (RAE).
The York County Dog Training Club hosts five obedience and four rally trials per year. Trials are held in the late summer and in January.
Obedience is fun for ALL dogs and their people! Most dogs have a natural desire to please their humans. All obedience training fosters the human-canine bond and is the basic foundation for all other performance events. A well-trained dog can be taken just about anywhere and makes dog ownership a real pleasure. Come give it a try and discover a new skill!
Tracking
Tracking is what our dogs do naturally when they are out for a walk. They detect the scents of various animals and people as they walk and often try to follow the ones that interest them. In tracking, you train your dog to follow a scent you choose for them.
That being said, keep in mind that even though all dogs can sniff, not all dogs can or want to track. Since a dog's sense of smell is thousands of times better than ours, we have no idea how a dog tracks. If the dog decides not to track, we can't "show" the dog how.
A track in an AKC test consists of a path through the outdoors, chosen and marked with flags by two judges and a tracklayer the day before the test, then walked the day of the test by the tracklayer. As the tracklayer walks on the day of the test, he or she removes the flags, except for the start flags, but leaves behind one or more personal items, such as a scarf (which could be the start article), a hat, or a shoe, and, finally, a glove, which is found at the end of the track. The track is then aged a prescribed amount of time and the dog and handler are brought to the start and must follow the track to the end, finding all of the articles left by the tracklayer. You have no idea where the track goes or how many turns there are. This is where learning to trust your dog and observing his body language really comes into play, but this all takes training.
It is an exhilarating feeling when you reach the end of the track and your dog stops at the glove! You passed the test!
The AKC offers titles for the successful completion of tracks of increasing length and difficulty. The three main titles are TD (Tracking Dog), TDX (Tracking Dog Excellent) and VST (Variable Surface Tracking). If your dog earns all three titles, he or she also earn the title of CT (Champion Tracker), which is then placed in front of the dog's registered name.
Tracking is an outdoor sport and tests are held in all but the most severe weather. Warm, weatherproof clothing is a must. Boots are a necessity. In advanced work, you and your dog must train for any kind of terrain. In advanced tests, you may need to climb fences, go across shallow streams, move through woods, high grass, and dense cover in all kinds of weather.
It is a lot of work for both you and your dog, but the rewards are so very gratifying!
Ready to go find that glove?