AKC Sports & Events
Agility
Does your dog like to run and jump? If so, agility may be a great fit! Agility is a sport in which a handler guides a dog off-leash through a timed obstacle course, using body language and verbal cues to direct the dog through a specific sequence of obstacles, such as jumps, tunnels, and weave poles. It is an activity known for its speed and teamwork between the dog and handler. You can do agility with your canine partner for fun, as a hobby, or competitively. Want to learn more about agility? Click the buttons below to find more information about how to get involved with agility or sign up for a local agility training class.
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Fast CAT
Does your dog have a passion for chasing? Fast CAT (Coursing Ability Test) is a competitive dog sport where dogs chase a lure across a distance of 100 yards, earning points and titles based on their speed. Adjustments are made to points so small and large dogs alike can join the fun while ensuring fairness among all participating dogs. This exciting and adrenaline-filled event is open to dogs of all breeds, including mixed breeds, offering a fun opportunity for exercise and a chance to showcase their natural chasing instincts.
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Scentwork
Does your pup love to use their nose? Scentwork may be for you! Scent work is a sport where dogs use their strong sense of smell to find hidden target odors in different environments, such as inside various types of containers, rooms, outdoor areas, and even odors buried underneath water and sand. The sport encourages teamwork and communication between canine companions and their handler as they work together to find all the odors within a specified amount of time. When dogs find the source of the odors, they alert their handler to its location, and the handler rewards the dog at the source of the scent. Click the buttons below to find more information about how to get involved with scentwork or sign up for a local scentwork training class.
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Conformation
Is your pup the perfect example of their breeds standard? If so, you might consider showing your dog in conformation! Dog conformation is a competitive event where a purebred dog's physical structure and appearance are judged against its breed's written standard to see how well it matches the ideal traits for that breed. The main goal of conformation is to assess breeding stock, as dogs with good conformation are thought to be better at producing high-quality puppies that meet the breed standard. Hence, only unaltered (not spayed or neutered), purebred dogs are eligible to participate. A dog's conformation includes its overall appearance, skeletal soundness, movement, and temperament. The Crab Orchard Kennel Club offers a conformation dog show once per year in August.
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Barn Hunt
Barn Hunt is a dog sport where handlers and their dogs work together to find live rats inside aerated PVC tubes hidden throughout a course of stacked hay bales and tunnels. This sport mimics the work of farm rat-catchers (don’t worry – rats are safely confined inside thick protective tubes for this sport and are not harmed). Barn Hunt courses require dogs to navigate and climb hay bale configurations to find all the rats hidden beneath the hay. At more difficult levels, dogs must be able to find an unknown number of rats within a course and discriminate between tubes with live rats in them and tubes with distractors inside them (e.g., rat bedding but no rat). This sport creates a challenging, three-dimensional scent puzzle for your dog to navigate. Success requires the dog to use its sense of smell to locate the rats and the handler to identify their dog's signal to the judge that a rat has been found.
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Obedience
Obedience is a competitive dog sport where teams of handlers and dogs perform specific exercises to demonstrate the dog's ability to follow commands and behave as a well-mannered companion. Difficulty levels increase as you and your dog progress in the sport, requiring more advanced skills in behaviors like heeling, staying, recalling, retrieving, and jumping. All dog breeds, including mixed breeds, can participate in obedience. Click the buttons below to find more information about how to get involved with obedience or sign up for a local obedience training class.
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Rally
Rally is a timed sport in which a handler and dog team navigate a course marked by numbered signs. Each sign provides instructions to guide the team in performing specific obedience-based skills or movements, such as heel, sit, or spin. Dogs should stay on their handler’s left side and remain clearly under control throughout the course. Rally is a positive, team-building activity that strengthens the bond between dog and owner and is suitable for dogs of all breeds and backgrounds.
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FIT DOG
Walking is an enjoyable and accessible method to engage in physical activity that enhances muscle strength, promotes circulation, facilitates weight management, boosts energy levels, improves sleep quality, and alleviates stress. AKC FIT DOG Clubs are groups of dog handlers that come together to achieve walking goals, mostly various distance walks with their dogs. Participation in this program provides numerous health advantages for both handlers and their dogs by increasing physical activity levels.
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Fetch
Fetch is a program where dogs showcase their retrieving skills across different levels of difficulty. Some levels require the dog to retrieve objects on command, while more advanced levels also evaluate the dog's ability to retrieve items using a handler signal and to remember the locations of hidden objects. These objects are typically balls or bumpers, and the course includes various obstacles that may conceal the items.