Denver Dog Works specializes in canine sports We offer a variety of classes and training programs to prepare you and your dog for an active lifestyle. Our trainers have years of experience in specialized training and we would love to make your dream come true, whether it is dog sledding, agility, or just AKC's Canine Good Citizen Test, we can help.
There is an almost endless number of possibilities you can pursue when wanting to participate in sports with your dog. The degree of competition and popularity varies, along with what kind of sports certain dogs excel in, but it is a lot of fun to peruse all the different opportunities out there for the 4-legged athlete in your home. Below you'll find a sample and brief description of some of the sports available to canines.
Note: All dogs must be under your complete control before enrolling into any advanced obedience or canine sports program. A free evaluation with one of our certified trainers will assist you in finding the right class for your dog.
Peak Performance Training at Denver Dog Works
At Denver Dog Works we offer a very unique training program. It is called Peak Performance. Peak Performance encompasses two training disciplines. There are many combinations that our team of trainers can design for you. The most popular is combining basic obedience with an introduction to a sport such as tracking. Why combine the two because you are getting the best of both worlds. Your basic obedience program will be focused on your goal, teaching your dog how to track, and not just on the basics.
At Denver Dog Works
Peak Performance is offered in two ways:
8 Lessons
4 lessons of basic obedience or Canine Good Citizen and 4 lessons introducing you to a sport discipline
Peak Performance Web Only Special: $600.00 (Regular Price: $800.00)
16 lessons
8 lessons of Sport 1 and 8 Lesson of Sport 2
Peak Performance Web Only Special: $800.00 (Regular Price: $1,500.00)
What are Canine Sports?
Agility
Denver Dog Works offers a foundation class for those interested in fastest growing canine sport, agility. We also work with several local trainers and clubs that can train you and your dog to be one of the fastest agility teams in the area.
Bikejoring
If you're already comfortable with skijoring, or if you've had success with canicross, you might consider bikejoring. This qualification sequence is deliberate, as bikejoring is exhilarating but can quickly test all your skills! Adding dogs to the cycling equation changes the handling characteristics of the bicycle, and introduces an element of unpredictability. The point here is not to discourage bikejoring, but to suggest that candidates become comfortable with each of the elements first, especially controlling the dogs while in motion as well as being a competent cyclist. Once you're at that point you may consider combining these skills and attempting bikejoring.
Canicross
Canicross is the sport of running or walking your dog in harness with similar equipment to that used for skijoring. Canicross is not simply walking or running the dog. In canicross the dog pulls you, just like in skijoring. Your hands are free because your dog is attached at the belt.
Canine Good Citizen
The purpose of the American Kennel Club's Canine Good Citizen Program is to ensure that our favorite companion, the dog, can be a respected member of the community because it is trained to act mannerly in the home, in public places and in the presence of other dogs.
Competition Obedience
If you are looking for precision and are looking to compete Denver Dog Works offers competition obedience in every level through OTCh. Dr. Forto has had the pleasure of titling several dogs in his career and trained many others. If you are looking for results, check out our competition obedience training programs.
Conformation
Dr. Robert Forto and his Siberians are well known in the mushing, obedience and conformation circles. He strives to produce a working dog that is versatile in the show ring, in the obedience trial and on the trail. He believes in brains with a smidge of beauty. Dr. Forto's Siberians have titled several times in the conformation ring and he knows what it takes to get you there. If you have a show dog in the mist you should contact us for a conformation evaluation and a training plan to make him/her a Champion!
Dog Scootering
If your dog loves to run, if you can't walk him enough, if he pulls your arm off, if you would not want your mother or daughter to walk him, if driving to the dog park each night is difficult/boring/expensive, if the Iditarod grabs your imagination, try the new dog sport: dog scootering. Slip your dog into a sled dog harness, rope him to a scooter, hop on the scooter and let him run. The dog and you become a mini mushing team. You ride the scooter; he runs and pulls. Scooter dogs can run for a few city blocks or for 5 to 20 miles on back country trails. You and the dog are a team.
Dock Diving
First appearing on ESPN in 2000, dock diving is a sport which is similar to long jump in track & field. Dogs leap off of a 40 foot long dock into a long pool after a lure thrown by their handlers. Inside the pool is a fixed measuring device. The winner is simply determined by the dog who jumps the farthest. Dogs are categorized as Novice, Junior, Senior, Master, Elite, or Super Elite jumpers based on the distance they can clear from the dock. Any breed of dog is able to participate in dock diving. Labrador Retrievers seem to excel in the sport.
Flyball
Flyball is a relay race with 4 dogs on a team. The course consists of a starting line, 4 hurdles spaced 10 feet apart and a box. The dogs jump the hurdles and steps on a spring loaded box that shoots out a tennis ball. The dog catches the tennis ball and then runs back over the 4 hurdles. When the dog crosses the starting line the next dog goes. The first team to have all 4 dogs run without errors wins the heat.
Hunting
We work in conjunction with several local trainers to assist you in your goals of making man's best friend your hunting companion. Whether it is flushing, pointing, or retrieving, our proven training techniques will get you and your dog in the field faster and with better results than most other trainers in the area.
Mushing
Denver Dog Works offers a mushing training program. Dr. Robert Forto was a professional musher for 15 years and knows how to build a winning team. If you are interested in running the next big race or just a small recreational team we can help!
Rally-O
Rally-O is the next big thing in canine sports. It is the next logical step after completing the AKC Canine Good Citizen Program. Rally-O is a fun, family-style event held several times a year at dog shows, obedience trials and local training clubs. If you are interested in staying active with your dog this is the sport for you.
Schutzhund
Schutzhund competition is comprised of 3 different tests: tracking, obedience, and protection. The sport was originally created to determine which dogs were the most trainable, motivated, and generally suitable to be working dogs. To compete a dog in schutzhund you must have a very solid foundation in obedience before any other training can be done. Not all dogs can become competitors in this sport. Breeds which excel in schutzhund include German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, and Doberman Pinschers, among other dogs originally bred for working/
Skijoring
Skijoring a canine sport where a dog (or dogs) provides additional power to a cross-country skier by running and pulling. The skier wears a skijoring harness; the dog wears a sled dog harness; and the two are connected by a length of rope. The dog must be motivated by its own desire to run, and respond to the owner's voice for direction.
Tracking
Tracking, trailing and other forms of scent work is a partnership in which you are asking the dog to do for you what you cannot do for yourself. Just about any dog can learn to track.
Weight Pull
Weight pull is a sport in which the competing dog is tested to see how much weight he can pull over a distance of 16 feet within 1 minute. The dogs are connected by a special weight pull harness to either a wheeled cart or a sled. On these devices some sort of weight (usually cinder blocks) are added in increments until the dog reaches its maximum (determined by its ability to pull the weight the alloted distance). Handlers are not allowed physical contact with the dogs during their pull attempts; they may stand at the end of the 16 foot track and encourage the dog to pull, but it is only the dog's motivation to pull the weight that will get it to the end of the track.
