#akc rally

[southerntchiorny]

There’s a reason my dad calls Kaiju’s gangly ass Snuffleupagus 🤣 He was pretty great this weekend though

Finished with a 3rd and 4th place, got two legs of his Rally Intermediate title, and so many compliments

[dalecorgi]

Thank you to the Santa Ana Valley Kennel Club for a well-organized event this past weekend!

Mr Link earned his NEW Rally Excellent title (pending AKC confirmation) with a 4th place finish, as well as his first Q in Master level.

Miss Dolly earned her 2nd Q with a 3rd place finish in Rally Excellent so she needs 1 more qualifying score to finish her Rally Excellent title!

Link

AKC: RE (pending) NAP NJP OFP BCAT TKA

NACSW Nose Work: NW2

Dolly

AKC: RA FDC BCAT CGC TKI

NACSW Nose Work: L1C L1I

[gar-a-ash]

And the video of our run! He scored 98 out of a possible 100 points and earned us first place, couldn’t be prouder. I do see a few hover sits he decided to fix halfway through the course, but honestly I’m just glad he did that stationary front. He tends to be 50/50 on whether or not he feels like doing them correctly lmao

If you’ve been following me for a while you know how long I’ve struggled with him, and after our last trial I was about ready to give up. But I’m glad I didn’t, because he finally decided to grow up this year and I couldn’t be happier. Love you Reese!

[elvenferretots]

My friend took some gorgeous pictures of TenSoon the first day of the trial, which entirely makes up for the club not having blue ribbons for his first place rally run and him not earning any ribbons in obedience (tried to befriend the judge off the broad jump???).

[theadventurek9]

We’re finally back to training! Been working on fixing Aayla’s forging. We’ve also had some issues pop up with directed retrieve. (Anticipation of the ‘get it’ cue and not going to the correct glove.) If anyone cares to see the oops reps I might show those later and how I dealt with them.

[whatisshelties]

me: Why did I stop doing AKC events? Was I wrong? Was I immature?

AKC: is AKC

me: Oh, this is why.

[hazard-and-friends]

had 30 seconds of "how the hell am i going to balance entry fees and schedules for TWO actively competing dogs" then remembered that between hazard being 6 and himself and having literally 0 intentions of entering baby in anything before she is 18 months, that's uh

that's not likely to happen

[feralhound]

This is Nimbus. He is a Brittany and he is the goodest boi! (And I say that because his is the only boy dog I have haha). He will be 2yrs old in March, and he’s really maturing lovely! He’s got his CGC, TKI, and RATI titles so far.

He is my sports prospect. However due to complications while recovering from his knee surgery (illiospoas strain), we are still working or stabilizing some of his muscles. I have been told no dock diving, no more fast cat, and agility maybe if he can jump 12” instead of 16”. Which, I can probably do CPE at least. Heartbreaking, as I was really looking forward to another do it all partner, but he’s got so much potential for other things! We are going to our first rally trial next weekend, he is fantastic in Barnhunt (and a beast at it!), and we’re going to try some AKC and CPDS Obedience as well! He’s already showing so much promise! I do also hope to do some feild trials, if I can figure out where to help me learn that haha.

We did do some for fun international dog show stuff since he’s on limited registration and I can’t show him elsewhere (not breeding stock so breeder doesn’t feel there is any reason to show him, which I respect). Handling classes really started us off strong in the ring and for obedience stand for exam! (He just looooves people so much he gets extra wiggly and excited)

[doberbutts]

Do you do/train for/compete in any dog sports with your dobermann? Would you recommend a dobermann for a beginner sport dog? Thank you!

Yes, Fenris and I are currently training in a protection dog sport called mondioring, or just mondio for short, and we'll probably pick up a few obedience-only titles in IGP (used to be called IPO, which used to be called schutzhund, another protection dog sport) along the way to support the United Doberman Club (which is mostly IGP-based tbh). I debated AKC obedience and rally but honestly right now my focus is mondio because I like it more and he seems to be doing really well in it. If we hit a wall we may switch tracks. But so far he's got nothing but compliments, so I'm not really worried about it.

As for whether I'd recommend dobes for a beginner sport dog, it sort of depends what you mean by that and what sport. I have had 4 dobermans total thus far. Only two have done anything in sport due to temperament of the other two, and of those two neither has actually accomplished anything in competitive sport. Creed had a mock BH under his belt (preliminary title to begin competing in IGP), but it wasn't an official trial so it doesn't count, and he's been gone for the past 2.5 years. Fenris just turned 13 months and being a young puppy I'm honestly in no hurry to put any titles on him- he passed his puppy temperament test and that's all I've done with him thus far because I am deliberately taking things slow with him. (and I didn't even enter him in the temperament test, his breeder did because she was showing her keepers at the same event!)

So... I mean... it's not like I'm a seasoned competitor. To the folks at training club, I'm a beginner too. And to my knowledge, Fen's breeder's foundation bitch was her beginner sport dog- his grandmother. Far be it from me to discourage you if you feel it's the right fit.

However, I will say that if you are wanting a doberman you should be committed to the doberman, vs if you want the sport you should be committed to the sport. What I mean by that is- if you are looking to really excel and have a nice dog right off the bat for your introduction to a sport, you may want to consider breeds more suited to the sport you are thinking about playing in. There's nothing wrong with getting a border collie for agility, or a golden for obedience, or a shepherd for IGP, or a malinois for mondio. But if you want to get a doberman, then commit knowing that your journey will likely look very different from those who chose more in line with the breeds that do well in their sport of choice.

The doberman was never intended to be a sport dog. It was intended to be a personal protection dog. That doesn't mean dobermans can't do well at various sports- in fact many dobermans excel at many sports! But it does mean that you're probably going to experience different challenges in your training than your fellow competitors, and you should keep that in mind instead of feeling discouraged.

[southerntchiorny]

He’s so fucking majestic

[dalecorgi]

Team “3 Musketeers à la Pembroke Welsh Corgi” earned new Rally titles last week! 😊

Our BFF, Mochi, earned her AKC Rally Intermediate title! 🎉🎉🎉

Dolly and Link each earned their AKC Rally Advanced titles. 😄😆

Belated “Thank you” to all the judges, ring stewards, and awesome volunteers. Heartfelt gratitude as well, to the supportive community of fellow Rally participants. 💛

[gar-a-ash]

Have a pair of WET RATS going through the serpentine. Love him to death.

[elvenferretots]

Dogblr 2025 Goals

It's been a shitty year, but making goals and seeing others' goals makes me feel better. So add yours on, too!

For Valkyrie:

Mondioring! All of the club days and seminars I can make it to. Hopefully a brevet. Invest in a leg sleeve.

AKC: Novice title, and training in group class setting through Utility. Lots more rally trialing while trying for Ten's goals, hopefully starting to triple enter for her RACH by the end of the year.

UKC: Total Dog shows, entering conformation, Novice obedience, and rally.

Disc Dog: Starting a local UpDog Bite Club! Knocking out some titles and bringing home more big ribbons.

Other: Actually record pack walks for FitDog titles, CGCA/CGCU, TKE, show and trial at UDC Nationals for obedience and BH, temperament testing, clean up tasking that I usually depend on Ten for as well as build scent alert on spoiled food (extremely helpful living off grid), have Liam handle her through more advanced demo dog/socializer dog work

For TenSoon (if his mobility holds up):

Mondioring: joining in club days, hopefully trialing for obedience without jumps.

AKC: Preferred Open and Preferred Utility. Starting Scent Work classes for retirement sport. Restart tracking train, going back through IGP tracking content to clean it up.

UKC: Triple entering with judges who don't use jumps for his RACH. Trialing in Nosework.

Disc Dog: DDB title and keep having fun. Anything past that is a gift. Learn to throw better rollers.

Other: File paperwork for FitDog titles, CGCU, trial for BH and maybe temperament testing depending on accommodation, finish antler shed training, reintroduce to group of dog friends as well as using him more at work

It looks like a lot, but most of them are combined to some degree, either between both dogs or as a cross-train between sports. I'm actually really happy with husbandry and relationship this year, so the only goals for that are to keep it up despite moving to the country where it might be easy to forget to bring the dogs out for a hike or a public training trip.

[x22817]

We had some great adventures at the Farmer's Market! The nice lady who bakes all the fun puppy treats was there with new stuff to try. An ice cream cone, peanut butter stars, and our favorite Pup Tarts are in the treat cabinet for this week!

Hek and I are now honorary trainees of the local service dog trainer. We got to hang out with her group of clients for a bit before walking around with them all. There were eight teams of handlers with pets, therapy dogs, and service dogs. Hek and I have never hung out around so many dogs at once! I'm kinda sad I didn't take a picture of everyone. It was so much fun!

The trainer wants to help us get All The Titles because it turns out she is an AKC judge! She also wants us to do rally as she's very impressed with Hek's focus heel and her position work (the exact things we have been working on at home this last week). We also discussed doing scent work and agility because why not do All The Things?

I'm not going to lie it was a bit overwhelming being told that all this can be possible. Everyone was so surprised when I kept saying that we practiced these things at home but never took any of the tests or competed or anything. I was always told that because Hek is a mutt and not a pure bred registered AKC pup, we can't do any of them.

Everything is under consideration, but I don't want to put any kind of strain on our relationship. I had to perform in front of people and get judged for every performance my entire life. I just want to have fun with Hek.

I am grateful to finally have puppy friends in real life. It's nice feeling safe around other people and their dogs. Even if Hek and I don't get into any of the competition or certification stuff, we can still have friends!

[whatisshelties]

I still find it ridiculous that my (known) mixed breed has more AKC titles than my last two dogs combined.

[groenendaze]

Do you have any tips for getting into dog sports? I've got an 8-month-old dalmatian/gsd/pit mix (my absolute best friend and also the bane of my existence, teenagers are a menace lol) who's crazy smart and athletic. The stuff you do with your pups looks awesome and I think we'd both really enjoy it! I'm just not sure where to start to look for clubs/events/etc. Any advice is appreciated!

Dog sports are one of those things where you either just happen to accidentally fall into it or you fight tooth and nail to find a place.

Some of the best ways to find places are to reach out to trainers/competitors in your area or close to you (FB and instagram are the easiest for this imo - if you have found any!). The rest depends on the sports you want to do and where you're located. A good way to try and find more sports would be to see if there are any in your area: google your city + "dog training club" or the sport you're looking for. See if any places offer classes (classes are a GREAT way to get started and test the waters!). Or look for events in your area and go watch! I wouldn't recommend trying to volunteer my first time watching an event, but it's a great place to get started and look for people who might know more people in your area that could help you. Most people are nice and like helping newbies out, but there are always some bad eggs in the pot!

Unfortuently, I'm not super great at finding non-American events, so I apologize if you aren't in the US! But if you are, there are a couple websites that you can check out. For AKC sanctioned events (FastCAT/AKC agility/Rally-O/Confo/etc), AKC has an event calendar.

For things like disc, you can check out UpDog's event page, Skyhoundz event page, USDDN (international), UFO (international), Quadruped, or AWI.

Agility has a couple besides AKC: UKI, CPE, NADAC, and USDAA.

Dock has a few with the main one being NADD and Ultimate Air Dogs.

For flyball, UFLI has a tournament list page. NAFA also does tournaments but I only do UFLI and NAFA's website looks like hasn't been updated since, like, the 90s.

There are other sports, like bitesports (PSA/IGP/Mondio/French Ring) or racing (AOK9, etc) but I know nothing about the racing world and bitesports are one of those sports (much like Flyball tbh) where you'd need to reach out to a club first because a club will make or break a dog.

I got into agility back in like, 2019 or something because I took classes from a local facility and went to some AKC events and asked around. I got into PSA because I googled "bitesports [city]" and found the closest club was an hour a half, so I emailed them. And then made that drive every weekend for 10 or so months haha (I put so many miles on my car). Moved to Wisconsin and reached out to a disc club local to me asking for a private lesson in disc on Facebook, ended up accidentally getting invited to play Toss & Fetch and my disc obsession spiraled from there. Ended up getting into flyball because I made friends with a lot of flyball people at disc. Everything else I've tried (like barn hunt/herding/etc) was a combination of looking on the AKC event page and going "I can do that", a friend going "you can do this, come to X event", or me frantically googling locations or sports or classes or private lessons.

When I first started out, I struggled a LOT. In Texas, there were quite a few places and clubs around me, but I only had about three months of that before I moved to Arkansas, which was a dog sport dead zone. I didn't have the connections or knowledge to even know where to look to get access to those places. It took me months to find the one single place where I could rent an agility field. I spent most of my time throwing a frisbee in a park not even knowing that disc was a dog sport I could compete in. Luckily, where I am now is pretty dominated by the sports I love and I've made a lot of really amazing connections which helps with knowing the who's/what's/how's of everything!

Good luck and I hope this helps!