Exercise and Leadership
Click here for a list of Dog Parks in Broward County. [Visit Things To Do page]
Getting Started
Training with your dog to perform a sport can strengthen your bond, enhance your leadership, and be very rewarding to you both. Oh, and it's loads of fun!
Not sure what sport to pick? Learn more from the choices listed by the American Kennel Club.
Below are some of the fun activities you can explore with your dog. Some South Florida resources are listed under the descriptions.
Agility
Agility
Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. Consequently the handler's controls are limited to voice, movement, and various body signals, requiring exceptional training of the animal and coordination of the handler.In its simplest form, an agility course consists of a set of standard obstacles, laid out by an agility judge in a design of his or her own choosing on a roughly 100 by 100-foot (30 by 30 m) area, with numbers indicating the order in which the dog must complete the obstacles. [Source: Wikipedia]
Resources:
Swimming for Fun
K9 Water Festivals
When the water parks close to humans in the fall, they each open for one weekend just for dogs. For the past 10 years this has been one of the most popular pet events at Broward County parks.
Dock Jumping
Dock Jumping
If your dog likes to swim and has good toy drive, this is a great activity to pursue! This sport consists of training your dog to jump from a dock into the water after throwing their favorite toy into the water for the dog to catch in mid-air. The competition points are earned based on the length traveled during the jump from the tip of the dock to the place where the dog lands in the water.
Local Resources:
- United Kennel Club: Getting Your Dog Started in Dock Jumping
- Performance Pups, inc. (Located in Dania, FL)
Frisbee
Frisbee
Dog breeds are cut out for this sport based on size, endurance, flexibility, and strength; but if your dog is motivated to catch a frisbee, this is the way to go!
Local Resources:
- TropiCanine Disc Club of South Florida (Meets in Markham Park in Sunrise, FL)
- Performance Pups, Inc. (Frisbee page)