The American Water Spaniel
Performance
Little Dogs doing Big Things
OBEDIENCE
Obedience trials demonstrate the dog’s ability to follow specified routines in the obedience ring and emphasize the usefulness of the dog as a companion to humankind.
Obedience trials feature dogs that are well-behaved at home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs. From walking on- and off-leash to retrieving and jumping, or demonstrating your dog’s ability to stay,
Obedience Trials test a dog's ability to perform a prescribed set of exercises on which it is scored. In each exercise,Each level of obedience competition – Novice, Open, and Utility – requires mastering a specific skill set, which increase in difficulty, before advancing to the next level.
Agility
In agility, a dog demonstrates it’s agile nature and versatility by following cues from the handler through a timed obstacle course. The course has jumps, tunnels, weave poles, and other obstacles.
Agility began in England in 1978. The AKC held its first agility trial in 1994. Agility is now the fastest growing dog sport in the United States and is the fastest growing event at the AKC! The AKC offers three types of agility classes. AKC agility is available to every breed it registers. Safety of the dogs is a primary concern for AKC agility. The classes are divided by jump heights in order to make the competition equal between the different sizes of dogs.
Dogs race against a clock as they navigate an obstacle course with strong concentration and speed. Whether you just want to have fun exercising with your dog, or want to go further and enter an Agility competition, get ready for a fast-paced, rewarding experience that will get you and your dog in the best shape of your lives!
Barn Hunt
Barn Hunt is a new and fast-growing sport. It will test speed, agility, and surefootedness of your dog, in a fun and safe environment.
The purpose of Barn Hunt is to demonstrate a dog's ability in finding and marking rats in a "barn-like" setting, using straw/hay bales to introduce climbing and tunneling obstacles in the dog's path.
All rats are humanely handled and secured in an aerated PVC tube.
Rally
AKC Rally events are like a team sport. You and your dog navigate a course, side-by-side, as you steer them through a course of 10-20 different signs. Each sign provides instructions regarding the next skill that is to be performed. It’s one of the perfect sports where you get to show off your dog’s talents and the teamwork between you.
Tracking
AKC tracking events are the competition form of canine search and rescue. These events allows dogs to demonstrate their natural ability to recognize and follow human scent. A dog earns a TD by following a track 440 to 500 yards long with three to five changes of direction. The track is laid by a human tracklayer and is “aged” 30 minutes to two hours before the dog begins scenting. The goal is to use the scented track to locate an article left at the end of the trail by the tracklayer. The owner follows the dog on a long leash and can encourage the dog during the tracking test.
If your dog has a good nose - - -
They may enjoy the sport of tracking
Dock Diving
Diving Dogs is a fun, exciting but easy to do sport with simple rules: You throw your dog’s favorite toy into a pool while he waits on a dock about 40 feet long. On command, he runs along the dock, flings himself off the end, lands in the water and grabs the toy. The goal is to have the longest jump possible. Distances range from 2 feet to 30 feet pending experience and style.
Scent Work
AKC Scent Work is a sport that mimics the task of working detection dogs to locate a scent and communicate to the handler that the scent has been found. Real-life detection dogs are trained to search for a variety of things, - drugs ex, human remains, currency, explosives, contraband, living humans (such as Search and Rescue) and much more.
AKC Scent Work takes this amazing working relationship and turns it into a fun game that any dog can play.
AWS at work - locating the scent.
Therapy Dog
The moment a volunteer with a therapy dog walks into a room, you can instantly feel a change in mood. All eyes focus on them, as smiles spread across everyone’s faces. A dog can provide a valuable sense of reassurance, joy, or calmness to people experiencing stressful, lonely or depressing situations or general times in their life.
Therapy Dog Titles
AKC Therapy Dog Novice (THDN). Completed 10 visits
AKC Therapy Dog (THD) 50 visits.
AKC Therapy Dog Advanced (THDA) 100 visits.
AKC Therapy Dog Excellent (THDX) 200 visits.
AKC Therapy Dog Distinguished (THDD) 400 visits.
Therapy Dog is an AKC program which recognizes the necessary therapy work performed by dogs through accepted organizations based on the number of visits. Therapy work involves volunteers who schedule visits to various facilities and locations such a nursing homes, classrooms, libraries, assisted living centers, hospices, funeral homes, schools, shelters even courtrooms.
Fast CAT
Sure, you think your dog is fast. But have you ever wondered how fast? Can your dog outrun Usain Bolt, who has been called the fastest runner in the world? He just might: Usain's fastest time has been clocked at almost 28 mph - yet dogs have been known to reach speeds of 35-45 mph.
Just how fast is your dog? You no longer have to wonder. Fast CAT - which stands for Coursing Ability Test , is a timed 100 yard dash where dogs run one at a time, chasing a lure. It’s over before you know it - and it’s nothing short of awe-inspiring to watch your dog run at top speed, ears back eyes focused, legs strong. And if your dog is really fast, you might earn bragging rights if his name makes it onto our list of top 20 fastest dogs by breed!
Although it is a relatively new sport, its popularity has spread like wildfire. No wonder. According to one AKC official, "The FAST CAT® provides a terrific opportunity to introduce new participants to the world of AKC sports as one of the few events where all that is needed to compete is a dog's natural instincts."
AKC lifetime fastest AWS at 25.44 mph.
Chasing the bag in Fast CAT
Clocked at just under 25 mph
Trick Dog
If you love to be the the life of the party by showing off your dogs arsenal of tricks, then earning Trick Dog Titles may be for you. There are five AKC Trick Titles you and your dog can earn.
Novice Trick Dog (TKN) The dog must perform 10 skills from the Novice List. If a Dog has a Canine Good Citizen certificate or title on record then it can do 5 Novice tricks (CGC +5) to earn the Novice title. See List of tricks
Intermediate Trick Dog (TKI)
The dog must have the Novice title, plus perform 10 Intermediate tricks. See the list of tricks here.
Advanced Trick Dog (TKA)
The dog must have the Intermediate title, plus perform 10 tricks from the Advanced list. See the list of tricks here.
Trick Dog Performer (TKP)
In this title, handlers perform a short routine with at least 10 tricks previously learned. See the requirements here.
Trick Dog Elite Performer (TKE) Schools, shelters even courtrooms. See the requirements here.
Canine Good Citizen and Urban Canine Good Citizen
The AKC’s Canine Good Citizen program is the gold standard of behavior for dogs in our communities. Almost one million dogs, both purebred and mixed breed, have participated in the program since it began in 1989. Canine Good Citizen is part of the AKC Family Dog Program and many dog owners choose CGC as their first step in training their dogs. It also provides a great foundation for getting started in dog sports. The Canine Good Citizen test is a nationally recognized program that instills a sense of responsibility and good manners in dogs and owners alike. The heart of the CGC program is the 10-step CVC test. See requirements here.
Information contained herein is from the American Kennel Club: wwwAKC.org