Blood sports
Note: Many blood sports are now illegal in much of the world.
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Dogs fight or torment other animals | [5] | |
 | Dogs fight other dogs | [6] | |
Dogs chase and capture hogs | [7] |
Dog sports are sports in which dogs participate. [1] [2] [3] [4] Sports on this page are organized alphabetically by category.
Note: Many blood sports are now illegal in much of the world.
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
| | Dogs fight or torment other animals | [5] | |
| | Dogs fight other dogs | [6] | |
Dogs chase and capture hogs | [7] |
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Dogs compete their herding management skills | [8] [9] | |
 | Dogs drive large balls into goals | [10] |
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Dogs and humans perform trained routines to music | [11] | |
 | Dogs and humans perform freestyle dance to music | [12] | |
 | Dogs execute predefined tasks | [13] | |
 | Dogs execute tasks without commands from judges and while receiving encouragement | [14] | |
 | Dogs compete in tracking, obedience, and protection skills | [15] |
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Dogs pull humans on bicycles | [16] | |
 | Cross-country running with dogs attached to a human | [17] | |
 | Dogs pull items or people in a cart | [18] | |
 | Dogs pull humans on unmotorized scooters | [19] | |
 | Dogs pull a sled, usually through snow | [20] | |
 | Dogs pull humans on skis | [21] | |
 | Dogs pull heavy objects or weights | [22] |
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Dachshund dogs race | [23] | |
 | Greyhound dogs race | [24] | |
Humans race through an obstacle course alongside dogs | [25] [26] | ||
 | Dogs race while pulling a sled | [27] | |
Terrier racing |  | Terrier dogs race | [28] [29] |
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Beagles track and hunt rabbits or hares by scent | [30] | |
 | Dogs track and hunt raccoons | [31] | |
 | Sighthounds hunt prey by sight and speed | [32] [33] | |
 | Humans on horseback follow a scent using dogs | [34] | |
 | Short-legged dogs navigate tunnels while hunting a rat | [35] | |
 | Dogs compete in field hunting events | [36] | |
 | Dogs track and hunt foxes by scent | [37] [38] | |
 | Dogs hunt rabbits or hares by sight | [33] | |
 | Hounds race along a scent trail | [39] | |
Hounds track a natural human scent | [40] | ||
 | Dogs chase a mechanically-operated lure | [41] | |
 | Dogs search for target odors while ignoring distractions | [42] | |
 | Dogs track a target by scent | [43] | |
 | A pack of hounds tracks an artificially-laid trail of animal urine | [44] |
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Dogs compete to jump furthest into water | [45] | |
 | Dogs surf, either with or without human partners | [46] [47] |
| Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Dogs are guided through an obstacle course to compete for speed and accuracy | [48] | |
 | Purebred dogs are judged for conformity to breed standards | [49] | |
 | Dogs ride skateboards | [50] | |
 | Dogs compete to catch frisbees | [51] | |
 | Teams of dogs race over hurdles to retrieve a ball | [52] | |
 | Young humans exhibit their dog handling skills | [53] | |
 | Puppies play with toys in a miniature American football stadium | [54] |
The Siberian Husky is a medium-sized working sled dog breed. The breed belongs to the Spitz genetic family. It is recognizable by its thickly furred double coat, erect triangular ears, and distinctive markings, and is smaller than the similar-looking Alaskan Malamute.
Sighthounds are a type of hound dog that hunts primarily by sight and speed, unlike scent hounds, which rely on scent and endurance.
The whippet is a British breed of medium-sized dog, of the sighthound type, related to the larger greyhound and the smaller Italian greyhound. Apart from the differences in height, the whippet closely resembles these two breeds; it has sometimes been described as "miniature greyhound", and casually referred to as "the poor man's racehorse". It is kept as a companion dog, for competitive showing, as well as for amateur racing. Whippet also participate in dog sports such as lure coursing, agility, and flyball. It has the highest running-speed of any breed in its weight and size range, and may have the fastest idle-to-running acceleration of any dog. Whippet is known for its gentle, affectionate, and calm temperament, being relaxed and serene at home while showing high energy and excitement outdoors.
Terrier is a type of dog originally bred to hunt vermin. A terrier is a dog of any one of many breeds or landraces of the terrier type, which are typically small, wiry, game, and fearless. There are five different groups of terrier, with each group having different shapes and sizes.
A coonhound, colloquially a coon dog, is a type of scenthound, a member of the hound group. They are an American type of hunting dog developed for the hunting of raccoons and also for feral pigs, bobcats, cougars, and bears. There are six distinct breeds of coonhound.
The Staffordshire Bull Terrier, also called the Staffy or Stafford, is a purebred dog of small to medium size in the terrier group that originated in the northern parts of Birmingham and in the Black Country of Staffordshire, for which it is named. They descended from 19th-century bull terriers that were developed by crossing bulldogs with various terriers to create a generic type of dog generally known as bull and terriers. Staffords share the same ancestry with the modern Bull Terrier, although the two breeds developed along independent lines, and do not resemble each other. Modern Staffords more closely resemble the old type of bull terrier, and were first recognised as a purebred dog breed by The Kennel Club of Great Britain in 1935.
Lure coursing is a sport for dogs that involves chasing a mechanically operated lure. Competition is typically limited to dogs of purebred sighthound breeds. The AKC has a pass/fail trial for all breeds called the Coursing Ability Test (CAT) and a timed 100 yard dash called Fast CAT where the dog's speed is converted to points.
A dog show is an animal show, an event where dogs are exhibited. A conformation show, also referred to as a breed show, is a kind of dog show in which a judge, familiar with a specific dog breed, evaluates individual purebred dogs for how well the dogs conform to the established breed type for their breed, as described in a breed's individual breed standard.
A working dog is a dog used to perform practical tasks, as opposed to pet or companion dogs.
Toy dog traditionally refers to a very small dog or a grouping of small and very small breeds of dog. A toy dog may be of any of various dog types. Types of dogs referred to as toy dogs may include spaniels, pinschers and terriers that have been bred down in size. Not all toy dogs are lap dogs.
The United Kennel Club (UKC) is a kennel club founded in 1898 in the United States. In contrast with the American Kennel Club, which is non-profit and which only clubs can join, the United Kennel Club is a profit-making corporation, open to individuals.
Dog crossbreeds, sometimes called designer dogs, are dogs which have been intentionally bred from two or more recognized dog breeds. They are not dogs with no purebred ancestors, but are not otherwise recognised as breeds in their own right, and do not necessarily breed true.
A lurcher is a crossbred dog resulting from mating a greyhound or other sighthound with a dog of another type such as a herding dog or a terrier. The lurcher is not a "breed," but is a generic descriptor of a group of varying dogs. It was for hundreds of years strongly associated with poaching; in modern times, it is kept as a hunting dog or companion dog.
The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) is a dog breed recognized by the United Kennel Club (UKC) and the American Dog Breeders Association (ADBA), but not the American Kennel Club (AKC). It is a medium-sized, short-haired dog, of a solid build, whose early ancestors came from England. When compared with the English Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the American Pit Bull Terrier is larger by margins of 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) in height and 25–35 pounds (11–16 kg) in weight. The American Pit Bull Terrier varies in size: males are normally about 18–21 inches (45–53 cm) in height and around 35–60 pounds (15–27 kg) in weight, while females are normally around 17–20 inches (43–50 cm) in height and 30–50 pounds (13–22 kg) in weight.
The American Staffordshire Terrier, also known as the AmStaff, is a medium-sized, short-coated American dog breed recognized by the American Kennel Club, but not the United Kennel Club, which instead allows American Staffordshire Terriers to be registered under the American Pit Bull Terrier breed.
Hare coursing is the pursuit of hares with greyhounds and other sighthounds, which chase the hare by sight, not by scent.
Weight pulling is a dog sport involving a dog pulling a cart or sled loaded with weight a short distance across dirt/gravel, grass, carpet, or snow. It is a modern adaptation of freighting, in which dogs were used as freight animals to move cargo.
The Manchester Terrier is a breed of dog of the smooth-haired terrier type. It was first bred in the 19th century to control vermin, notably rats, at which it excelled. So efficient at the task was it that it often appeared in rat-baiting pits until that sport, which had effectively been illegal in the UK since 1835, finally died out at the beginning of the 20th century.
Championships are awarded to dogs who have passed through a process of selection at dog shows. Traditionally, a championship was received at a conformation show, but championships are now offered for dogs who have attained a high degree of perfection in other dog sports as well.
Canicross is the sport of cross country running with dogs. Originating in Europe as off-season training for the mushing (sledding) community, it has become popular as a stand-alone sport all over Europe, especially in the UK, and the United States.
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| Breeds | |
| Roles | |
| Behavior | |
| Human–dog interaction | |
| Health | |
| Training | |
| Related | |
