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] | |
Dogs and humans race through an obstacle course | [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 | [39] | |
![]() | Hounds race along a scent trail | [40] | |
Bloodhounds track a natural human scent | [41] | ||
![]() | Dogs chase a mechanically-operated lure | [42] | |
![]() | Dogs search for target odors while ignoring distractions | [43] | |
Dogs track a target by scent | [44] | ||
![]() | A pack of hounds tracks an artificially-laid trail of animal urine | [45] |
Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Dogs compete to jump furthest into water | [46] | |
![]() | Dogs surf, either with or without human partners | [47] [48] |
Sport | Image | Brief description | Refs. |
---|---|---|---|
![]() | Dogs are guided through an obstacle course to compete for speed and accuracy | [49] | |
Dogs perform exercises with a puller fitness toy | [50] | ||
![]() | Purebred dogs are judged for conformity to breed standards | [51] | |
![]() | Dogs ride skateboards | [52] | |
![]() | Dogs compete to catch frisbees | [53] | |
![]() | Teams of dogs race over hurdles to retrieve a ball | [54] | |
Young humans exhibit their dog handling skills | [55] | ||
![]() | Puppies play with toys in a miniature American football stadium | [56] |
The Afghan Hound is a hound distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat, and a tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed originates in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is Sag-e Tāzī or Tāžī Spay. Other names for this breed are Tāzī, Balkh Hound, Baluchi Hound, and Barakzai Hound.
The EnglishGreyhound, or simply the Greyhound, is a breed of dog, a sighthound which has been bred for coursing, greyhound racing and hunting. Since the rise in large-scale adoption of retired racing Greyhounds, the breed has seen a resurgence in popularity as a family pet.
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 "the poor man's greyhound". It is kept as a companion dog, for competitive showing, for amateur racing as well as lure coursing. 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.
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 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.
Mushing is a sport or transport method powered by dogs. It includes carting, pulka, dog scootering, sled dog racing, skijoring, freighting, and weight pulling. More specifically, it implies the use of one or more dogs to pull a sled, most commonly a specialized type of dog sled on snow, or a rig on dry land.
Coursing by humans is the pursuit of game or other animals by dogs—chiefly greyhounds and other sighthounds—catching their prey by speed, running by sight, but not by scent. Coursing was a common hunting technique, practised by the nobility, the landed and wealthy, as well as by commoners with sighthounds and lurchers. In its oldest recorded form in the Western world, as described by Arrian—it was a sport practised by all levels of society, and it remained the case until Carolingian period forest law appropriated hunting grounds, or commons, for the king, the nobility, and other landowners. It then became a formalised competition, specifically on hare in Britain, practised under rules, the Laws of the Leash'.
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.
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.
The Silken Windhound is an American breed of sighthound. Like most sighthounds, Silkens are noted coursers.
The Magyar agár (MA) is a dog breed. It is a type of sighthound originating in Hungary and lands that previously belonged to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It is used for hunting and coursing, and is also kept as a companion.
Dog types are broad categories of domestic dogs based on form, function, or style of work, lineage, or appearance. Some may be locally adapted dog types that may have the visual characteristics of a modern purebred dog. In contrast, modern dog breeds strictly adhere to long-established breed standards,[note 1] that began with documented foundation breeding stock sharing a common set of inheritable characteristics, developed by long-established, reputable kennel clubs that recognize the dog as a purebred.
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.
The Old Croatian Sighthound, also known as the Old Bosnian Sighthound, is an extinct breed of sighthound from the countries of Bosnia–Herzegovina and Croatia.