Of all the things I love about dogs it is simply watching dogs be dogs that makes me most happy. And firmly in that category is seeing what dogs and their humans are capable of together. Dogs and humans bring out the best in each other.

Obedience

I am always dumbfounded when I watch dogs in the obedience trials. When I see a dog sit and stay while their human just walks away. Like completely away out of sight. And the dog stays sitting. In our house we can’t even go to the bathroom without our dogs following us.

Another impressive feat is watching the dogs perform scent discrimination. A pile of identical objects are placed on the ground. One of these objects has been handled by the dog’s human. The dog does not see which one it is. Then the dog is released to go to the pile of objects and has to retrieve the object their human handled and bring it back and present it to their human. I love this so much.

Agility

I think of agility as a dog doing exactly what a dogs genetics were designed to do. Run. Jump. Climb. Moving with speed and maneuverability through the obstacles of life.

The dogs have trained on the obstacles, but they do not know where to go or in what order to proceed through the obstacles. The dogs are relying on their humans for that information. The symbiosis that occurs on the agility course is amazing. The communication between the two animals. Human and dog. Often just a gesture or movement that indicates where to go next. It is a connection that is amazing.

Rally

I am still pretty new to Rally. I think of it like a combination of obedience and agility. But it is more like a complicated dance choreography that one learns with their partner to perform in front of a judge.

Dogs and their humans proceed from station to station performing the indicated maneuver. Dog and human working together. Harmony and unity.

I love seeing what dogs are capable of doing. I really want to get out and see more events where dogs are out there being their best selves.

What fun things do you do with your dog? Dock diving. Lure Coursing. Disc Dog. Skijoring. Canicross. Flyball. Share it with me in the comments.

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