Dog Sport
Even thought our dogs are considered part of the family and treated as such, we do enjoy being active with our dogs in many different venues. We also are proud of our pups who are active as well!
Conformation Showing
Conformation showing is where dogs compete for Breed Championships (the CH title at the start of dogs registered name). Conformation is where a dog is evaluated on it's build, looks, movement, temperament, and many other things that "make it what it is". Anyone can handle a dog in a Conformation show and, if the dog is of good quality, can win! If you are interested in attending some Conformation shows, feel free to contact us and we can tell you where and when they are held! Some Conformation shows we have attended:
Brighton Colorado (show is held every April)
Blackfoot Idaho (show is held every June)
Centralia Washington (show is held every April)
Enumclaw Washington (show is held every August)
Farmington Utah (show is held every September)
Greeley Colorado (show is held every August)
Logan Utah (show is held every May)
Longmont Colorado (show is held every May)
South Jordan Utah (show is held every May)
Spokane Washington (show is held every May)
Obedience and Rally Trials
Rally trials are where a dog and it's handler are judged on how well they complete a course of exercises preset to test the dog's obedience. The course is laid out with numbered signs and the handler does each exercise printed on the sign. The handler can speak to the dog during the judging and can also encourage the dog to do the exercises, but the handler is not allowed to correct the dog nor touch the dog while being judged. Obedience trials are where the dog and handler are judged on how well they work as a team as well as how well the dog is able to execute simple to hard commands from it's handler. Obedience is much more strict then Rally, but if you have a dog who loves to work, the challenge can be very rewarding for both you and the dog! Dogs who compete in Rally and Obedience may be spayed/neutered. Some Rally and Obedience trials we have attended:
Farmington Utah (show held every March, June, and September!)
Yakima Washington (Show held every May)
Agility
Currently, we do not actively compete in Agility - some of our pups do! Agility is a very popular sport where a dog and handler run a preset course involving jumps, weave poles, tunnels, dog walks, A-frames, and much more! The dog is judged on how quick it is, how few mistakes it makes during the course (if it knocks over any jumps, etc.), and if it does course correctly. It is a very fast paced sport and both dog and handler needs to be in good physical condition before every attempting to compete.
Herding
Herding is a sport in which a dog must be able to move livestock around a preset course. The livestock normally seen is sheep, but ducks and cattle can also be used. Sadly, there are very few Herding trials here in Utah, which is the main reason we do not currently compete in Herding. There is one International Herding Trial which brings in the top Border Collies from around the world held in Midway, Utah, every year which we highly recommend people attend! Information can be found at Soldier Hollow Classic.
Pictures from past Herding trials:
September 2004
September 2005
September 2006
September 2007
September 2008
September 2009
September 2010
Hiking
Hiking is not a competitive sport, but since it can be done anywhere, we thought we would include it as well! Hiking only requires both dog and handler/owner to be in good physical shape and be able to enjoy the great outdoors!