In recent years, the world of dog sports has not only changed a lot, but has also grown a lot. But it is not only the number of recognized dog sports that has changed significantly. In addition, many dog sports enthusiasts now attach great importance to practicing sport with their four-legged friends in a healthy and sustainable manner. It wasn’t long ago that there were only two recognized dog sports: competition dog sports and protection dog sports. We are a long way from that today. There are so many different sports and really for every dog’s heart is here.
What is important to know, however, is that the physical demands and stress vary in intensity depending on the sport. While some sports should only be performed by physically healthy dogs, others are suitable for dogs with joint problems and older dogs.
Dog sports can be divided into two categories:
- High-impact sports
- Low-impact sports
High-impact sports
These are dog sports that put a lot of stress on the dog’s body in different ways. These include:
- Dog Frisbee
- Flyball
- Agility
- Tournament Dog Sports
- Canicross
- Pulling Dog Sports
- Dog racing
- IGP
- Mondioring
- Rescue Dog Sport
- Hunting work
What can be consequences of high-impact dog sports?
This is not about “bad mouthing” high-impact dog sports. However, it is important to be aware of what they may entail.
Tight turns, jumps, short stops, etc.. put a lot of stress on the entire dog’s body. There is a significantly increased risk of injuries such as muscle injuries, the risk of increased joint wear, up to chronic joint diseases such as osteoarthritis. If dogs are already suffering from joint problems, I recommend avoiding high impact sports.
Low-impact sports
This includes dog sports that are not physically demanding. These include:
- Mantrailing
- Hoopers Agility
- Tracking work
- Lunging
- Obedience
- Rally Obedience
- Dog Dancing
For whom are low-impact dog sports suitable?
If you want to be active with dogs that suffer from joint problems or are already older I recommend to use one of these sports. They do not put so much stress on the dog’s body and especially on the musculoskeletal system and are therefore more suitable.
Of course, there are also cases in both categories where the boundaries become blurred and high-impact sports are toned down or low-impact sports become high-impact. Nevertheless, it is helpful to be aware of whether and how strong the sports are for the dog and what possible resulting consequences can be.
All the love, your Tina
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