"My Whippet's Smarter Than Your Whippet!"
The sport of obedience tests a dog's skill at performing a series of exercises, such as sit, heel, and the recall, both on and off-lead, against a standard of perfection. More advanced obedience includes high and long jumps and scentwork. Whippets can be very good obedience dogs! Whippets are coming into their own as obedience dogs due to advent of more positive, reward based traing methods. All whippets, even those with breed disqualifications and rescue dogs can participate in obedience. The most important requirement for a succesful obedience whippet is an outgoing temperament, and a dog who is motivated by retrieving games and food rewards. Finding a good trainer or class, that emphasizes positive training and accepts the breed's foibles (whippets are not known for their willingness to sit on cold, wet grass and the like) is key in pursuing competitive obedience. You can visit the AKC's Obedience page in order to learn more about this sport.
Rally-O is a newer type obedience competition, offered by the AKC and other oganizations. Rally is a bit less rigorous than conventional obedience in that unlimited communication is encouraged - the handler can talk to the dog and give multiple commands and hand signals. In Rally the dog-handler team move continuously through a course of ten to twenty numbered signs. At each sign, they perform the indicated exercise. There are a series of titles that can be earned at each level of Rally-O. You can visit the AKC Rally Page for complete information on this fun, new sport.
Agility is a newer dog sport that is rapidly gaining in popularity. Developed in the UK, agility features dogs navigating an obstacle course under the direction of it's handler, within a set time and with a minimum of faults. The obstacles include tunnels, jumps, dogwalks, teeter totters and a series of upright poles, known as weave poles, that the dogs must race through slalom style. There are six main organizations that sanction agility trials in the US (USDAA, AAC, NADAC, UKC, CPE, and AKC) and all allow neutered dogs and those with breed disqualifications to participate. As one can imagine, whippets are usually very good agility dogs! Their natural speed and coordination makes them often the dog's to beat timewise, although their natural exhuberance can make them a challenge to train in the accuracy department. There are many good agility classes and clubs in Northern California where a whippet owner who is interested in starting out in agility can get training an encouragement. One place to start learning more about Agility is at the AKCs Agility Page.
Rally-O is a newer type obedience competition, offered by the AKC and other oganizations. Rally is a bit less rigorous than conventional obedience in that unlimited communication is encouraged - the handler can talk to the dog and give multiple commands and hand signals. In Rally the dog-handler team move continuously through a course of ten to twenty numbered signs. At each sign, they perform the indicated exercise. There are a series of titles that can be earned at each level of Rally-O. You can visit the AKC Rally Page for complete information on this fun, new sport.
Agility is a newer dog sport that is rapidly gaining in popularity. Developed in the UK, agility features dogs navigating an obstacle course under the direction of it's handler, within a set time and with a minimum of faults. The obstacles include tunnels, jumps, dogwalks, teeter totters and a series of upright poles, known as weave poles, that the dogs must race through slalom style. There are six main organizations that sanction agility trials in the US (USDAA, AAC, NADAC, UKC, CPE, and AKC) and all allow neutered dogs and those with breed disqualifications to participate. As one can imagine, whippets are usually very good agility dogs! Their natural speed and coordination makes them often the dog's to beat timewise, although their natural exhuberance can make them a challenge to train in the accuracy department. There are many good agility classes and clubs in Northern California where a whippet owner who is interested in starting out in agility can get training an encouragement. One place to start learning more about Agility is at the AKCs Agility Page.