Dock Diving, Barn Hunt & Scent Work
Dock Diving, where a dog leaps off a dock after a favorite toy, has divisions for distance, height & speed retrieving. Whippets excel at Dock Diving, with our breed holding all of the world records in each division & the yearly rankings being top heavy with whippets. Cochiti, Spitfire, Slingshot & Sounders are top whippets who need no introduction to followers of the sport & Spitfire even had a documentary about him featured on ESPN. NADD & Dock Dogs are just two of the organizations offering titles in this fast-growing sport. If you have a whippet that likes the water, or one whose toy drive exceeds their dislike of the pool, you might have a Dock Diving contender.
Barn Hunt, where a dog follows the scent of a rat [safely housed in a dog-proof cage], through a course of hay bales to find the rodent prize. There are titling divisions for everything from Instinct entry level to the elite RATCH title. Whippets also excel at this sport & most whippets can easily achieve novice titles in Barn Hunt.
Scent Work/Nose Work are sports where a dog locates a target using their nose, sort of like a civilian version of contraband detection work done by dogs at ports & airports. While whippets are not known for their olfactory prowess like their hound cousins the beagle and bloodhound are, they are after all canines, and their noses are hundreds of times more sensitive than ours. NASCW & AKC offer scentwork trials, with many different types of searches, one various scents, in indoor & outdoor search locations. Many whippets & their handlers enjoy the pace and variety of nose work & many whippets have achieved top rankings & advanced titles in this sport.
Barn Hunt, where a dog follows the scent of a rat [safely housed in a dog-proof cage], through a course of hay bales to find the rodent prize. There are titling divisions for everything from Instinct entry level to the elite RATCH title. Whippets also excel at this sport & most whippets can easily achieve novice titles in Barn Hunt.
Scent Work/Nose Work are sports where a dog locates a target using their nose, sort of like a civilian version of contraband detection work done by dogs at ports & airports. While whippets are not known for their olfactory prowess like their hound cousins the beagle and bloodhound are, they are after all canines, and their noses are hundreds of times more sensitive than ours. NASCW & AKC offer scentwork trials, with many different types of searches, one various scents, in indoor & outdoor search locations. Many whippets & their handlers enjoy the pace and variety of nose work & many whippets have achieved top rankings & advanced titles in this sport.
"Shelby" gets big air! Photo by Heather Hamilton.
Dock DivingDock Diving is one of the fastest growing sports in the Whippet World. Whippets currently hold the World Records in Distance, Big Air & Speed Retrieve & hold the top positions in most DD events.
There are four organizations that sponsor dock diving competitions. North American Dock Dogs [NADD] is the only one whose titles are recognized by the AKC. Rules & regulations slightly differ between organizations. More information on Dock Diving can be found at the following links: photo of "Cochiti" by Julie Ward |
Barn HuntThe sport of Barn Hunt is intended to test a dog's ability to find and alert on rats in a barn-like setting. Whippets do especially well in this sport, and Barn Hunt is enjoyable for both the dog & their handler, as the handler has to interpret their dog's signals correctly & indicate to the judges when a rat is found. Many whippets have completed advanced titles in Barn Hunt, with several achieving the pinnacle title of RAT-CH.
Barn Hunt Association is the main organization that sponsors Barn Hunt competitions in the US. BHA titles are recognized by the AKC. More information on Barn Hunt can be found at the following link: photo of "Moe" by Axis Imaging |
Nose WorkNose Work or Scent Work is the sport where dogs sniff out different scents that are placed in indoor and outdoor locations. National Association of Canine Scentwork [NACSW] is the original scent work organization in the US. The AKC started their own scent work program in the mid-2000s, and this has proven wildly popular; one of the AKC's fastest growing sports.
Many whippets excel at scentwork, holding elite titles in both NACSW & AKC. Handler's enjoy scentwork's pace & the sense of teamwork they feel when working with their canine partner. More information on Scent Work/Nose Work can be found at the following link: Photo of "Cash" by Lynne Armstrong |