What is Sport School?
This program focuses on structured training for specific sports with competition readiness in mind. We will work on building habits around your competition goals. We will tailor a plan based on your goals and show you along the way what we are doing, and how to practice with your dog. To learn more about the specific sports we offer training for scroll down!
Scent Sports
Scent is your dog’s primary sense. In the way that humans see their world with eyes developed to detect colors, movement and danger, dogs have developed a very acute sense of smell. While you smell a cake baking in the oven, your dog smells the flour, eggs, cinnamon, vanilla, and every other ingredient in that cake.
One way we can utilize that sense of smell to enrich your dog’s life is by training them to seek out and identify target odors. These target odors are defined by the organization you want to compete in, but our team is equipped with every essential oil needed to prepare your dog for any organization.
We will work with your dog to introduce the odor, odor recognition, hunt patterning, trained final response, and develop skills to prepare them for trialing.
If your dog is already competing in scent work, we will tailor a training program to speed up searches, more efficient response times, different search types and environments, or any other troubleshooting you want us to perform.
Dock Diving
Dock diving is a competitive dog sport where dogs run down a dock and leap into a pool of water after a toy. The goal is usually to jump as far or as high as possible, depending on the event. It’s one of the fastest-growing canine sports because it’s exciting to watch and accessible to many breeds. It is meant to mimic the retrieve of hunting dogs but many breeds of dog compete in the sport.
If your dog loves swimming and toys, typically they will also love jumping in the pool for a toy! Depending on the organization you wish to compete in, we can teach your dog the games associated with each.
We will teach your dog the fundamentals of each competition game. Starting with swim introductions, tug/toy play, ramp jumping, practice dock jumping, and finally jumping from the competition height. Once jumping we will work on building distance and “pop”. We can then introduce your dog to each discipline of the organization you wish to compete in.
Our facility features a competition size pool, and dock to best mimic a competition environment. Our sister business Resurgence Dog Sports also puts on dock diving events. There’s nothing better than practicing at the same place you compete!
Obedience
Obedience is a competitive dog sport that evaluates a dog’s ability to perform a series of precise exercises demonstrating training, responsiveness, and teamwork with the handler. The sport emphasizes accuracy, control, and willingness to work.
In competitions sanctioned by organizations such as the American Kennel Club (AKC), dogs and handlers perform a structured set of exercises in a ring under a judge’s direction. These exercises may include:
Heeling patterns on and off leash
Sit, down, and stand commands with the handler at a distance
Recall (coming when called)
Retrieving a dumbbell
Scent discrimination
Directed jumping and signaling exercises
We will teach your dog to perform each of these exercises by setting great foundations for each exercise and practicing and drilling them with your dog.
Rally Obedience
Rally Obedience (often called Rally) is a dog sport that blends traditional obedience with a more fluid, interactive course format. It focuses on teamwork and communication while allowing handlers to talk to and encourage their dogs throughout the course.
In events sanctioned by the American Kennel Club, the United Kennel Club, and the World Cynosport Rally, teams navigate a course made up of 10–20 stations, each marked with a sign describing a specific exercise. Examples include:
Turns and changes of pace while heeling
Sit, down, or stand positions
Fronts and finishes
Serpentine patterns
Call-front and send-over exercises
Unlike traditional obedience, Rally emphasizes continuous movement and teamwork, with handlers guiding their dogs through the course while performing each station correctly.
We will work on your dog performing all the actions needed to be competition ready. If your dog already competes in this sport, we will brush up their skills by drilling different patterns with them, or troubleshooting problem behaviors based on your wants/needs.
FastCAT/CAT
Coursing Ability Test (CAT) and Fast CAT are canine sports that evaluate a dog’s natural chasing instinct and running ability as they pursue a mechanically operated lure across a field. These sports simulate the pursuit of prey while providing a safe and controlled environment for dogs to run at full speed.
Both events are sanctioned by the American Kennel Club and are open to all breeds and mixed breeds, making them among the most accessible performance sports.
We will teach your dog the fundamentals of chasing and trying to catch a toy, work on canine conditioning to develop muscles that will help your dog run, and work on endurance to help your dog be able to run their fastest.
Rat Sports
Rat sports encompass any sport where a dog is tasked to find rats hidden on a course. Rat sports test a dog’s natural hunting and scenting instincts by challenging them to locate rats safely hidden within a maze of straw or hay bales, or in an urban setting. They are developed to simulate traditional vermin hunting while emphasizing problem-solving, agility, and teamwork between dog and handler.
The sports are governed by multiple organizations and are open to all breeds and mixed breeds, provided the dog can safely navigate through the space. First and foremost, our rats are our pets, and we take pride and care for their safety.
We will teach your dog the fundamentals of finding rats, interacting with the tubes, hunting quickly and performing all aspects of the sport organization you wish to compete in.
Disc Dog
Disc Dog (also called canine disc) is a fast-paced dog sport where dogs and handlers work together to catch a flying disc during timed routines or distance throws. The sport highlights athleticism, speed, jumping ability, and teamwork between dog and handler.
Competitions are hosted by organizations such as UpDog Challenge, Skyhoundz, and Toss and Fetch League.
We will work with your dog on the fundamentals of retrieving discs, playing with the disc, catching rollers, catching discs in the air, and the fundamentals of the games you wish to play in the organization you wish to play with.
Tracking/Trailing
Tracking and trailing are scent-based dog sports that test a dog’s ability to follow human scent across natural terrain. These activities showcase a dog’s remarkable scenting ability and their partnership with a handler as they locate a person or follow a laid scent trail.
Tracking events are commonly offered through organizations such as the American Kennel Club and the United Kennel Club.
We will work with your dog on the fundamentals of tracking or trailing depending on the event you would like to learn about. We will teach your dog to follow a trial and indicate on designated articles.