Our sports

My breeding goal is to improve the versatility of the Siberian Husky.

It's therefore important to work in several sports according to each dog's preferences.

Here are the sports we practice, with a brief description

Agility

In agility, there are 2 associations in which we participate: AAC and CKC. In both cases, a certain number of qualifications are required to move up to the next level and obtain the associated titles.

In AAC there are 4 different classes divided into two categories, games and standard. In the games section, there's the gambler, the jumper and the snooker.
Standard is the race that includes almost all the obstacles. The goal is to demonstrate that the dog is capable of performing all the obstacles safely, to standard and in the correct order according to the course.
The gambler is a distance game. The objective is to establish a strategy to collect points during the time allotted for the opening and then conclude with the pre-established final.
The jumper is a course that demonstrates the dog's agility with jumps and the handler's speed in executing a course quickly. This game consists solely of jumps and tunnels.
Snooker is a game of strategy that consists in taking a red jump before any other obstacle during the opening. Closing consists of completing the course in chronological order. The goal is to accumulate a certain number of points in a limited time.
In all cases, each class has a different level of difficulty: novice, intermediate and expert.

At CKC level, there's the standard, the jumper with slalom, point and distance (which looks a bit like the gambler) and a jump and tunnel. The difficulty levels are similar too.

Conformation

Each breed is classified into a group. At the Canadian Kennel Club, the Siberian Husky is part of group 3 working dogs.
So it all starts with the breed.
There are several classes depending on the dog's age: 6-9 months, 9-12 months, 12-18 months, breed-by and open. In the last two classes, the dog's age is not taken into account. So each class is evaluated separately and the dogs are ranked 1st, 2nd and 3rd place. When all the classes have passed, the first places in each class enter the ring to determine the best dog in class and the reserve. This process is done for males and females separately.
Then the winning male and female go for breed judging with the special dogs. The specials are those who are already champions and are accumulating points for their grand championship. In this judging, the judge determines the Best of Breed (BOB), Best of Opposite Sex (BOS), Best of Winners/Class (BOW) and the Selects (if there are any Specials who didn't receive BOB or BOS).
Next, the Best of Breed will go into the group against the BOBs of the other working dog breeds to determine the Best of Group. There is a 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th group ranking. The best of the group will go on to Best in Show to determine the best dog of the show.
To win a championship, a dog must accumulate 10 points.
For a grand championship, an additional 20 points are required.

Sprinter

Sprinter is a timed dog sport that calculates each dog's individual running speed after a lure over a distance of 100m. The speed in km/h is multiplied by a factor determined by their height to calculate the number of points awarded. Titles are acquired when the dog accumulates the required number of points.

Novice Sprinter (NS): 150 points
Sprinter (S): 500 points
Advanced Sprinter (AS): 1000 points
Sprinter par excellence (SX): 1500 points
XS followed by a number for each additional 500 points

Scent detection

In scent detection, there are 2 associations: the CKC and the SDDA.

For the time being, we only participate in the CKC.

There are 3 divisions in odor detection: container, interior and exterior.
Containers consist of finding the scent hidden among a number of containers. Containers vary according to difficulty level. They can be boxes, card holders or anything else. The number of containers also varies according to level. Novice players use 10 boxes, open 15 boxes and expert 20 boxes. The number of scents hidden in the boxes varies according to level.
The interior is the equivalent of an interior room with all kinds of everyday objects. Among the objects, there's a hidden scent, and the dog has to point it out. Depending on the level, there's more than one scent, and there are also distractions.
The outside is a delimited outdoor area where there is at least 1 hidden scent, depending on the level. In the zone, there may be several everyday outdoor objects, not to mention the wind factor, which adds to the difficulty, as well as the surrounding distractions.

The video is of Sora in his novice container level.

Rats sports

There are several rats sport associations. We have already participated in the Association de Sport Ratier (ASR) and Rat! Canada (accepted by the CKC).

There are 2 types of games. In all cases, the rats are well protected in PVC tubes and trained. No rats are injured or stressed.
Brush hunting: this game recreates a natural environment. The handler knows where the rat is, and the judge determines whether or not the dog has found the rat. The search can take place in a natural environment hidden by leaves (woodland, forest, ...) or among hay bales where the rat is hidden with soft hay. As it's the judge who determines whether the dog has found the rat or not, it's important that the dog alerts the judge of his find (scratch, bark, stare for 10 seconds, etc.) within the allotted time.
Barn hunt: This game consists in correctly indicating which tube contains the rat. There are hay bales corded with at least 3 visible PVC tubes, at least 1 of which contains rat litter and at least 1 of which contains the rat. The number of tubes, rats and litter varies according to the level. The handler and the dog do not know which tube contains the rat, and the dog must indicate this within a time limit.

The video is Blü during practice with the tubes visible.

Trick dog and good canine neighbour

Dog tricks are a way of developing a solid handler-dog relationship. It allows us to improve our commands and teach the dog to think and become aware of his body, depending on the tricks performed.

The Canine Good Neighbor Test is a test conducted by a CKC-accredited canine evaluator. This evaluation involves 12 steps that the dog must pass. The steps range from resting to friendly petting of a stranger to walking on a leash. It's a test that shows the dog can behave well in public and with other dogs around.

Traction sports

Of course, traction sport is one of our most popular sports. Whether it's canine hiking, bikejoring or dog sleeding, our dogs all work under harness. Each with their own strengths and weaknesses, we make sure to respect their preferences.

In the future, we'll be taking part in small competitions just for fun. In the meantime, we go out alone or with friends.

In the photo, Sora and Kraken as a duo.