List of dog sports

Dog sports are sports in which dogs participate. Sports on this page are organized alphabetically by category.

Combat sports

Note: Many animal combat sports are now illegal in much of the world.

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Baiting		Dogs fight or torment other animals
Dog fighting		Dogs fight other dogs
Venatio		Gladiators fought various animals, including dogs
Hog-dog rodeo		Dogs chase and capture hogs

Herding sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Sheepdog trial		Dogs compete their herding management skills
Treibball		Dogs drive large balls into goals

Obedience sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Heelwork to music		Dogs and humans perform trained routines to music
Musical canine freestyle		Dogs and humans perform freestyle dance to music
Obedience trial		Dogs execute predefined tasks
Rally obedience		Dogs execute tasks without commands from judges and while receiving encouragement
Schutzhund		Dogs compete in tracking, obedience, and protection skills

Pulling sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Bikejoring		Dogs pull humans on bicycles
Canicross		Cross-country running with dogs attached to a human
Carting		Dogs pull items or people in a cart
Dog scootering		Dogs pull humans on unmotorized scooters
Mushing		Dogs pull a sled, usually through snow
Skijoring		Dogs pull humans on skis
Weight pulling		Dogs pull heavy objects or weights

Racing sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Dachshund racing		Dachshund dogs race
Greyhound racing		Greyhound dogs race
Shepherd's Shemozzle		Humans race through an obstacle course alongside dogs
Sled dog racing		Dogs race while pulling a sled
Terrier racing		Terrier dogs race

Tracking and hunting sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Beagling		Beagles track and hunt rabbits or hares by scent
Coon hunting		Dogs track and hunt raccoons
Coursing		Sighthounds hunt prey by sight and speed
Drag hunting		Humans on horseback follow a scent using dogs
Earthdog trial		Short-legged dogs navigate tunnels while hunting a rat
Field trial		Dogs compete in field hunting events
Fox hunting		Dogs track and hunt foxes by scent
Hare coursing		Dogs hunt rabbits or hares by sight
Hound trailing		Hounds race along a scent trail
Hunting the clean boot		Hounds track a natural human scent
Lure coursing		Dogs chase a mechanically-operated lure
Nosework		Dogs search for target odors while ignoring distractions
Tracking trial		Dogs track a target by scent
Trail hunting		A pack of hounds tracks an artificially-laid trail of animal urine

Water sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Dock jumping		Dogs compete to jump furthest into water
Dog surfing		Dogs surf, either with or without human partners

Other sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Agility		Dogs are guided through an obstacle course to compete for speed and accuracy
Dog show		Purebred dogs are judged for conformity to breed standards
Dog skateboarding		Dogs ride skateboards
Disc dog		Dogs compete to catch frisbees
Flyball		Teams of dogs race over hurdles to retrieve a ball
Junior showmanship		Young humans exhibit their dog handling skills
Puppy Bowl		Puppies play with toys in a miniature American football stadium

See also

• List of sports - for sports involving humans
• List of equestrian sports - for sports involving horses

Further reading

• Sundance, K. (2010). 101 Ways to Do More With Your Dog: Make Your Dog a Superdog with Sports, Games, Exercises, Tricks, Mental Challenges, Crafts, and Bonding. Beverly, MA: Quarry Books.