The public is invited to take a look at the NASDA Trials hosted by the Nose2Nose Canine Sports Club set to run March 30-31 at Wetaskiwin’s Parkdale School.
Both days kick off at 8:45 a.m. and can characteristic a variety of canine sports activities competitions.
“People are welcome to come out and watch,” stated Maree Okabe, proprietor of the AusCan Ranch’s Go Walkies & Training Centre in Gwynne, which is situated east of Wetaskiwin.
Okabe stated that up to now, they’ve about 260 dogs set to participate within the weekend’s competitions.
“We just ask that they don’t bring their pet dogs as it could interfere with some of the dogs during the hunting events.”
As to the occasion, Okabe stated there will definitely be a lot to take pleasure in.
“Some people tend to associate canine sport with agility, and the kinds of things you see on TV. But there are a whole bunch of other sports out there people compete in every week with their dogs,” she stated.
“The occasion that we’re having over the Easter weekend is known as a NASDA (North American Dog Sport Association) occasion. There are 4 parts to NASDA, and the dogs might be competing in a kind of parts, or all 4. It’s as much as the handler as to what they’re making an attempt to attain.
“In the first component, the dogs are searching a 1,000 square-foot area for lost articles that belong to their owners. So it might be that they are looking for their owner’s car keys or gloves, for example.”
The dogs have simply two minutes to seek out the merchandise.
“As the dogs move up into higher levels of this, they aren’t just searching for their owners’ lost items, but someone else’s lost items,” stated Okabe.
It all goes again to the basics of man-tracking, and the finding of misplaced folks.
“I’m involved with training the police dog squad, and this is how they start in search and rescue because they are looking for those items that would belong to a human.”
Okabe stated the second part of the occasion — city finding — entails the looking out of buildings together with barns, backyard sheds, or playgrounds, for instance.
In this case, the dogs are looking out for gerbils.
“Traditionally, it’s a rat-hunting sport, and this stems again to early within the final century predominantly in New York or England.
“They used to employ people to hunt vermin in warehouses and such, and the people would get paid for the number of vermin they could bring back, so that’s where it goes back to.”
No want to fret in regards to the gerbils being harmed, as they are going to be in absolutely protected packing containers.
“The dogs absolutely love it, and the gerbils don’t mind it either,” she stated.
“They sit up at the front of the box, and they are just waiting for the dogs to come to them. Our gerbils are familiarized with dogs right from birth, so they don’t get scared.”
The third part of the weekend’s occasions entails having dogs enterprise out into a big subject, the place they’ve to seek out antlers which were shed from deer and elk.
And lastly, the fourth part of the weekend is that of path finding.
A specific path might be sprayed with water blended with gerbil litter.
The path itself can wind via areas of bush and bushes; it may have useless ends, or it may be crisscrossed with different trails.
The ultimate thought is to have the dogs persist with that authentic path, the place they may finally find a field of gerbils. They have simply three minutes to perform this process.
Overall, it’s simply nice to see extra dogs collaborating in canine sports activities, she famous.
“It’s growing phenomenally across Canada, and it’s a lot of fun because it gives non-hunting breeds other than scent hounds a chance to participate,” stated Okabe.
“We have people doing this with chihuahuas, poodles, Great Danes — virtually any dog of any breed, and we also have a lot of mixed breeds. It’s good because a lot of canine sports won’t allow mixed breeds to participate.”
For Okabe, her ardour for canine coaching was sparked early on.
“I get a kick out of getting the common pet dad or mum into these canine sports activities as a result of lots of people suppose that canine sports activities are only for present bred dogs. Or that they’re only for house owners who’re breeders.
“But numerous the individuals who have come to my facility for coaching have began collaborating in these sports activities, and so they like it. It’s like placing your child into hockey or baseball. Lots of people at the moment are placing their dogs into sports activities!
“What I also love about canine sport is that anyone can participate. It doesn’t matter if you have no idea what breed your dog is, it’s all about just getting out and having fun with your dog,” she stated.
“That is my passion — getting people involved in enriching their dogs’ lives. Once they get into it, there are a whole bunch of people who are real canine sports enthusiasts. It’s a great bunch of people to be involved with, too. It’s a lot of fun.”
Find AusCan Ranch’s Go Walkies & Training Centre on Facebook.
