GRC Dogsports for Puppies
Often when we host GRC events, we get messages from people saying that they would love to join, but that their dog is under 1 year and that they want to wait. We welcome dogs of all ages and think that the earlier you start, the better! Obviously, we wouldn’t be doing full mill sprints or heavy sled pulls with dogs that are not fully grown. But there are plenty of things you can do to build a picture for the future. Let’s break it down into smaller steps!
The drive events can be broken down into two groups: toy sports (spring pole and wall climb), and harness sports (weight pull and slat mill). The primary things you can do to prepare your puppy for GRC Dogsports is play (loads!) and teaching them to pull into a harness (contrasted to giving into collar pressure if you like).
To pass the Social Responsibility Test, you need a dog who can make good decisions on their own or who you can manage with obedience - skills you should be preparing your puppy for regardless. Additionally, your dog needs leash walking, recall, down and middle. These behaviours are included in all drive sports as well.
The first verbals we introduce our dogs to is a start (Ready?) and stop cue (All done). This will be useful for the Liberty section of the SR, and the end of each drive event before scoring is off.
Other things to do, we think for any puppy, but especially if you are aiming for the higher levels of the SR, is making them bold, forward and confident, and resilient to environmental pressure.
Finally, build social interaction into your reward events from the start so that you can use it at trials between sections.
If you want to find out more about GRC, we have several events coming up this summer.
