Companion Dog Sports
Miniature Schnauzers are athletic, spunky, and love to please, especially if there is a treat involved! They are very smart, and quick to catch on. They will be a couch potato with you, but really thrive when they get mental stimulation and given challenges to solve.
The best schnauzer is a tired schnauzer, and there are so many fun things you can do with your dog. These activities will reap huge rewards in terms of your RELATIONSHIP with your four legged partner. It is hard to imagine, but training new skills REALLY enhances the way the dog relates to you.
Want to get started? Visit the AKC.org/sports to get an idea of all the things available out there. If you have a particular question about an event or need to talk with someone that has competed in the past, or currently, contact this club for more information!
Using their NOSE
These events allow your dog, who has thousands more sniffing capabilities than we mere humans have, to use a skill, figure out a puzzle, and think through a scenario. These events are not strenuous for the handler.
BARN HUNT. Live rats in containers are hidden amongst straw bales. It’s your dogs’ responsibility to seek them out! Much like an Easter Egg Hunt, except schnauzers were bred for just this kind of activity!
EARTH DOG. A variation, where there are wooden tunnels that your dog must navigate through to get to the containerized rat at the end. It simulates “go to ground” that all terriers were bred for.
NOSE WORK / SCENT WORK. A more dignified activity where the dog must locate a small tin containing an herbal odor. The tins are hidden outdoors or indoors, and it gives you a taste of the training a bomb or drug sniffing dog goes through.
Popular AKC Events
AGILITY. Requires a bit more exercise on the part of the handler, but boy is it fun and addictive for both you and your dog. It is a team sport where you and your dog lean to run a timed obstacle course in a specific order. Dogs learn to execute jumps, tunnels, climbing, and weaving. They learn quickly by watching other dogs in their class. The handlers learn how to position themselves to direct the dogs, modulate their speed, and make turns. There are nuances in your positioning that the dogs learn, and the sport becomes one of quiet communication. The dogs get fit and come home tired (you will too!)
Our club holds an annual all breed agility trial the end of January and always need volunteers. We invite you to help.
OBEDIENCE. The classic dog/handler training. You are taught skills to execute a pattern, which will include jumps at the intermediate level, and will add scent discrimination at the higher level. No one will get out of breath here!
RALLY. You and your dog follow a numbered sequence of stations, where you ask your dog to perform a simple skill. It’s your job to stay in sequence! This may have a jump for your dog, but if you can walk you can do this one!!!!
OTHER EVENTS include Lure Coursing (Fast Cat) if your dog loves to chase something, and Dock Diving if they love water.
So, we encourage you to grab the leash, bring a bag of small treats, and load up that Schnauzer to head to a class. Guaranteed that you won’t regret it!!!
If your Schnauzer is a lucky rescue dog and you want to compete in any of these AKC sporting events, you must fill out an application for a PAL or All American registration number. That number is how they will track your dogs' points since you don't have the dogs' original registration number.
Want to get started? Visit the AKC.org/sports to get an idea of all the things available out there. If you have a particular question about an event or need to talk with someone that has competed in the past, or currently, join Cactus State Miniature Schnauzer Club to meet other schnauzer owners that are involved in AKC dog sports!
