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AKC Online Dog Activities By Jamie Bozzi, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KSA, KPA CTP, ACDBC, CNWI, CC, AKC Evaluator SMRTDOG
A
s many in-person dog-related activities have been suspended because of the pandemic, there are now other options—online!
In keeping with the times and adhering to social distancing, AKC offers the AKC Rally Virtual Pilot Program. This program provides exhibitors the opportunity to enter an AKC Rally event. Rally is an obedience sport in which you and your dog navigate a course, side-by-side, as you steer him through a course of 10 to 20 different signs. Each of the signs provides instructions on what basic obedience maneuver to perform. You can participate in the AKC Rally Virtual Pilot Program in just three easy steps: (1) Pet owners (Rally competitors) set up a predesigned AKC Rally course at home; (2) Record the team’s performance; and (3) Submit the video through a YouTube link, along with the entry form and a fee to AKC. The AKC will assign a pre-selected AKC Rally Judge to virtually review and score the team’s performance. AKC will notify exhibitors of the unofficial scoring results. All eligible qualifying scores will be recorded on the dog’s AKC record and
JAMIE BOZZI OF SMRTDOG
AKC Rally
applied toward the relevant Rally title. The pilot program ends on December 31, 2020. For more information, contact rally-vre@ akc.org.
AKC Agility JAMIE BOZZI OF SMRTDOG
AKC offers an Agility Course Test (ACT) from home! This program was developed to provide pet owners with dogs that are ready to test their agility skills and to try the sport of ACT Agility locally. Pet owners have the opportunity to stay at home or use their local training site and enter an AKC ACT 1 or ACT 2 event. You
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You can earn trick titles from the comfort of your living room, teaching your dog how to perform a variety of fun tricks, including crawl, fetch, high five, kiss, and spin.
can also buy equipment online. For more information, visit akc.org/sports/agility/ act-program/act-virtual-program/. Other agility organizations that have online options: NADAC - nadac.com/video-runs/ USDAA - usdaa.com/ UKI - ukagilityinternational.com/
AKC Tricks
You can earn trick titles from the comfort of your living room, teaching your dog how to perform a variety of fun tricks, including crawl, fetch, high five, kiss, and
