Sports for Mental Enrichment

by Courtney Sexton

I wouldn’t describe myself as especially athletic. I love to ski when the weather and time allows, am happy to pedal a beach cruiser, and keep an on-again-off-again yoga practice, but because I have a heart condition, I am somewhat limited in the level of physical activity I can take on. Thankfully, among the many other joys and benefits of living with a canine companion, my guy Sonder makes sure we both get a healthy dose of daily exercise. We love to go on trail walks and low-impact hikes, and having a hound by my side makes me feel safe doing so. Still, I can’t always keep up with Sonder’s degree of athleticism, and so over the years have found creative ways to make sure he’s getting the physical workout he needs as a high-energy dog— which has led me into the world of dog sports. 

Which Sport is Right for You and Your Dog?

There may not be as many sports available to dogs as there are for humans, but the options are definitely numerous. And with good reason. As with people, different dogs are more well-suited and inclined toward different activities. This is in part related to the jobs and tasks certain dogs were originally bred for, which can still influence their underlying cardiovascular, neuronal, and muscular functioning (Kim et al. 2018). Some are built for long-distance running, while others prefer the sprint. Some dogs like team sports, where others would rather tackle an athletic challenge solo or with a single partner. Considering your dog’s personality and physical abilities (and your own!) can help you choose which pup-ular sports you both might be motivated to try (Farrell et al. 2015).

Agility: With guidance from their human companion, agility dogs navigate an obstacle course that shows off various components of both athleticism and cognitive learning. Agility dogs jump hurdles, go through hoops and tunnels, walk balance beams and see-saws, weave through standing poles, and more, with a goal to complete the course with as much precision and speed as possible. 

Rally: Rally is a sport that tests attention, spatial orientation, and inhibitory control (for both people and dogs!). Working side-by-side with their human “handler”, dogs must proceed along a route that includes specific steps, sits, turns, stops, and other course-specific cues indicated by visual signals.

Flyball: An exciting option for dogs who love balls and running, or generally have a high prey drive, flyball can be very satisfying. In teams of four, dogs run hurdles, retrieve a ball attached to a board or wall at the end of the sprint, then return to the starting point where the next team member takes the relay. 

Field Trial: Working in pairs or solo, field trial dogs cover a lot of ground. These specially-trained sporting dogs learn to find the scent of game birds hidden among acres of land and must exercise a high amount of control to point the bird without trying to “flush” or get it to fly until their human arrives on the scene.

Competitive Dance: Combining artistry, attentive learning, and intense physicality, competitive musical freestyle, or “dog dancing” is a unique way for both you and your dog to get a workout while expressing yourselves creatively. Just make sure your pup doesn’t have four left feet.

Physical + Mental Enrichment

The beautiful thing about dog sports is that we, as their companions, get to play with them. The teamwork demanded in dog sports, regardless of how physical the human does or doesn’t need to be, is bond-building and relationship-forming. Pairing other learning-centric activities and games with sporting practices can create a maximally-enriching environment for pups and people. When dogs enjoy learning, these skills can transfer to the field, and vice-versa (Marshall-Pescini et al. 2009). And, recent research shows that engaging these kinds of activities can have both physical and psychological benefits for dogs and people, alike (Selmeci and Gyömbér 2024). 

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