Dog sports are competitive activities specifically designed for dogs. Dogs typically participate in sports with the help of owners, although some dog sports do not require human participation. A 2015 survey found that dog owners of all classes participate in dog sports, with owners from large cities (over 500,000 people), medium cities (between 100,000 and 500,000 people), small cities (less than 100,000 people), and rural areas each accounting for roughly the same percentage of dog sport competitors.^[1]

According to the survey, the most popular dog sports are obedience sports, and the majority of people that compete in dog sports compete in over twelve dog sporting events per year. Additionally, the majority of owners that compete in dog sports are primarily motivated by internal motivators (such as satisfaction or improving their relationships with their dogs) rather than external motivators (such as prizes).^[1]

Dog combat sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Baiting		Dogs fight or torment other animals	[2]
Dog fighting		Dogs fight other dogs	[3]
Venatio		Gladiators fought various animals, including dogs	[4][5]
Hog-dog rodeo		Dogs chase and capture hogs	[6]

Dog herding sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Sheepdog trial		Dogs compete their herding management skills	[7][8]
Treibball		Dogs drive large balls into goals	[9]

Dog obedience sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Heelwork to music		Dogs and humans perform trained routines to music	[10]
Musical canine freestyle		Dogs and humans perform freestyle dance to music	[11]
Obedience trial		Dogs execute predefined tasks	[12]
Rally obedience		Dogs execute tasks without commands from judges and while receiving encouragement	[13]
Schutzhund		Dogs compete in tracking, obedience, and protection skills	[14]

Dog pulling sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Bikejoring		Dogs pull humans on bicycles	[15]
Canicross		Cross-country running with dogs attached to a human	[16]
Carting		Dogs pull items or people in a cart	[17]
Dog scootering		Dogs pull humans on unmotorized scooters	[18]
Mushing		Dogs pull a sled, usually through snow	[19]
Skijoring		Dogs pull humans on skis	[20]
Weight pulling		Dogs pull heavy objects or weights	[21]

Dog racing sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Dachshund racing		Dachshund dogs race	[22]
Greyhound racing		Greyhound dogs race	[23]
Shepherd's Shemozzle		Humans race through an obstacle course alongside dogs	[24][25]
Sled dog racing		Dogs race while pulling a sled	[26]
Terrier racing		Terrier dogs race	[27][28]

Dog tracking and hunting sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Beagling		Scent hounds such as beagles track and hunt rabbits or hares by scent	[29]
Coon hunting		Dogs track and hunt raccoons	[30]
Coursing		Sighthounds hunt prey by sight and speed	[31][32]
Drag hunting		Humans on horseback follow a scent using dogs	[33]
Earthdog trial		Short-legged dogs navigate tunnels while hunting a rat or mouse	[34]
Field trial		Dogs compete in field hunting events	[35]
Fox hunting		Dogs track and hunt foxes by scent	[36][37]
Hare coursing		Dogs hunt rabbits or hares by sight	[32]
Hound trailing		Hounds race along a scent trail	[38]
Hunting the clean boot		Hounds track a natural human scent	[39]
Lure coursing		Dogs chase a mechanically-operated lure	[40]
Nosework		Dogs search for target odors while ignoring distractions	[41]
Tracking trial		Dogs track a target by scent	[42]
Trail hunting		A pack of hounds tracks an artificially-laid trail of animal urine	[43]

Dog water sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Dock jumping		Dogs compete to jump furthest into water	[44]
Dog surfing		Dogs surf, either with or without human partners	[45][46]

Other dog sports

Sport	Image	Brief description	Refs.
Agility		Dogs are guided through an obstacle course to compete for speed and accuracy	[47]
Dog show		Purebred dogs are judged for conformity to breed standards	[48]
Dog skateboarding		Dogs ride skateboards	[49]
Disc dog		Dogs compete to catch frisbees	[50]
Flyball		Teams of dogs race over hurdles to retrieve a ball	[51]
Junior showmanship		Young humans exhibit their dog handling skills	[52]
Puppy Bowl		Puppies play with toys in a miniature American football stadium	[53]

• List of sports - for sports involving humans
• List of equestrian sports - for sports involving horses

• Sundance, K. (2010). 101 Ways to Do More With Your Dog: Make Your Dog a Superdog with Sports, Games, Exercises, Tricks, Mental Challenges, Crafts, and Bonding. Beverly, MA: Quarry Books.