- Dances with Dogs and Heelwork to Music. Choreographed performances to music, highlighting obedience training and the happy relationship existing between the dog and handler. Costume is often worn to illustrate the theme. NSDTC conducts an annual competition in this vibrant sport.
- Retrieving Ability for Gun Dogs. Gundogs perform basic obedience exercises and the retrieval of Game (either pigeon or dummies) from field, bush or water. NSDTC includes this sport in its annual Obedience Trial.
- Flyball. A relay race between two competing teams of dogs. Each dog, inturn, jumps 4 hurdles, retrieves a ball when triggered from the Flyball box and returns, with the ball, over the 4 hurdles allowing the next dog to commence its run.
- Earth Tests are for terriers where the dogs are expected to find hidden quarry.
- Sheepdog Trials are run for working sheepdogs. A dog must work with his handler to put three sheep through a set course negotiating obstacles ending in a pen, while keeping to a 10 minute time limit.
- Lure Coursing is mainly for dogs in the sighthound group eg. Greyhounds, Whippets, Irish Wolfhounds, Borzois etc. The dogs work in pairs of two compatible dogs chasing a plastic bag dragged by a pulley and battery system around a course at speed. The dogs are marked on how closely they follow the lure.
- Sighthound Racing which is an activity similar to greyhound racing where the dog chases a mechanical lure around a track. The dogs run breed by breed and are times over distances from 100 to 500 metres.
- Herding dogs have proven themselves to be essential in improving man’s ability to control stock (sheep, cattle, ducks etc). Herding tests and trials are designed to preserve these herding instincts.
- Endurance Test where the dog and handler compete a 3 leg, 20km run or ride over different terrains.
It is wonderful to watch some of these events as the dogs thoroughly enjoy the work for which they are bred, even the first time they attempt it!
The controlling body in NSW for all of these dog related activities is Dogs NSW.
The Northern Suburbs Dog Training Club was founded by Jim and Miriam Powell in 1967. Until 1992, our Club trained at the Claude Cameron Grove in Wahroonga. Then in October 1992 we moved to new grounds at St Ives Showground, where our new clubhouse was built during 1993.
