CCTC members participate in many dog performance activities. Occasionally, and as demand and time allow, special dog training classes are offered. Most of these classes are taught by CCTC member volunteers who have a keen interest in an area. Dogs of all variety, pure-bred and all-American, participate as well.

Tracking

This sport demonstrates the dog’s ability to recognize and follow human scent. Tracking is a vigorous, noncompetitive outdoor sport. Unlike obedience and rally trials, where dogs respond to the handler’s commands, in tracking the dog is completely in charge, for only he knows how to use his nose to find and follow the track. For many, the greatest pleasure of tracking is the hours spent outside training and interacting with their dogs. The tracking community is known for its camaraderie and they all share in the excitement of a “pass” and the disappointment of a “fail.” Any breed is capable of learning to track. A tracking course will cover the basic information about what is involved in training a dog to an AKC tracking title: equipment needed, how to begin training, conditions which influence tracking and scent, how to lay a track, dog motivation and handling, use of partners/buddy system, regular practice sessions, steps in training, map making, cost, how tests are run, where they are held and how often, keeping a diary, etc. Most courses run for several weeks after an initial orientation session, meeting once a week with the instructor to check progress. Students are expected to practice in pairs in between weekly meetings if they hope to see progress.

Flyball

Flyball is a dog sport in which teams of dogs race against each other from a start/finish line, over a line of hurdles, to a box that releases a tennis ball to be caught when the dog presses the spring-loaded pad, then back to their handlers while carrying the ball. Flyball is run in teams of four dogs, as a relay. The course consists of four hurdles placed 10 feet apart from each other, with the starting line six feet from the first hurdle, and the flyball box 15 feet after the last one, making for a 51-foot length. The hurdle height is determined by the shoulder height of the smallest dog in the team. Each dog must return its ball all the way across the start line before the next dog crosses. Ideal running is nose-to-nose at the start line. The first team to have all four dogs cross the finish line error free wins the heat. Penalties are applied to teams if the ball is dropped or if the next relay dog is released early. A Flyball course introduces a handler/dog team to the equipment and basic training. Regular practice is essential for the teams to become proficient and travel is required for meets.