There is much discussion about what exactly defines a sport for dogs. Some issues:
If a human companion isn't actively involved, is it actually a sport? Take greyhound racing, for example, or hunting from, say, a duck blind, from which the dog retrieves the game.
Is any activity a sport? For example, a conformation show, where the handler and dog walk or trot around a ring for a judge to evaluate the dog's appearance and structure.
This list is intended only to represent anything that anyone is likely to refer to as a dog sport, not to argue its validity as sport. Clearly, there are more sports to add to this list:
In a dog show, judges familiar with specific dog breeds evaluate individual dogs for how well they conform to published breed standards, hence the more accurate term is conformation show (or, sometimes, breed show).
"Dog show" is often used by the general public to refer to any event involving dogs, such as dog sports, but in the dog world it more specifically refers to conformation competitions.
Handlers set up their dogs for judging so that their stance is perfect when the judge views them.
Training a retrieve in Schutzhund, a dog sport.
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