When I adopted Vinny, I had no idea what incredible potential dogs hold. Vinny taught me about the “scary” potential of a dog- reactivity, bite risk, fear, aggression, and so on. Through this journey, he made me the capable and confident handler necessary to keep him safe and above all alive. My cattle dogs on the other hand taught me the incredibly positive potential of dogs- drive, athleticism, focus, relationship, obedience, and shared companionship. They opened up a new world of dog handling and ownership to me. This of course included dog sports. I am always looking for new ways to challenge our team dynamic and help my dogs reach their full potential. This led us to GRC dog sports.
Since this is an up and coming sport, I will try to touch on the basics so you can better picture what we are involved in. GRC stands for “Gameness, Relationship, and Control”. Gameness refers to the dog’s overall willingness to participate. The dog should be able to overcome and work through stress, while showing a controlled demeanor. Relationship focuses on the dog and handler relationship, how willing the dog is to work for the handler, and their team dynamic throughout the trials. Control assesses a dog’s self control, not to be mistaken with the handler controlling the dog. The ingenious aspect behind this sport is that it encourages the dog to make good choices independent of the handler’s guidance. You can imagine how this builds a stable, confident dog.
This sport was originally founded for American Pit Bull Terriers and has now expanded to welcome any dogs. This is the ultimate sport for reactive dogs because the long term benefits for participating can be exactly what they need to break through their fear based responses to their triggers. The dogs train for and participate in Social Responsibility trials. The dogs show their ability to be obedient through different verbal command tests, loose leash skills, and a “liberty” portion where the dog shows their ability to independently make good choices.
After the dog and handler team has passed the social responsibility trials, they are able to move on to the drive events associated with GRC. This includes slat mill racing, weight pull, wall climb, and spring pole. It is easy too see how such a vast variety of events and skills will challenge each dog differently, allowing them to overcome their weaknesses and enhance their strengths.
So how did we get involved in GRC dog sports? Last winter one of Chief’s trainers first introduced the idea to us, saying how great Chief would be at the drive sports. I had never heard of this sport before so I started to research it. Turns out, the founder Jay Jack is based in Portland, Maine which is fairly close to us. At the time, I didn’t feel that our schedule would allow us to pursue regular training in Maine so I tucked the idea away. Fast forward to this fall, a club started in our area based out of the Bad Dogs Club in Hooksett, NH and we were invited to join! I was very nervous, as I always am when trying something new. The added layer of uncertainty in bringing your dog with you into a brand new environment is something that doesn’t get easier, but having Chief as my partner in crime motivates me to show up despite my fears.
I feel so fortunate to be included in this club. The members are supportive, welcoming, and bring a wealth of experience to the table. We troubleshoot each other’s challenges, find creative solutions, and learn together. We have been involved for just over a month now and I am happy to say Chief and Chickie are loving it. We are currently working on confidence building with Chickie and fine tuning obedience with Chief. Chief has always loved formal obedience training so this is an extremely enjoyable sport for him. As for Chickie, she tends to be more sensitive than Chief ever was, which presented a significant learning curve for me. This club has given her a new environment with strange people and dogs to work around, and is teaching her to be confident and trust our relationship no matter the situation.
I cannot recommend this sport enough to any dog. No matter what your dog enjoys, they will find an aspect of this sport that they love to do with you. I can’t think of a better way to build drive, work on obedience, and strengthen your relationship with your dog. More GRC clubs are popping up all over the country, you can go to their website to find an affiliated club in your area. If I inspire you to do anything, I hope that is to try the new thing with your dog that you’ve always wanted to try. Their time with us is far too short to put things off until another day. You never know the potential of your dog, no matter the breed, unless you give them the opportunity to show you what they are made of. I look forward to updating you all as we continue to work towards our GRC goals!
Let me know if you have any questions!