Dog Days of Summer 2011

The Dog Days of Summer returns to The Park on Hacienda Road in La Habra Heights on Saturday, July 30, for one very special day of demonstrations of dog and owner competitions and activities. Whether you own a Chihuahua, Silky, Great Dane or Irish wolf hound, or mutt there will be something to delight you at the event.

Making appearances at the Dog Days will be over 40 vendors specializing in the best doggie attire, accessories, treats, health and wellness, bowls, beds as well as representatives from veterinarians and rescue organizations, there will be Dog Wash fundraiser with proceeds benefiting the Pet Prescription Team Therapy dog organization. Attendees can also have their dogs tested on sheep to see if they have what it takes to work livestock.   

Come stroll with your pet and meet some other friends. Guests can even get pet portraits, and owners can pick up doggie related clothing, home goods, accessories and more. Water and food vendor services will be available. Admission Free – Bring your family dog and enjoy.

Some of the attractions at Dog Days will include:

• Agility Demos
• Flyball Demo
• Sheep Herding Demo
• Frisbee Demos
• Police Dog Demo
• Dog Vendor Booths
• Rescue Organizations
• Low Cost Dog Washing Booth $20.00
• Pet Education Booths
• Dog Photograph Booth
• Sheep Herding Instinct Testing $30.00

Come & compete in the following contests & win some great prizes:

• Dog Costume Contest
• Dog Trick Contest

Dog Sport Information 

Disc Dog

Disc dog is the more generic name for what is commonly called Frisbee dog. In disc dog competitions, dogs and their human flying disc throwers compete in events such as distance catching and somewhat choreographed freestyle catching. The sport celebrates the bond between handler and dog, by allowing them to work together.

Disc Dog Demos at Dog Days will be provided by :

Muttley Crew K9 Entertainment /K9 Sports Club
Showing you the way to have fun with your dog. Learn more about Disc dogs and the Muttley Crew team at:http://muttleycrew.net/

Flyball

Flyball started as a dog sport in the late 1960s and early 1970s, in Southern California. Some dog trainers combined scent hurdle racing with the dogs bringing back a tennis ball to the finish line. Then a tennis ball-launching apparatus was added and the first flyball box was born. Herbert Wagner is credited with making the first real flyball box, and he also demonstrated flyball on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

The first Flyball tournament was held in 1983 in the USA.

Flyball has now expanded into many countries which have National flyball tournaments and also hold joint annual European championships.

Flyball Demos at Dog Days of Summer will be provided by Woof Gang Flyball Club. Visit their website and learn more about their team at:http://woofgangflyballclub.net/

 Agility

Dog agility is a dog sport in which a handler directs a dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy. Dogs run off-leash with no food or toys as incentives, and the handler can touch neither dog nor obstacles. 

Courses are complicated enough that a dog could not complete them correctly without human direction. In competition, the handler must assess the course, decide on handling strategies, and direct the dog through the course, with precision and speed equally important. Many strategies exist to compensate for the inherent difference in human and dog speeds and the strengths and weaknesses of the various dogs and handlers.

Demos this year will be provided by :Agility Club of Orange County. For more information regarding classes or training contact them direct at: 562-694-8090

Herding Demo's/ Instinct Testing

Making appearance again this year and back by popular demand is sheep herding demos and instinct testing. Herding dogs have long been important in livestock industries throughout the world. Today there is also an increased interest in herding on the part of individuals who are not involved in the livestock industry, but who are interested in working with their dogs and helping preserve the talents and abilities of the herding breeds. Competitive herding trials have been increasing in number and variety.

Organized herding instinct tests came about as a way to provide an accessible and standardized introduction to herding for owners and dogs that might otherwise have little opportunity in this area. It is simply the supervised exposure of an inexperienced dog to livestock, in the same way that in a home situation a trainer might introduce a herding prospect to stock as the preliminary to beginning training.

Instinct testing will be available from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm charge for testing is $30.00. No reservations needed.

To learn more about Sheep herding visit: http://www.herdingontheweb.com/index.html

Freestyle

Musical freestyle is a relatively new sport that combines dog obedience and dance in a way that is totally unique and exciting. It blends dog obedience and dance presenting a visually exciting display of handler and canine teamwork. The handler and dog perform dance-oriented footwork in time to the music, rather than displaying the traditional walking pace of obedience. Heeling is an important component of freestyle but nonstandard movements are also expected to be displayed by the dog along with attention, enthusiasm, and a degree of difficulty over and above that which is normally seen in the obedience ring. A variety of handler upper body movements are also encouraged to lend interpretation to the music. Costuming for the handler also helps to enhance the interpretation of the music and to involve spectators in the spirit of the routine. Throughout the routine the handler may encourage the dog's performance with verbal commands, but no training aids or food of any kind are permitted in the competition ring.
 

Demo's this year will be provided by various teams in the Orange County area.

Dog Wash

Don't forget by popular demand the Pet Prescription Team Dog Wash is back again this year. Bring Fido out and get him the full treatment. Full wash and dry for $20.00... you can't beat that!