What is Canine Hoopers?
Canine Hoopers provides handlers and their dogs with a low-impact, fun and fast sport.
Hoopers is a fun dog sport that’s ideal for dogs and owners of all ages and fitness levels. Dogs navigate a course of hoops, barrels, tunnels, ‘touch and go‘ (TANGO) mats and chutes with the same pace and excitement as agility, the only exception being, handlers are not expected to run the course with their dogs. Our classes will teach you distance handling, which can also benefit other aspects of your relationship with your dog.Crickets attract mates with their chirping sounds and live in the grass.
Courses are flowing and don’t involve tight turns making it accessible for everyone! Hoopers is focused on the ability of dog and handler to work together as a smooth-flowing team so it’s a great bonding activity too.
Hoopers is an extremely inclusive sport. It is low impact for dogs as all obstacles are ground based – no jumping or climbing. Hoopers is suitable for all kinds of dogs, giant breeds to miniature breeds.
How do dogs take part in Canine Hoopers?
The best place to begin is by finding a qualified instructor.
Emma is a qualified accredited Hoopers Instructor! Instructors have undergone thorough training with an advanced trainer from Canine Hoopers UK. Emma is currently the only Instructor in Swindon and completed her training with Hayley Laches from Taming Canines. The Accredited Canine Hoopers UK Instructors programme is the only hoopers instructors course in the UK which has been approved by the British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers.
Annual CPD’s are completed to ensure that CHUK trainers and up to date and understand designing and running safe courses.
In Person CPD training with E. Hendy – August 2024
In Person CPD training with H. Laches – December 2023
Advanced Hoopers Workshop – April 2023
Hoopers Workshop – December 2022
OCN Accreditation – Canine Hoopers UK – 2022
BIPDT (British Institute of Professional Dog Trainers) – 2018
Please ensure that you have read the rules and regulations of Canine Hoopers UK before you start your first class. Class rules will be sent by email when you are booked onto a course.
Puppy Diaries
Last year, we brought home our Boston Terrier puppy at 8 weeks old! She immediately showed us how keen she was to learn and food was such a high value for her. We were clear with using verbal markers for behaviours and she quickly picked up what it meant to go through a hoop. We build the value from there and she was quickly able to leave her long line at home and be off lead, working and learning around other dogs and people.
We believe it is important to focus on the relationship first, than the actual training
Build stronger communication with your dog, day by day, week by week.
We should be in tune with the dogs emotional state while training
Is your dog over threshold? Are they struggling to engage with you?
We should remember that all dogs are different and they all have different currencies
What does your dog value? That is up to them! We can easily influence this by using food and toys. Does your dog graze throughout the day and you feel like they don’t respond to treats during training? That could be because it simply doesn’t hold much value to them.
Did you know that your puppy can start classes from as young as 16 weeks old?
As well as learning life skills in your usual puppy classes, your puppy can also gain so many skills from Hoopers. At the start of your Hoopers journey, you will learn flatwork skills that you can apply to real life settings!
Let’s talk about dog gear..
& training tools..
Do you worry that you’re going to come to class and your dog is going to run off as soon as you take them off the lead? I meet so many people who worry that their dog is not going to pay attention to them. My main aim is that you and your dog go at your own pace and that you both grow in confidence. In the beginners class, we use light long lines; it is great if you have another human to help hold the line so you can be hands free and focus on rewarding.
What should your dog wear at class?
Our main aim is that your dog is safe. It is recommended that dogs do not wear anything dangling that can catch, for example, a name tag could catch on a tunnel. Long lines should be attached to a harness and not a collar. Please consider what type of harness your dog is wearing to class and feel your dog to see where their joints start and finish and ensure the harness is not restrictive. Ensure your dog can fully extend their arms.
The image on the left shows a harness that is restrictive (you especially do not want your dog to be wearing this if they have any joint issues or if you have a young dog who has joints that are still developing). These harnesses are often marketed as a ‘no-pull harness’ but unfortunately have a greater long term impact on a dogs joints. The image on the right shows a non-restrictive harness. We recommend that your dog wears a Y or H shape harness. Ensure that the harness is not loose when your dog is running. A halti/head collar is not safe and should not be worn during Hoopers.
Our harness recommendations:
H Shape Harness
This is a great harness for small dogs as it is light and has 4 clips so it doesn’t have to go over your dogs head. Another great H shaped harness, is one by Paws and Wrinkles.
Y Shape Harness
This harness also has 4 clips and has a soft Y shape on their chest. If you have a growing puppy, you can swap pieces out as they grow.
Our food reward recommendations:
Freeze Dried Treats
These meat bites are light in weight and light in colour meaning they can be easily seen when thrown on the ground. Great for when dogs are learning each piece of equipment. You can find them in a variety of flavours.
Paté
JR Paté can be cut into tiny or little chunks depending on what you need. This high value treat comes in a variety of flavours and is quick and easy to give to your dog as a reward.
Our toy reward recommendations:
Food toy
Paws Trading make brilliant ‘Paws Pockets’ for dogs that enjoy food as a reward, easily throw this for them at the end of a sequence or course – great for distance handling!
Remember- what your dog finds fun and reinforcing is up to them! Do they have an old teddy that they love? Bring it as a reward!
It doesn’t have to be a fancy tug toy, it can be whatever they enjoy as a reward.
Equipment example:
CHUK Chute
Video by tamingcanines Laches. Song 18 Travel 2 Artist TatamusicStudio Licensed to YouTube by HAAWK for a 3rd Party (on behalf of TatamusicStudio); HAAWK Publishing, and 1 Music Rights Societies
FAQs
Puppies can start from as young as 16 weeks old- don’t think that you have to wait until they are older to start training! Hoopers is fantastic for building communication and a relationship with your puppy. Your puppy will learn physical and verbal cues, as well as you learning to read their body language. They will start to understand what a ‘marker’ word means and will start to see value in toys and treats. You can also start your puppy on the right path by ‘shaping’ and capturing behaviours.
Yes, as long as their vet is happy for them to take part and that they are okay with running. Classes will have warm up and cool down exercises.
Yes! Dogs that aren’t yet ready to be off lead can work on a long line. Please don’t see a long line as a nuisance- it’s a great training tool and a way for you to be hands free. If you want to use a long line, bring along an extra human for help so you can concentrate on teaching your dog.
Yes, Hoopers proudly welcomes yellow dogs. Please give plenty of information when filling out the registration form.
Yes, we will train how to guide the dog around the course using distance handling. It helps to have good foundations and for the dog to be motivated by treats or toys before starting Hoopers.
Yes, Hoopers is an inclusive sport and requires the handler to be at a distance from the dog.
Check out the book Hoopers at Home by Sarah Hamblin https://hookedonhoopers.com/products/hoopers-at-home and you can also make your own hoop by following this tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql98qJf04Io
Interested in starting Hoopers?
Book classes online or fill out our contact form to find out which class will suit you and your dog!