DSPN - The Dog Sports & Performance Network - Pets & Animals on Pet Life Radio (PetLifeRadio.com)

Traveling is one of the most fun activities you can do with your dog! Laurie Williams talks to Carol Bryant, PR and Social Media Director for FIDO Friendly Magazine, about all the fun places you can travel to with your dog for this holiday and winter season.

Agility Right from the Start is the first training resource you should have and the last one you'll need. Authors Eva Bertilsson and Emelie Johnson Vegh now bring to the US and Canada the powerful modern training system that made them leading agility teachers throughout Norway and Sweden.

As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. But more importantly for those of us who love our pets, a prized photo of a pet having fun, or us participating in an activity we share together can capture the moment for a lifetime. In this episode, listen in as we chat with Jim Poor, of Jim Poor Photography. Jim is a highly sought after dog sports photographer based in Northern Virginia but travels throughout the U.S. shooting a myriad of dog events from agility to herding, lure coursing and herding trials. Jim shares some insight from the other side of the camera and offers tips to pet owners wishing to capture their own special "Kodak moments" of their wonderful companions.

Well, the finale was a year ago, and by now most fans have probably figured out what I knew the moment I drove away from that televised Canine Academy: there’s not going to be a second season of Greatest American Dog. Even though nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to the premiere, the show’s ratings experienced a steady decline throughout the season and ended with an average of 5-6 million weekly viewers. Comparing that to other popular dog-themed television shows like the The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel (which barely averages 1 million viewers weekly), GAD was one of the most watched TV series about dogs ever! Join us as we catch up with some members of the cast and get the 4-1-1- on what they've been doing for the past year.

Well, the finale was a year ago, and by now most fans have probably figured out what I knew the moment I drove away from that televised Canine Academy: there’s not going to be a second season of Greatest American Dog. Even though nearly 10 million viewers tuned in to the premiere, the show’s ratings experienced a steady decline throughout the season and ended with an average of 5-6 million weekly viewers. Comparing that to other popular dog-themed television shows like the The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel (which barely averages 1 million viewers weekly), GAD was one of the most watched TV series about dogs ever! Join us as we catch up with some members of the cast and get the 4-1-1- on what they've been doing for the past year.

What do you get when you add all the most positive, dog and human friendly sports and activities together with the most enthusiastic dogs and their people? You get the Midwest Rally and Obedience Tournament to be held on September 26 and 27, 2009 at the Dupage Fairgrounds in Wheaton, Illinois. Learn all about this first time, premier event from judge and rally and obedience instructor and enthusiast, Kay Weber of K9 Petiquette in Elburn, Illinois. Everything fun and positive you can do with your dog under one roof - this is something you don't want to miss!

If you could take everything dogs love to do like run, jump, and play, all while getting praised and rewarded, and put it all together, you'd get C-Wags. C-Wags, or Canine Work and Games is one of the newer dog sports and activities that is catching on across the United States. Combining traditional obedience, rally, games and play, C-Wags focuses on team work between the dog and handler, and is open to all breeds of dogs, purebred, mixed breeds, and even dogs with disabilities. Join us as C-Wags judge and exhibitor Laurie Buchele shares insight about this wonderful new venue.

The AKC National Agility Championships includes 750 of the country's top agility dogs that have met a highly competitive and criteria regarding titles, scores, speed and performance. Meet Cindy Briggs, CPDT, owner of All Dog Adventures dog training facility in Richmond, VA and her Golden Retriever, Jody as she tells us all about their trip to this year's competition. Cindy shares some training secrets and foundation building skills that can help you achieve a winning relationship with your dog, whether on the agility course or at home!

Limited to dogs no more than 17" tall at the withers, the Teacup Dogs Agility Association was created to encourage and provide an alternate competitive agility venue for small dogs that offers the same challenges on size appropriate equipment and courses that ensures greater safety and a much more level playing field. Join Laurie and her guest, Donni Breaden, TDAA judge and avid exhibitor to learn more about this exciting sport that is sweeping the country!

Meet Michael Pesare of Gleanntan Kennels in South Central PA where he and his partner Maida Connor own, breed and exhibit to winning Skye Terriers. I ran into Michael and Maida at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show last month where they were showing their dogs "Tony," Ch. Finnsky Gladiator, and "Bee," Ch Gleanntan GiveMeBusyBee. Active in the sport of dogs since 1990, Pesare and Connor have been instrumental in preserving this magnificent breed of dog with a deep history dating as far back as the 1600's. Duing the past 19 years they have shown Gleanntan Skyes to Best in Show, Multiple Best in Specialty Show and numerous group wins. They have also handled Skyes of their own breeding and/or co-ownership to #1 ranking in the U.S. in 2003, 2007 and 2008.

This year's 133rd Westminster Dog Show promises to be one of the most exciting ever! The top dogs in contention have run a tight race and have been battling it out all year in shows throughout the country and the world. But it all comes down to one final night, center stage at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2009. Dog show expert Billy Wheeler shares secrets and gives us the inside scoop on this year's events, as he lets us in on all the front runners, underdogs, and even some of his own predictions.

A visit with top Yorkshire Terrier breeder and exhibitor Pauline Imbro-Allen, just back from a huge win at the Kennel Club of Philadelphia dog show! One of the oldest and largest dog shows in existence, the Kennel Club of Philadelphia plays host to the A.K.C.'s National Dog Show, the most widely viewed dog show in America. The show attracts over 2,000 of the top dogs from across the country.

It's an age old tradition for parents to pack up their kids' bags and send them off to camp in the summer. Well now camps have gone to the dogs! Now you can pack up your dog's bags, and yours too, as the two of you head off to camp together! The popularity of dog sports camps, weekend to week long camps and retreats where dogs and their people can try out, practice and learn new skills to give them that competitive edge continues to grow. Today we talk to Bud Houston of Country Dream Agility Retreat in southeaster Ohio and Jeanne Richter of Camp Gone to the Dogs in Vermont about the benefits of attending a sports camp with your dog.

Some might consider conformation dog shows nothing more than "beauty pageants" for dogs, but that description does this long standing and popular sport a tremendous disservice. The fact is, next to the Kentucky Derby, the Westminster Dog show is the oldest, continuous sporting event held in the United States. Each breed of dog has a standard, and in conformation dog shows, each dog is judged individually on how closely he or she matches the breed standard. Conditioning, training and preparing a dog for a show career takes time, diligence and patience.... and it starts before the dog is even bred! Come learn all about this sport with a history steeped deep in tradition with our guest Terry Patton of Felicity English Springer Spaniels and breeder and owner of Ch. Felicity's Diamond Jim, aka "James," winner of the coveted Westminster Best in Show title in 2006.

In the premier episode of DSPN, Laurie talks to obedience and agility trainer Shirley Murphy about the popular dog sport of Agility. Tune in!