Do you wonder why horses are the only animals allowed to compete in the Olympics? Are you sad your puppy can’t grow up to be an official Olympic gold medal winner? Turn that frown upside down because your puppy still has a chance at climbing the podium!
We’ve learned how dogs help athletes perform their best at the Olympics, but now it’s time to focus on our canine companions’ abilities to wow us with their talents. These amazing Olympic feats may inspire you to host your own Doggy Olympics!
Puppies love being a part of a team with their special human. When you participate in Olympic puppy games, you’re doing so much more than just having fun as one of many ways to exercise your puppy. Your puppy’s skills and talents will be challenged in entertaining ways, allowing them to work on their training and socialization skills. Bonding with your puppy this summer in a positive atmosphere will strengthen your love. It’s also a great way to celebrate National Dog Month with your puppy and friends.
Read our tips for cheering on your favorite canine athletes in style when you host your own dog Olympics for puppies!
Taking Inspiration From Olympic Dogs
Before you throw your own Doggy Olympics, let’s celebrate dogs that have helped shape the Olympic experience by serving as mascots and working dogs.
Waldi the Dachshund, the First Official Olympic Mascot
The Olympics didn’t always have a mascot to represent the spirit of the host country. Waldi the Dachshund was the first official mascot in Olympic history representing Germany, more specifically Bavaria, in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games. Dachshunds are still wildly popular in Bavaria, and the choice to utilize this dog breed makes sense due to its athletic abilities, fearlessness, determination, and tenacity. Waldi the Dachshund would be a sight to see in real life! His colorful striped body features three out of six official Olympic colors: Blue, green, and yellow.
Waldi and Dachshund, Courtesy of Getty Images
The Korean Jindo, Celebrated Dog Breed
The world was introduced to the Korean Jindo at the opening ceremonies of the 1988 Olympic Games held in South Korea as countries proudly marched around the arena. The Korean Jindo is loyal, devoted, and brave, qualities representing hard-working athletes going for Gold. This medium-sized dog hails from the island of Jindo off the coast of South Korea and is mainly found only in South Korea due to laws banning their exportation to other countries. These revered hunting and guard dogs were designated a National Treasure in 1938. The Olympics were a perfect way to showcase the country’s reverence toward Korean Jindos for the world to meet.
Beacon the Golden Retriever, Olympic Therapy Dog
This year, the Paris 2024 Olympic Games have an actual dog as an official part of the action. As a member of their mental health program, The USA Gymnastics Team employs Beacon the Olympic therapy dog to support athletes in high-stress situations. In addition to providing kisses and cuddles, therapy dogs like this special Golden Retriever have a positive physical effect on athletes, helping to calm elevated stress hormones like cortisol levels and lower their heart rates, among other benefits. What an asset to have a dog on hand to help athletes perform their best!
Prepare To Be The Hostess With The Mostest
Throwing a successful dog party takes a lot of planning, coordination, and patience, but it will all be worth it in the end.
Find the perfect venue
The first thing you’ll want to do is to find the perfect venue for your Doggy Olympics. If you or a friend has a dog-friendly backyard with enough space, now would be the perfect time to invite your canine and human friends over for some friendly competition. Another venue could be a dog-friendly local park. You will want to make sure dogs can be off-leash and safely contained in case they haven’t mastered the Recall command. Always follow park rules instead of asking for forgiveness later!
Regardless of the venue, taking a few precautions will help the event go smoothly. Ensure there is enough room and the proper equipment available for your chosen activities. Provide plenty of fresh water, shade to have respite from the hot sun, a wastebasket for dog waste, and access to a bathroom for human participants. Don’t forget the treats, water, a stopwatch, equipment, and scorecards to hold up!
Maintain safety for all competitions
The Olympic Games are held in the thick of summer when temperatures can soar and the pavement can hurt puppies’ paws. Summertime brings about its own set of safety concerns, so you’ll want to consider puppy safety in the summer to be a paramount part of planning. When in doubt, always call the veterinarian! Here are some puppy safety factors to plan for:
- Water activities: Summer water safety for puppies helps them have fun splashing around while being safe. Be prepared to cancel or postpone activities in inclement weather, use lifejackets for dogs, and take into account your puppy’s ability to swim.
- Staying hydrated: Dehydration in dogs can become a serious issue, affecting major organ systems and causing irreversible damage if left untreated. All puppies (and humans!) should have access to fresh, cool, clean water.
- Hot dogs: Heat stroke in puppies occurs when their temperature rises to dangerous levels and can happen quickly. Know the signs of heat stroke in puppies and be ready to take action immediately.
- First aid: Dogs can have accidents, so be prepared by keeping a storebought or DIY first aid kit for dogs handy for any minor injuries.
Something for everyone
Choose activities that give different dog breeds a chance. For example, you might think activities in the Dog Olympics mean that all activities are timed to see who is the fastest. However, the same types of activity goals are not necessarily fair to all puppy guests. The Mini Australian Shepherds, Border Collies, and other fast breeds will absolutely dominate, while your slower dogs like English Bulldogs or more stubborn breeds like Bloodhounds will look at you with a face that says, “You want me to do what?”
You can gain inspiration from traditional dog sports, such as agility or rally trials. For even more fun, check out these unusual dog sports to pick a sport no one has ever heard of, just like when you watch the Olympics and say, “How cool! I never knew that existed!”
Another activity that can be educational is teaching puppies to do cool tricks and see who can show them off. From giving hugs to playing dead, dogs can entertain humans while keeping themselves mentally sharp by learning new things.
Watch what happens when Zeus the Bullmastiff competes in an agility contest. While slow and steady doesn’t always win the race, Zeus certainly won everyone’s hearts with his dutiful performance.
Choose amazing prizes
Go all out when you give “medals” to puppy participants at the tail end of the competitions! Perhaps you know people with dog-centric businesses who wouldn’t mind donating a cool collar or festive bandana. Make some Olympic-themed homemade dog treats for puppies to let the winner have a taste of success.
Recruit volunteers
Ask friends, members of the community, and others to serve as set-up and tear-down helpers, judges, and general go-to people. It’s hard to focus on everything at once, and helpers will keep the event running smoothly.
On Your Bark, Get Set, GO! Puppy Olympic Activities
Let your creativity fly when planning events for Dog Olympics. Check out these hilarious events where all puppies have the opportunity to shine:
- Bobbing for biscuits: Fill up a baby pool with shallow water. Place some treats or a special toy among ball pit balls and have them retrieve as many as possible in a timed trial.
- Speed sniffing: Allow pups to smell an object before the starting line. Hide it along a scent trail and see who finds it the fastest.
- Best trick: Present your puppy’s best trick in front of a panel of judges.
- Chase the rabbit: Hook up a lure to a pulley system and watch the prey-driven pups run after it with glee!
- Homemade agility course: See which puppy can follow activities on a DIY dog agility course without missing one or knocking over anything.
- Tug of war: Put puppy against puppy to pull a long rope tug toy over a line.
- Frisbee catch: Give 3-5 attempts to catch a frisbee the most amount of times out of the chances.
- Dock diving: Throw a floating toy in the water and see which puppy can leap the farthest distance.
- Sing along: Determine who has the best singing voice to a series of sounds, like a song, siren, etc.
- Super shedder: Brush puppies for a set amount of time to see who produces the biggest pile of shed fur.
Every Puppy Is A Champion at Pawrade
Maybe you’re going for the Gold in Sweetest Puppy, Fastest Zoomies, or Best Cuddler competitions, Pawrade can help. Our puppies for sale come with a 3-year health guarantee, health certificate, 30 days of MetLife insurance, convenient travel options to your home, and plenty of love. Every Pawrade puppy is a winner!
