Hoopers is a great way to have fun with your dog and learn a new sport. It is very similar to agility but without the jumps. It is low impact so is perfect for all dogs from puppies to golden oldies, Pugs to Great Danes. It is also more accessible for handlers as we promote distance handling, so being able to run with your dog is not necessary.
Canine Hoopers UK (CHUK) is an organisation established in 2017 which aims to promote positive training methods through its Accredited CHUK Instructors (ACHUKI), and be as inclusive to all dogs and handlers as possible. Not only do we run CHUK shows but also use the Good Hoopers Awards.
Emma is an Advanced ACHUKI and has been teaching hoopers since 2018. She is an experienced judge, show organiser and member of the CHUK committee (a volunteer role). Emma loves hoopers because it allowed her to keep participating in dog sports when Zoe (the lurcher) had to stop doing agility, and it is only recently that Zoe has fully retired. Bolt (otherwise known as Big Dog) loves hoopers and has reached Novice competition level in most classes. However, Bolt much prefers training to competitions.
Hoopers is perfect for helping dogs that lack confidence or need more structured activities. Emma tailors each 121 training sessions to get the best out of you and your dog. Often including other life skills such as improving loose lead walking, waits and impulse control into the training. However, you will be having so much fun you won’t realise you are doing normally “boring” training. So if you have never done any training with your dog OR you are also an experienced agility handler, each lesson will be fulfilling, fun and constructive. If you have a sensitive dog, often called ‘yellow dogs’ or ‘space dogs’ who don’t like other dogs or strange people then hoopers is the sport for you.
Good Hoopers Awards – these are assessments that you take at different stages of your hoopers journey. Allowing for you to see the progress you and your dog are making. From Foundation through to Gold, these test your partnership and skills. The rosettes and certificate are definately worth aiming for, and you can get these awards at no extra cost.
SAMS Shows – these are the CHUK competition shows that are run at the farm from March – September. They are friendly, fun but professionally run shows that are welcome to all. Even in competitions it is important that all the dogs have space and are made comfortable. Even if this means that dog runs in the arena with no other dogs around and the judge standing on the side lines. We are making some big improvements to the shows in 2023 so join our facebook group to keep updated.