What is Canine Hoopers?
It’s a relatively new sport for dogs and their owners.
Hoopers first appeared in the USA under NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council). Its popularity spread to Europe (primarily Switzerland and Norway) and reached the UK around 2018.
Unlike agility, Hoopers has no jumps. Instead, ground-level hoops are used for the dog to run through. It has the same pace and excitement as agility, but the courses are flowing and don’t involve the tight turns of agility, making it safer for dogs. There are no jumps or high impact equipment: just hoops, barrels and tunnels – not only making injury less likely, but also making it cheaper and more accessible for pet dog owners to partake and practice at.
Unlike agility, where you run the course with your dog, the goal of Hoopers is to distance-handle everything. This means the owner stands still as the dog is directed around the course, through hand signals and verbal cues. This makes it an exciting, fast-paced dog sport that is also accessible to owners with restricted mobility.
The runs are timed and points are awarded in competition by managing to direct the dog through the elements of the course from a ‘handling’ box, staying within zones or remaining in one dedicated spot whilst your dog completes the full course.
You can find out more information by visiting
Canine Hoopers UK – The home of hoopers throughout the United Kingdom
Thomas Gutjahr tells us how they got into the sport
A couple of years ago my wife Ellen took our first female dog Bella to fun-agility training-sessions, which she very much enjoyed.
Unfortunately, the trainer moved away from our area and we did not fancy joining another local club at the time.
Shortly after we were looking for a new way to channel the boundless energy and enthusiasm of our energetic young girl Layla and discovered Hoopers. We purchased a couple of hoops and started practicing in our garden. We also attended a couple of workshops at a local trainer to get some expert advice.
This is just for fun and never with an intention to compete. Layla does thoroughly enjoy the practice sessions whizzing around in our garden.
Both, Ellen and Layla really embraced the activity and took a keen interest. Ellen also attended some courses and subsequently qualified as an CHUK level 1 instructor.