Have you ever wondered about AKC events that your kiddos and fur babies can take part in together? In this episode of The Perfect Balance, we’ll be sharing our first AKC set work trial through the eyes of my Junior Handler. We’ll learn about this event from her point of view and show you how this sport has captured both of my babies’ hearts and interests.
AKC National Juniors
Since we’re just starting this adventure, we’ve learned a lot. The fact that Junior Handlers can apply for college scholarships is such a big opportunity. What else can AKC Juniors offer your kids?
Juniors have the opportunity to develop their handling skills and learn about good sportsmanship, dogs, and dog shows. The AKC National Junior organization is pleased to announce the launch of a ranking system for Juniors. The Juniors will be ranked by sport, by breed, and across events.
The new ranking system will include points for participation, qualifying scores, placements, in-class, high in trial, high in combined score, and Best Junior Handler. There is an age requirement for Junior Handlers. Children have to be 9 or older while under 18 years of age.
Events And Scholarships
Did you know that there’s a whole world of AKC events that you can compete in with your dog as an AKC Junior Handler? This includes AKC scent work, an agility course test, a farm dog certification test, an AKC temperament test, a hunting test, a coursing ability test, and Fast Cat. It also includes any parent club-administered performance event that has been recognized by the AKC as part of the AKC Performance Events Title Recognition Program.
Juniors can earn titles on their dog as well as obtain a certificate stating they finished their dog. Lastly, there is a possible scholarship opportunity. The Performance Events Department is pleased to announce the creation of a $10,000 scholarship fund for active students in AKC performance events who will be attending an institution of higher education during the 2023-2024 academic year. What a fun way to apply for a scholarship!
An Interview With Rylee
Now let’s talk to Rylee, who will give us some insight into the AKC world. When it comes to the advice she would give to kids interested in this sport, the first thing she says is to be confident. If you are not confident, most likely your dog will not be confident—and you have to work together as a team.
Rylee says you also have to learn to read your dog. You have to be alert because if you wander off, your dog might be alerting you. She wishes she had a Dr. Doolittle talent so that her dog could just talk to her and let her know when he’s alerting.
The second question I asked Rylee is how she will benefit from being a Junior Handler in the future. She says that, in the future, she can apply for college scholarships. Lastly, I asked her if there is anything that might improve the AKC National Junior organization. Rylee says she wishes that schools would offer AKC Junior Handling as a sport elective that could go toward her school curriculum plan.
Join The AKC Junior Handlers
I hope this video gave you some insight into AKC Juniors and the benefits of having a well-trained pet. For more info, email [email protected] or visit the website to get specifics for performance events.
If you like what you saw, make sure to subscribe to my channel and check out my other videos for more info on Austin, Texas. Until next time, remember: keep Austin weird!