The following originally appeared in the PBGV Breed Column of the August 2025 AKC Gazette
Choosing the right dog is important. In most cases you will probably be starting with a puppy directly from a breeder. Having the best possible genetics, temperament, and structure is important. Most PBGVs have a lot of prey drive, but without a willingness to work closely with a handler, prey drive is not enough to have a successful working dog in most sports.
If your puppy’s parents don’t compete in your chosen sport, look closely at the activities they are doing. A show dog who is confident and happy in the ring in all situations would probably also have the confidence for performance events. A hunting dog who works persistently but also recalls easily and stays close enough in the field not to require electronic monitoring likely has the temperament for other sports. PBGVs are an extremely rare breed, so if your dog was a rescue and you don’t know who his parents are, you should assume that he is an All-American dog and not a PBGV.
For most sports, a PBGV will need as good or better structure than what is needed for success in the show ring. If competing in agility is your goal, having a dog under 14 inches at the withers is preferable, but since our breed standard is 13-15 inches, this can be difficult to select in a baby puppy. Breeders who don’t participate in sports other than shows may not understand that a performance dog is not the same as a pet, so be sure to discuss your goals and needs with your breeder.
When you bring your puppy home, you should start training right away, but not necessarily for your sport of choice. Start with strong foundation skills and teaching the things that your puppy needs to be a good family dog- housebreaking, crate training, leash walking, car travel, etc. For my dogs, foundation skills also include understanding markers cues and accepting a wide variety of food (and ideally toy) rewards in any location, a solid recall, the ability to work in the presence of distractions, stay in the position and spot you were left, and comfort with getting onto a variety of platforms and targets. Once you have these skills, sport specific behaviors are much easier to teach. I wouldn’t recommend using training techniques that rely on force or compulsion with a PBGV, or any dog at all for that matter.
Training for multiple sports takes time, especially if you have more than one dog. Try to make training part of your routine and work in very short sessions. Some sports, like agility, may require access to equipment, but for foundation skills and most other sports, you can easily work in a small space in your house or yard. By short, I don’t mean 10 minutes, more like less than one minute. You will get farther if you work in small sessions, get a few rewards in, and then stop. Having the tools you need- clicker, treats, platforms, toys, etc, stashed in the parts of the house where you spend the most time can make this easier to do.
It’s possible to do “All the Things” with a PBGV, but it’s probably best not to do all of them at once, especially with a very young dog. A puppy will likely be ready to compete in conformation and maybe scent work or rally much sooner than they should do more physically demanding sports like hunting or agility. Some sports, like Fast CAT, require little or no training, while others, like agility and obedience, can take years of preparation before it’s time to enter a trial. For older dogs, it’s nice to have options like scent work or tracking that can keep a dog’s mind engaged without asking as much of their bodies. The extreme grooming expected of PBGVs in the show ring may also limit some other activities during a dog’s show career.
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