SPRING VALLEY – Overdale Kennel and Canine Sports will host a grand opening event May 4 to celebrate its new facility in the Spring Valley Business Park (S1000 Westland Drive).

Co-owners and mother/daughter duo Val Anderson and Hilary Boyer officially opened a 10,500 square-foot state-of-the-art training and event facility on Westland Drive next to the Spring Valley Health Care Center Jan. 17. However, they wanted the weather to warm a bit before hosting a grand opening. The event will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and feature dog sports demos, door prizes, meet the breed events and more. Socialized dogs are welcome to attend with their owners.

The dog sport demos will feature multiple disciplines taught at Overdale, Boyer said.

“The barn hunt is a competition where dogs are tasked with finding rats concealed in hay or straw bales,” Boyer said. “Rats are enclosed and safe in cages, so no animals are harmed. The dogs have to find and indicate the hidden rats but are not allowed to bite or dig at them.”

Attendees can also watch dogs perform agility, which is an obstacle course judged on speed and accuracy of performance. Obedience classes at higher levels include exercises such as jumping, retrieving, scent discrimination and signal exercises. Rally, another class, is a combination of the ideas found in obedience and agility.

“There is a sequenced course,” Boyer said. “Teams move through the course and at each numbered station they complete an obedience exercise. Exercises ranges in difficulty from simple right and left turns to jumping and dogs walking in reverse through exercises.”

There will also be demonstrations featuring scentwork, which is taught at Overdale as well. Dogs are trained to identify a number of scents, such as birch, anise, cypress and clove.

“Dogs must find and indicate hidden scent in a number of environments: Rooms, containers, buried, outdoors, underwater, etc.,” Boyer said. “Neither the dog nor the handler know where the scent is located.”

Trick Dog demos will show how dogs and handlers learn to perform progressively difficult tricks. At the highest level, Boyer said tricks are performed as part of a skit.

Attendees will also have the chance to meet many unique dog breeds, such as Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Xoloitzcuintli (Mexican hairless dog), Old English Sheepdog, Scottish Terriers, Old Dominion Terrier, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Clumber Spaniels, Portuguese Water Dog, Cane Corso, Airedale Terrier, Pudlpointer, Briard, French Bulldog, Pumi Puli, Bassett Hound, Flat-coated Retriever, Papillon, Basenji, Belgian Tervuren and more.

“Most breeds won’t be there all day, but there will always be six to eight of them available,” Boyer said.

A bunch of other activities will round out the offerings, including a therapy dog table with information about how to get involved in therapy dog work, information on how to find a good breeder and what that means and information on upcoming titling events at Overdale (AKC Fetch, AKC Star Puppy, AKC Canine Good Citizens, AKC ACT agility).

“Instructors are available to help people try out a couple simple agility obstacles,” Boyer said.

A complimentary light lunch will be served until the food is gone. People can register for classes or get on the waiting list for those already filled.

“Register for our ACT test taking place on May 18, first class at 10 a.m.,” Boyer said.

People will also have the chance to win many door prizes, such as a $120 gift certificate to Overdale Canine Sports, dog crates/carriers, throw blankets, dog toys and more.

To learn more about Overdale’s offerings, visit overdalekennel.com