French Ring: Where Precision Meets Power
What is French Ring?
French Ring, as the name suggests, is a high level dog sport tracing its roots back to France. From the beginning, it was a test to select the most suitable working dogs in traditional guarding and herding breeds. Today, it remains the gold standard in assessing breeding stock in France for working breeds while also having been refined into a demanding competitive sport that challenges the dog, the handler and the decoy in a unique way.
To succeed the dog must not only be athletic, but relish in his athleticism and the joy of working with his human partner. The sport demands of the dog both physical stamina and mental endurance, peak fitness and conditioning, strength and agility, obedience and independence, clear-headedness and ardor, and courage with dogged determination! The decoy and the dog challenge each other in a graceful sparring match of speed and charming bravado, while the handler must be precise and in harmony with the dog to guide him to victory.
Although there is no set routine in Ring, there are three components to the sport to challenge dog and handler:
1. Obedience, also sometimes referred to as “Flatwork” or “On the Flat”. This phase requires precisely executed commands for skills such as on and off-leash heeling, basic positions, long stays, food refusal, and conditioning to wearing a muzzle under increasingly difficult distractions.
2. Jumping, comprised of three obstacles, showcases the dog’s athleticism, precision and willingness to work. The dogs will leave you in awe as they sail over the hurdle, the long jump and ascend the palisade.
3. Protection, where all the dog’s mental and physical qualities are combined for the ultimate test: an adrenaline-fuelled heart pounding display of power, speed, precision, obedience, cleverness and determination. In kind, the highly skilled decoy must go toe to toe with the dog and make him shine by stepping up to the challenge.
Come marvel at the dog and handler teams stepping out on the field to put their best foot forward and show the truly amazing things our canine partners can do! “Ring” as it is also simply called, is one of the oldest dog sports in the world, and has nourished the indomitable spirit of the working dog for over a century.
pre-requisites
Membership Status: you will need to obtain a NARA (North American Ringsports Association) membership. Membership fees are discounted by 50% when you apply or renew in November or December! For Canadian handlers a CRA (Canadian Ringsport Association) will be accepted.
Scorebooks: If your dog does not currently have a scorebook you will need to obtain one! Scorebooks can get tricky as not all organizations mutually recognize each other. - If you have a Doberman it is strongly advised that you obtain a UDC scorebook. This is an AWDF scorebook and is recognized in the USA and Canada across multiple disciplines. It will be accepted by Mondioring, French Ring and IGP. Additionally it also has specific sections for Breed Survey and UDC conformation shows and obedience trials. - CWDF issued scorebooks will be similarly accepted, as well as AWDF scorebooks from other breed clubs for alternate breeds CRA/NARA scorebooks will be accepted .
Eligibility of dogs - To compete for a French Ring Brevet your dog will need to obtain a CSAU. This is usually possible at any French Ring trial being held. Your dog’s rabies vaccination status will need to be up to date at the time of the trial. Link to vet check
So now that you know, what are you waiting for?
Get ready with us for the great escape!
meet your French ring team
Ari fleishman
Ari has spent the better part of the past 25 years training and studying from the greatest dog trainers in the world. His obsession began while attending the University of Kansas with a German Short Hair Pointer/Lab mix named Bo, and flourished from there. Since then Ari has dedicated himself to formulating a system that allows him to successfully teach dogs and humans how to communicate.
Ari has been an active member of NARA for the last 8 years. He is a current Board of Director, Judge, Competitor and former Level 1 Decoy.
His dog Zica is The 2014 French Ring I Grand Champion, The 2015 French Ring II Vice Champion, and 2018 French Ring III Domestic Grand Champion.
From the age of 7 weeks, Zica has been Ari’s star pupil and often helps in the training of other dogs in his day to day business as a dog trainer.
Judge
DecoyPaul is currently a certified decoy in Mondioring (Level 2) and French Ring (level 1), as well as a club level IGP Helper. He is currently the Chairman of the USMRA Decoy Committee. He grew up in Casper, Wyoming with hunting labrador retrievers and started playing competive dog sports in 2015.
Paul is interested in all aspects of dog training and is a TWC Certified Trainer. He started Cowboy K9 Training to help dog owners guide their dogs through life and have a strong conflict free bond.
Paul decoyed his first Mondioring trial in December, 2019 and has decoyed over 45 trials since then, despite his frequent travels. Paul has been instrumental in helping several clubs without decoys get the work they need to be successful, and has enabled multiple dogs to title due to his diligence and determination.
Paul and his dog, Carpe Omnia’s O’Pepper Di Noraa, stepped onto the Mondioring trial field for the first time in September, 2021. They have since earned FR1 and MR3 titles, and have competed at the USMRA Nationals in Level 2.
Paul lives in Colorado, and is a member and decoy with 5280 Ringsport.
Paul Salveson
DecoyKellen Freeman is a Level 2 Certified French Ring Decoy, Mondioring Level 1 Decoy, and former PSA Senior Decoy. Kellen got into working dogs in 2011 while fostering a Pitbull named Ozzy. He took Ozzy to a local working dog club and they both immediately fell in love with dog sports, inevitable leading to adopting Ozzy and competing in protection sports. Kellen has since competed with multiple Malinois in French Ring over the years. Today Kellen, alongside his wife (whom he met through ringsports), run a small ringsport club in Connecticut.
Kellen Freeman
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