First-generation dog show handler Quinn Duncan, a 16-year-old from Gulf Shores, Alabama, has already made a name for herself, successfully competing across a variety of sports with her two German Wirehaired Pointers, “Theo” Afterhours Theo Adore The Wilderness RN RATI FDC DCAT CGCU TKE ATT VHMA VHMP, and “Faye” Afterhours Underdressed At The Symphony TKN VHMP. Duncan and her dogs are active in conformation, Barn Hunt, Dock Diving, Fast CAT, AKC Rally, obedience, and Disc Dog. She is also training in Field Trials and Musical Freestyle.
Starting on the Path to Competing
Duncan became involved in dog sports after her childhood dog passed from cancer in 2020. “Life without a dog was hard, and I began the search for my own personal dog,” she explains. Now, Duncan is very active with German Wirehaired Pointers, but she fell into the breed by accident while researching German Shorthaired Pointers, a breed she is now also involved with. “As someone who was super new to dog sports and ethical breeding, I wasn’t sure what exactly to be looking for. It was one of those things where you don’t know how exactly it happened, but you’re beyond glad it did.” Duncan continued researching the breed, and a few months after finding a GWP breeder, she brought home her first sport dog.
Connecting with a responsible breeder opened the door for Duncan to get her first show dog. But, along the way, she also realized how many fun sports and events they could participate in together. “I remember filling out my puppy application for my first GWP and using the ‘What plans do you have for your dog?’ checkbox to its full potential. It was a moment of realization of everything I wanted to accomplish,” Duncan says.
Once she brought her puppy home, they started training right away. “I started my dog sports journey in mid-2021. I had my rambunctious GWP puppy and a dream,” Duncan recalls. She first started training in Rally, then moved on to Fast CAT, and she was hooked. “I made my Rally and obedience debut at the 2024 German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America National with my first dog, Theo, and our first time in the ring, scoring a 99/100. We swept three first places that weekend,” Duncan proudly remembers.
Building Community With Adults and Junior Handlers
Getting involved in the dog world has been life-changing for Duncan, as it’s helped her find and develop a second family. “I’m a first-generation handler, and as someone who did not grow up in the dog world, the best thing that ever happened to me was finding my own dog sports family who will always have my back.”
The GWP world has been incredibly welcoming of Duncan, helping her establish herself in the breed and performance sports. However, she notes that being a successful junior handler doesn’t always come easily. This is especially true for Duncan, since she lives in an area where there aren’t a lot of other kids and teens involved, especially in performance sports. “When I go to a trial, I am usually the youngest person there. Some people notice, others look right past you,” Duncan adds.
Standing out as a junior handler can be stressful and overwhelming, and Duncan has made it her mission to be welcoming to other kids just getting started. “I understand that starting in sports as a teenager can be tough. I always invite local young handlers to try new sports, and I’ve made a lot of connections just doing that,” she says. For her, it’s not just about making friends but also ensuring others feel welcome and included. “I will always be the person that I wish I had when I was first starting out,” Duncan adds.
Getting Into the Field
Most recently, Duncan has started getting involved with hunting to help harness her dog’s natural skills. “I thought about starting field work with my dogs because one of my goals is to put a German Wirehaired Pointer Club of America versatility award on my Novice A dog. Field work is the missing piece of the puzzle before we can apply,” Duncan explains. Breed clubs award versatility titles to showcase dogs that excel in multiple sports and showcase the versatility of the breed. Although junior handlers can and do participate in any sport, some are more common than others. “Going from conformation to hunting is a whole new world.” Duncan notes. However, she was quick to follow up that, much to her surprise, she and her dogs were welcomed every step of the way as they started this new sport where there weren’t many juniors.
“I would have never expected people to be so supportive,” she says. “People love having juniors out to learn about the sport. Everybody I have talked to has encouraged me immensely.” Duncan especially appreciates the way that Field Trials showcase the natural skills of her hunting dogs and the work they were originally bred to do. Duncan and her dogs are still developing their skills, but she has built a network of mentors to guide her on her journey. She aspires to one day compete in AKC Hunt Tests and Field Trials.
Navigating Disability
A unique challenge for Duncan is that she lives with a disability. “I suffer from POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome), and it doesn’t make life easy,” Duncan explains. Health has to always be a priority, and sometimes that means not being able to do everything she wants to do with the dogs. Duncan says this is particularly challenging because she loves dog shows and competing in performance sports so much. “Learning how to balance competing while also taking care of my health has been a learning curve,” she says. “It’s hard not to push yourself when you truly love your sport so much. Not every weekend feels great for me, but my dogs make it worth it in the end.”
For Duncan, there are certain challenges she faces behind the scenes before ever stepping into the ring. “Partaking in sports while dealing with a chronic illness is a struggle most people would never think of. Sometimes, I like to overdo myself on show weekends. I have to remind myself to stay hydrated and make sure I am doing everything I can to help me feel better,” she says. Unfortunately, because of the nature of her condition, no matter how much attention she pays to her health, it isn’t always enough. “I’ve had to miss out on many ring times due to it … a lot of the time, I have to end up scratching classes, or I have a very supportive team that will take my dogs in for me.”
Even when she isn’t feeling her best, for Duncan, it’s worth pushing through to showcase her dogs. “Dog sports to me is one of those things that I love so much, and I will often accidentally sacrifice my health over it. After a weekend out, I take time to let my body rest to prevent a flare-up.” In order to accommodate her disability, Duncan doesn’t maintain a consistent training schedule for the dogs. Instead, she prioritizes training when she’s physically able to do so. “Some weeks I can hardly get out of bed, and others I feel like I’m on top of the world, but you never really know how your week will go.” She notes that on the good days, she spends most of her time working with the dogs. She appreciates how understanding her dogs are on the bad health days and that on those days, “they also think sleeping is a great idea.” Dogs are her constant companions, and she notes that regardless of how she feels, they’re always there for her.
In the future, Duncan looks forward to continuing to be involved in sports. She particularly hopes to put a Rally Champion Title (RACH) on one of her dogs. Since there is only a handful of German Wirehaired Pointers with the title, she says this accomplishment would be especially meaningful to her. In the meantime, Duncan is focused on earning a Versatility title on her first sport dog as a junior handler, and she hopes to inspire others to set records with their own dogs.
Trusting Her Dogs
In her free time, Duncan enjoys creating Musical Freestyle or dog dancing routines with her dogs. “Due to the lack of clubs in the United States, I have never been able to officially compete. I would love to start a local group of people that love the sport as much as I do,” Duncan explains. The artistic and creative aspects of Musical Freestyle are what attract Duncan to dancing with her dogs.
“It’s sort of like taking a dance class, only your partner is a dog. It would be a dream to popularize musical freestyle in North America. It is a hidden gem that many people don’t know about,” Duncan says. “There’s something about getting to dance and create routines with your dogs that makes you feel complete.”
Duncan and her dogs are active in a wide range of sports, in part because she’s a big believer in trying everything at least once. But success across all these very different sports and activities requires a creative training approach. “I’m very go with the flow when it comes to training my dogs,” Duncan explains. She notes that she has to be especially thoughtful about her dog’s breed-specific traits when designing a training routine. “Owning German Wirehaired Pointers teaches you that nothing is really your idea. When they feel like training, we will do short sessions followed by play.” Keeping her training sessions fun and short keeps her dogs always wanting more, making them enthusiastic competitors.
Duncan is foremost focused on making sure that her dogs live happy and well-rounded lives. She says it’s important to let dogs be dogs and wants to ensure they’re having fun, too. “Most of my training is simple life skills. They learn by living life. I will never expect a perfect dog,” she explains. “I’m a strong believer that as long as everybody is safe, go have fun.”