Well my blog title may be a little misleading as the Olympic committee hasn't just come up with a new canine sport for the upcoming games in China....though dog training could certainly qualify as a sport!

If you are heading for Beijing either participating or spectating, you may be glad to know that China's rescue dogs have been undergoing some Olympic training of their own.

A 17-strong squad, including German Shepherds, Labrador retrievers and Springer Spaniels, has been training in case a disaster should hit the Beijing games. The tasks include search and rescue, alarm barking (in chinese!) and field rescue.

After the devastating earthquake in China's Sichuan province, the vitally  important role of dogs in search and rescue operations is fresh in our minds.

Let's hope these dogs take away medals for their training but that their undoubted talents are not required during the Olympics.