Obedience classes always bring to mind dogs being frogmarched around a hall, and everyone yelling SIT, and COME.
Obedience today is more fun. Basic obedience classes are the beginning of anything you want to do with your dog. Whether it be gundog work, working trials, competitive obedience, agility, flyball or heelwork to music.
The Kennel club introduced the Good Citizen awards to encourage pet owners to train their dogs. In the Bronze you teach your dogs to walk nicely on a loose lead, start a wait, and recall. Wait thru a door, and a 1 minute stay. You are also asked very basic questions on care of your dog, and to show you have a basic knowledge of their requirements, and yours as a responsible dog owner.
The Silver progresses on to a longer stay. A positive wait, recall, as well as a recall away from distractions. They are asked to demonstrate food manners, as well as be able to behave getting in and out of a vehicle, and on the road. The dogs also need to be examined by the judge, as if in a vet exam.
They also need to show they will play with their owners.
Gold exam is best carried out outside. Dogs need to demonstrate they will stop on command, as in an emergency stop. Go to bed and stay. Out of sight stay, and settle when left. All tests require the owners to display a knowledge of their pets care, as explained in the Kennel Club paperwork.
Details of classes are available from the Kennel Club, and many classes advertise in vets surgeries or on the net.
For those that would like to go to further training, and have an interest in competing there are Kennel Club pre beginner stakes. These are run by Competitive clubs, and are the first step up the rung to competitive obedience. They are good citizen tests, but the heelwork needs to be a little bit more accurate, and they are organised by clubs at Obedience shows. www.obedienceuk.com normally advertise these classes on their schedules page, and are run all over the country.
Competitive obedience progresses on to a more accurate display of the basic obedience exercises. Classes start with a pre beginner, then beginner. Novice, A, B and then C. These are all a progression from each other, and you need to qualify out of one class to progress on to the next. All contain heelwork.
Prebeginner classes are heelwork, on and off lead, recall, and stays. Beginner is basically the same but also entails a retrieve. Once you win out of these classes, you cannot do them with your next dog, but have to start at Novice level. The exercises are the same as Beginner, but the level of precision is higher. Competition is fiercer as top handlers in the sport have to start their young dogs here. Even tho the dogs have to complete the exercises with a deal of precision, judges are looking for a dog that is motivated, and enjoys their work.
Next class up is A, and this is completed with off lead heelwork, with only one basic command at the start of heelwork, and the dog completes the work by staying with the owner. Test A recall is the dog staying in a sit or down, handler leaving the dog and calling the dog into a heelwork position on the move. Again this is one command. Retrieve is on a dumbell. This is when the teamwork comes in!!! Stays are in and out of sight, and the dogs start a scent discrimination test. This is done on cloths, and the dog has to pick out the handlers cloth from 6 cloths on the floor, and retrieve and present to the handler. All on one command, and all extra body signals are penalised.
B gets even harder. Heelwork is 3 paces. Fast normal and slow. All starting from the sit. Sendaway to cones or a box, down on command, and then recall to the handler who is walking away from the dog, as directed by a steward. In A, you are allowed signal and verbal command. In B is verbal OR signal. Retrieve in this class is on a judges article. Scent discrimination entails more cloths, with a decoy added.
C is the top class. 3 paces of heelwork, but changes of pace. Positions on the move, where the dog has to sit, down, and stand. Handler carries on walking, and returns to dog and carries on with heelwork. Sendaway, as in the B class, and distance Control. Dog is left in a sit, down, or stand. Handler walks up to 20 paces away, then turns and gives the dog 6 changes of position. The dog is marked if they move too far out of position, or fail to complete a position. Scent is the judges scent on a cloth, and a decoy. Dog needs to bring the cloth back to the handler.
For those that reach these giddy heights, they need to gain 3 places, no lower than 3rd, and a 1st place, to qualify to work ticket. If you gain a ticket, you qualify to work at Crufts. Not many make it to the top, as seen by the amount of competitors at the Crufts Obedience championships, but the journey in trying is fun, as is the social side. You always get a good Egg and Bacon roll at a dog show. As is with any dog training discipline, you only get out what you put in. But in the trying, hopefully you will enjoy your dog more. There is nothing more rewarding than having a happy well trained dog, and this is what we are all aiming for.
Written by Chris Turner
Obedience today is more fun. Basic obedience classes are the beginning of anything you want to do with your dog. Whether it be gundog work, working trials, competitive obedience, agility, flyball or heelwork to music.
The Kennel club introduced the Good Citizen awards to encourage pet owners to train their dogs. In the Bronze you teach your dogs to walk nicely on a loose lead, start a wait, and recall. Wait thru a door, and a 1 minute stay. You are also asked very basic questions on care of your dog, and to show you have a basic knowledge of their requirements, and yours as a responsible dog owner.
The Silver progresses on to a longer stay. A positive wait, recall, as well as a recall away from distractions. They are asked to demonstrate food manners, as well as be able to behave getting in and out of a vehicle, and on the road. The dogs also need to be examined by the judge, as if in a vet exam.
They also need to show they will play with their owners.
Gold exam is best carried out outside. Dogs need to demonstrate they will stop on command, as in an emergency stop. Go to bed and stay. Out of sight stay, and settle when left. All tests require the owners to display a knowledge of their pets care, as explained in the Kennel Club paperwork.
Details of classes are available from the Kennel Club, and many classes advertise in vets surgeries or on the net.
For those that would like to go to further training, and have an interest in competing there are Kennel Club pre beginner stakes. These are run by Competitive clubs, and are the first step up the rung to competitive obedience. They are good citizen tests, but the heelwork needs to be a little bit more accurate, and they are organised by clubs at Obedience shows. www.obedienceuk.com normally advertise these classes on their schedules page, and are run all over the country.
Competitive obedience progresses on to a more accurate display of the basic obedience exercises. Classes start with a pre beginner, then beginner. Novice, A, B and then C. These are all a progression from each other, and you need to qualify out of one class to progress on to the next. All contain heelwork.
Prebeginner classes are heelwork, on and off lead, recall, and stays. Beginner is basically the same but also entails a retrieve. Once you win out of these classes, you cannot do them with your next dog, but have to start at Novice level. The exercises are the same as Beginner, but the level of precision is higher. Competition is fiercer as top handlers in the sport have to start their young dogs here. Even tho the dogs have to complete the exercises with a deal of precision, judges are looking for a dog that is motivated, and enjoys their work.
Next class up is A, and this is completed with off lead heelwork, with only one basic command at the start of heelwork, and the dog completes the work by staying with the owner. Test A recall is the dog staying in a sit or down, handler leaving the dog and calling the dog into a heelwork position on the move. Again this is one command. Retrieve is on a dumbell. This is when the teamwork comes in!!! Stays are in and out of sight, and the dogs start a scent discrimination test. This is done on cloths, and the dog has to pick out the handlers cloth from 6 cloths on the floor, and retrieve and present to the handler. All on one command, and all extra body signals are penalised.
B gets even harder. Heelwork is 3 paces. Fast normal and slow. All starting from the sit. Sendaway to cones or a box, down on command, and then recall to the handler who is walking away from the dog, as directed by a steward. In A, you are allowed signal and verbal command. In B is verbal OR signal. Retrieve in this class is on a judges article. Scent discrimination entails more cloths, with a decoy added.
C is the top class. 3 paces of heelwork, but changes of pace. Positions on the move, where the dog has to sit, down, and stand. Handler carries on walking, and returns to dog and carries on with heelwork. Sendaway, as in the B class, and distance Control. Dog is left in a sit, down, or stand. Handler walks up to 20 paces away, then turns and gives the dog 6 changes of position. The dog is marked if they move too far out of position, or fail to complete a position. Scent is the judges scent on a cloth, and a decoy. Dog needs to bring the cloth back to the handler.
For those that reach these giddy heights, they need to gain 3 places, no lower than 3rd, and a 1st place, to qualify to work ticket. If you gain a ticket, you qualify to work at Crufts. Not many make it to the top, as seen by the amount of competitors at the Crufts Obedience championships, but the journey in trying is fun, as is the social side. You always get a good Egg and Bacon roll at a dog show. As is with any dog training discipline, you only get out what you put in. But in the trying, hopefully you will enjoy your dog more. There is nothing more rewarding than having a happy well trained dog, and this is what we are all aiming for.
Written by Chris Turner