[Euphemism]

There is tons of information on this forum and I try to absorb as much as I can! My brain is aching for a little bit more information about competitive obedience. If I google it I get mostly a bunch of people trying to sell videos. It's tough to sift through it all to find the real info! Any good website links would be great!

How did you decide that you wanted to do competitive obedience?

Where did you start your specific training?

How did you know you were ready for your first trial?

Thanks for the responses!

[Keechak]

How did you decide that you wanted to do competitive obedience?
My mom did it when I was younger and I thought it was so amazing.

Where did you start your specific training?
At Packerland Kennel Club

How did you know you were ready for your first trial?
I read the rule book and I made sure my dog could sufficiently complete everything listed in the rulebook

[Euphemism]

Originally Posted by Keechak

Where did you start your specific training?
At Packerland Kennel Club

So lucky, Keechak! My mother is pretty much afraid of dogs, and there was never one around growing up, so I'm starting from scratch here!

I meant like out of the specific things you had to teach your dogs to compete what did you teach first? Is there a usual progression of things that you teach? Or is it just whatever seems most interesting to you?

[Keechak]

there is probably a kennel club near you if your interested I might be able to find one for you.

as far as where to start the training. I usually start with the Sit and Down then the stay, and then I move on to the Heeling and finally the recall and the finish

[Elana55]

How did you decide that you wanted to do competitive obedience?

As a member of the Albany Obedience Club I took two courses from people who hqd put UD titles and UDX titles on dogs. One course was "Attentiion!" and the other was "Novice A." I am sooo hooked.. as a former Dressage Horse trainer the precision and difficulty of the training seems to be made for me.

Where did you start your specific training?

See above.

How did you know you were ready for your first trial?

I am ready now to qualify. I have been to one sanctioned match and would have gotten a leg there if it had been a show. I have been to three Show and Go's (training shows). I would like to do better than qualify so intend to go to matches throughout the winter and go for the real thing in the spring. There is no hurry.

One thing that is essential is that you get a rule book. You can down load this from AKC or you can get it sent to you. It cost me $8.71 including shipping. Your dog can be perfect and you can get nailed for handler error and still not qualify. Typically my points off are for handling and foot work.

Next week I am going to get advice on this.. I took a class in it over 2 years ago but I need a refresher. Footwork helps your dog, helps you and you need to practice it to make it a habit.

Another thing.. I am NOT an expert at formal obedience. I am Novice A. I have trained wquite a few dogs but never for formal competition obedience (or any other competitive dog sport). There are more experienced ppl here who have already answered your question.

[TooneyDogs]

When I wanted to get into competition Obedience I visited the 4 clubs in my area (they gladly allow spectators -even the private training facilities).
I watched the instructors, the students and the dogs. I knew how to do the 'jerk and treat' method of training but, was looking for something more positive.

Training always starts with attention work and you build on that for years....new exercises, different conditions.

Obedience is hard work. For every 100 dogs that get the Novice title - the first title in AKC Obedience - only one dog will go on to a UD title.

[Euphemism]

Thanks, Keechak, but I think I've just about exhausted the internet looking for ones around here, haha. The real issue is that the Hangtown Kennel Club (http://www.hangtownkc.org/), and the Sacramento Dog Training Club (http://www.sacramentodtc.org/) are still pretty far away even though they're the 'local' clubs I guess. That ,and just based on their website, they don't seem that well maintained. That is kinda judging a book by it's cover though.

We have a dog owner's guild in my town, but that's not a training club or anything. They are there to get a dog park here in El Dorado Hills and up the freeway a little bit in Cameron Park.

Most of the searches I have done come up with a ridiculous amount of dog trainers around here that use their dog psychology stuff that everyone is all about it seems.

"as far as where to start the training. I usually start with the Sit and Down then the stay, and then I move on to the Heeling and finally the recall and the finish"

Perfect! That's exactly what I meant when I said where did you start! I guess I am going to have to get going on the heeling. That's sort of the part I have been dreading as I'm pretty much a dunce at leash stuff.

Elana: The rulebook is an awesome idea! I think I read through it once and was just amazed at all the little intricacies that can lose points! Should be a good challenge! And I always love the perspective of each group! The people who have done it their whole lives and those who have just started! Thanks!

Tooney I would love to see the statistic on how many dogs get a CD title! That has to be waaaaaaay lower than the amount from CD->UD. Titled dogs are like one in a million, haha! Were the clubs all clubs, or were some of them training facilities that just had workshops or something?

[txcollies]

How did you decide that you wanted to do competitive obedience?
I watched a practice at a training club, and then watched obedience at a show when I had some free time. I was hooked.

Where did you start your specific training?
At home. I've never taken a formal class or lesson.

Now TRAINING wise - I start it all at once, in little peices. I do "games" of heeling, recalls, pivots, eye contact. I start teaching it all as early as I can.

How did you know you were ready for your first trial?
Honestly, I wasn't sure. Matches and run thrus are very, very rare in my area. I decided to risk it and enter and see where I was at in my training - we Q'd.

I compete in Rally and obedience. I'd suggest you try Rally, also. As going through Rally Advanced (all off lead) really seems to help dogs settle and get comfortable in the ring.

[Poly]

Originally Posted by Euphemism

There is tons of information on this forum and I try to absorb as much as I can! My brain is aching for a little bit more information about competitive obedience. If I google it I get mostly a bunch of people trying to sell videos. It's tough to sift through it all to find the real info! Any good website links would be great!

The AKC website has a lot of information on companion dog events and is as good a place to start as any:

AKC Events

If you are just starting out you may want to consider Rally obedience before you jump into regular obedience. It's not that a Rally-O is "easier", but the atmosphere of a rally trial is so much more informal - you can encourage your dog both verbally and with gestures, and give repeated commands and/or signals(substantial deductions or NQs in regular obedience) - you can even repeat exercises (immediate NQ in regular)- etc. In my opinion, Rally is almost always more relaxed and much more forgiving for beginners.

As for training, there is really no substitute for working under a good trainer. What does that mean? A good trainer will have put multiple titles on multiple dogs, and should have put on all of the following: at least one UD or equivalent title and at least one RE or equivalent and at least some higher level agility title. The more the better. Tracking, herding, houndwork, field trial or other "working" experience - as appropriate for the breeds involved - would be most desirable as well. Protection sport experience would be OK too, but many protection sport trainers specialize within that one area and work with specific breeds.

I'm not saying it's impossible for an inexperienced handler to work on his or her own without a trainer, but they would really have to be an exceptional personality to do that. For us normal folks, it doesn't lead to success.

As mentioned above, attention training or as it is sometimes called focus training, is really the foundation for all companion events. A good trainer or school will always work on that first, either in a group or individually.

There's no substitute for experience, and good trainers do not come cheap. But if you can find a local obedience club that offers group training it will usually be less expensive than private school obedience training.

Again, the AKC site is a good a place to start as any:

Club search

Look for clubs with the words 'obedience' or 'companion dog' or 'dog training' in their title.

If you can, try to observe a few local matches and/or trials. AKC obedience trials often charge an admission fee - especially if held in conjunction with a dog show - but other venues and matches may not charge at all or just a nominal amount. However, do check with the sponsor.

Originally Posted by Euphemism

I would love to see the statistic on how many dogs get a CD title!

I have to respectfully disagree a bit with Tooney here. Novice levels are not all that hard but do require a commitment. In my experience, most of the teams that start in "Attention training" do go on to some sort of novice companion title - if not a CD or equivalent, then a RN or equivalent, or one of the novice agility titles.

It's when teams want to go on to higher levels and/or to compete in multiple events and/or compete in multiple venues that things begin to get really challenging.

[txcollies]

Trainers, classes, etc are great, IF you have access to them.

I know lots of people who train on their own. Some people don't have access to a club or trainer within reasonable driving distance, and so have to rely on seminars (even those are rare in my area), books, training lists, etc. I know people in Utility, UDXs, etc who are training alone.

With enough hard work and determination, that shouldn't stop anyone.

When I first got started, I used to be afraid that because I couldn't train under someone, I'd never get where I wanted to go - finally one day I just bucked up and set to work, I put a RN, RA, CD bam bam bam Qing 9 for 9 for all of our titles, (with great scores, wins and placements, HIT, etc) on my dog, and we were heading for our CDX, RE/RAE titles when he died tragically. - and this was a collie, not known as a easy dog to train, etc.

I have two others who will step into the Rally ring in the spring, and I'll take them to their RAEs, and as high as I can in Obedience. I'm on the waiting list for a new puppy (sire is a UDX/perfect 200 winner/almost to his OTCH) and this expected puppy I am planning to take to his UDX.

[TooneyDogs]

Originally Posted by Euphemism

Tooney[/B] I would love to see the statistic on how many dogs get a CD title! That has to be waaaaaaay lower than the amount from CD->UD. Titled dogs are like one in a million, haha! Were the clubs all clubs, or were some of them training facilities that just had workshops or something?

I'm not aware of any statistic kept by clubs or the AKC. I would guess that for every 20 or 30 people that take a training class only 1 will try their hand at a title.

Most of the training facilities in this area are clubs although there's one for profit Obedience facility and one for profit Agility.

Some clubs offer specialty classes for the serious Obedience competitors such as building drive and attention or working on specific issues where handlers are losing 1/2 points in their ring performance.