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Obedience

Obedience training has great practical value for everyday management and enjoyment of a companion dog and offers a great foundation for field and agility training.

American Kennel Club and Canadian Kennel Club Obedience competition is offered at three primary levels - novice, open, and utility. At each higher level of competition, the dog is expected to perform more difficult exercises, progressing from on leash work to off leash work, jumping, retrieving and stay exercises with the handler out of sight. In addition, prepartory and transitional classes are offered as well as some specialty classes such as a team class in which 4 team members perform simulaneously or and advanced teamwork class in which the handler and dog perform extra-difficult exercises. All obedience competitions are scored out of a maximum possible 200 with points deducted from that score for any handler or dog errors.

Rally Obedience is a new obedience sport in which a dog and handler team move from station to station performing at each station an obedience foundation skill such as a U-turn, down from sit, pivot to the left, or finish to heel.

The AKC offers a Canine Good Citizen and the CKC a similar Canine Good Neighbour test that focus on everyday, useful basic obedience and manners that any dog should be capable of, the test elements are described below.

THE CANINE GOOD CITIZEN TEST

The CGC is a certification program developed by the American Kennel Club and open to all dogs, whether pure bred or mixed breed, whether registered or unregistered. It certifies dogs who exhibit both the training and demeanor to be reliable family members and good-standing community members. The test has 10 parts, all of which must be passed for certification. Perfect obedience is not required to pass; the dog must only demonstrate confidence, a reasonable degree of obedience, and that it is well-mannered and under control at all times. It is permissible for the owner to talk to their dog throughout the test and to give multiple commands if necessary. Dogs which pass can add the CGC designation to the end of their name.

1. ACCEPTING A FRIENDLY STRANGER - The dog must allow a friendly stranger to approach it, and casually shake hands with and exchange pleasantries with its handler. The dog must remain sitting or standing beside its handler and must not show shyness or resentment to the evaluator nor break position to go to the evaluator.

2. SITTING POLITELY FOR PETTING - The dog must allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is with its handler. The dog must sit while the evaluator pets the dog on the head and body. The dog must not show shyness or resentment and must remain sitting.

3. APPEARANCE AND GROOMING - The dog must accept being groomed and handled by a stranger. The evaluator inspects the dog, brushes it and examines each front foot while the dog remains in position without struggling or shyness.

4. WALKING ON A LOOSE LEASH - The dog must casually walk with its handler in a circuit with some turns and stops. The only requirement is that the leash is loose throughout.

5. WALKING THROUGH A CROWD - The dog must pass close by and through a group of people on a loose lead. The dog may show interest in the group although it must not be over exuberant or resentful.

6. STAYING IN PLACE - The handler places the dog (on a long line) in either a sit or a down position and the dog must remain in position while the handler walks away to the end of a 20 foot line and as the handler returns.

7. COMING WHEN CALLED - The dog must come when called from a distance of 10 feet.

8. REACTION TO ANOTHER DOG - The dog must behave politely when walking with its owner and encountering another handler and dog. The two handlers approach each other, stop and exchange pleasantries, and continue on. The dog must show no more than casual interest in the other dog.

9. REACTION TO DISTRACTIONS - The dog must show confidence in the face of a sudden distraction such as a book dropping, a jogger passing by, or similar. The dog may express interest and curiosity but should not show panic, fear, or aggressiveness and must not bark.

10. SUPERVISED SEPARATION - The dog is left with a stranger while the owner goes out of sight for 3 minutes. The dog does not have to remain in one position, but must not bark, whine, pace, strain at the lead or panic.

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