obedience
No matter what breed you own, there is a method of training that will help you to teach your dog how to become an accepted and valued member of the family and of society in general.
Even if you only want a pet for companionship, early, basic obedience training is helpful to both you and your dog. The exercise is beneficial for both everyone and the time spent together in training gives your dog the opportunity to demonstrate its intelligence and builds a special friendship between both of you.
Obedience training has no limits for the dog or the handler.
Puppies must be at least 12 weeks old and fully vaccinated and yes, you can teach an old dog
new tricks so no age limit applies.
As for the handler the only limits are the ones you put on yourself. There is a world of fun and camaraderie to be enjoyed as you travel the road to your desired level of training. Some people only want their dog to come when called. When you start training with your dog, you will see that you are able to do so much more together. Even a brief training session is better than no training at all because a dog that pleases itself is often a nuisance to the community.
Obedience training is there for everyone from 10 years old until forever. There is equal opportunity for all people.
As you and your dog become proficient at the basic commands you will be introduced to Obedience competitions and trials. Another world will open up for you. Obedience trials are run throughout the year all over Queensland and indeed all over Australia. To enter in these competitions you need a trained dog that is registered with a controlling body, you also need to be a member of that canine controlling body. Eg Dogs Qld.
There are five levels of Obedience in Australia plus Rally Obedience which also has 3 different levels from novice through to advanced. All classes and rules are explained fully in the Obedience Rule Book which can be sourced from Dogs Controlling Associations. If you decide to compete, your dog may achieve an Obedience Title, which means you can put letters behind its name.
CCD - Community Companion Dog is the first level with heeling and stand for examination performed on lead and a small recall and a basic sit and down stay off the lead.
CD – Companion Dog Is very similar to the previous class except that it is all off the lead
and the handler has the choice of either a short retrieve or a change of position.
CDX - Companion Dog Excellent is usually known is the first level of obedience dogs can trial at after they have gained the title. While it is a pre-requisite for dogs to continue onto UD, dogs can continue to trial in open for as long as they like. Open trialling requires the dog to be able to retrieve and jump.
UD - Utility Dog. Things start to get a little more complex now with the introduction of jumps, drop on recall and stays with the handler out of sight. This class incorporates scent exercises, directed jumping and the dog working to signals only, very impressive.
In this class the dog and handler can earn the title of Obedience Champion.
UDX - Utility Dog Excellent A class that just about has it all but no jumping as by now most dogs are getting a little elderly. UDX is a very challenging class for both the dog and the handler. Nothing to worry about as by this stage the bond between a handler and dog is very strong.
Even if you only want a pet for companionship, early, basic obedience training is helpful to both you and your dog. The exercise is beneficial for both everyone and the time spent together in training gives your dog the opportunity to demonstrate its intelligence and builds a special friendship between both of you.
Obedience training has no limits for the dog or the handler.
Puppies must be at least 12 weeks old and fully vaccinated and yes, you can teach an old dog
new tricks so no age limit applies.
As for the handler the only limits are the ones you put on yourself. There is a world of fun and camaraderie to be enjoyed as you travel the road to your desired level of training. Some people only want their dog to come when called. When you start training with your dog, you will see that you are able to do so much more together. Even a brief training session is better than no training at all because a dog that pleases itself is often a nuisance to the community.
Obedience training is there for everyone from 10 years old until forever. There is equal opportunity for all people.
As you and your dog become proficient at the basic commands you will be introduced to Obedience competitions and trials. Another world will open up for you. Obedience trials are run throughout the year all over Queensland and indeed all over Australia. To enter in these competitions you need a trained dog that is registered with a controlling body, you also need to be a member of that canine controlling body. Eg Dogs Qld.
There are five levels of Obedience in Australia plus Rally Obedience which also has 3 different levels from novice through to advanced. All classes and rules are explained fully in the Obedience Rule Book which can be sourced from Dogs Controlling Associations. If you decide to compete, your dog may achieve an Obedience Title, which means you can put letters behind its name.
CCD - Community Companion Dog is the first level with heeling and stand for examination performed on lead and a small recall and a basic sit and down stay off the lead.
CD – Companion Dog Is very similar to the previous class except that it is all off the lead
and the handler has the choice of either a short retrieve or a change of position.
CDX - Companion Dog Excellent is usually known is the first level of obedience dogs can trial at after they have gained the title. While it is a pre-requisite for dogs to continue onto UD, dogs can continue to trial in open for as long as they like. Open trialling requires the dog to be able to retrieve and jump.
UD - Utility Dog. Things start to get a little more complex now with the introduction of jumps, drop on recall and stays with the handler out of sight. This class incorporates scent exercises, directed jumping and the dog working to signals only, very impressive.
In this class the dog and handler can earn the title of Obedience Champion.
UDX - Utility Dog Excellent A class that just about has it all but no jumping as by now most dogs are getting a little elderly. UDX is a very challenging class for both the dog and the handler. Nothing to worry about as by this stage the bond between a handler and dog is very strong.
rally o
Rally O was first conceived in the USA in 1999 and became official there in 2005, becoming a new titling sport in Australia from January 2012. It has since gone from strength to strength and there are now many countries around the world involved in this sport.
It is not quite as formal as the Obedience trial classes but it is lots of fun and gives both dog and handler a chance to compete in a light hearted way. It incorporates various levels of skill and encourages interaction between dog and handler.
Competitors are encouraged to talk to their dogs through the run, they are allowed to tell dogs to sit and stay etc where they wouldn't be allowed in Obedience, they are allowed to Retry stations if an error occurs.
The Novice level is all on lead. The less formal atmosphere of Rally Obedience appeals to more people and encourages them to get into competition and then go onto competing in other dog sport events.
While all levels of Rally O are timed, it is only to separate position placing should there are several dog and handler teams on the same score at the end of the trial. Teams can spend as much or as little time out on the course as it takes to complete it as there is no time limit but most courses take between 2-4 minutes.
There are 3 levels of competition in Rally Obedience.
RN - Novice Class is all on lead and consists of between 10 and 15 stations.
RA -Advanced has between 12 and 17 stations with one jump and is judged off lead.
RE - Excellent is also off lead with between 15 and 20 stations, 2 jumps and the “Honour” (stay) station.
Then once you’ve earned your Rally Excellent title you can then shoot for your RAE where you have to qualify ten times in both Advanced and Excellent in the same trial.
It is not quite as formal as the Obedience trial classes but it is lots of fun and gives both dog and handler a chance to compete in a light hearted way. It incorporates various levels of skill and encourages interaction between dog and handler.
Competitors are encouraged to talk to their dogs through the run, they are allowed to tell dogs to sit and stay etc where they wouldn't be allowed in Obedience, they are allowed to Retry stations if an error occurs.
The Novice level is all on lead. The less formal atmosphere of Rally Obedience appeals to more people and encourages them to get into competition and then go onto competing in other dog sport events.
While all levels of Rally O are timed, it is only to separate position placing should there are several dog and handler teams on the same score at the end of the trial. Teams can spend as much or as little time out on the course as it takes to complete it as there is no time limit but most courses take between 2-4 minutes.
There are 3 levels of competition in Rally Obedience.
RN - Novice Class is all on lead and consists of between 10 and 15 stations.
RA -Advanced has between 12 and 17 stations with one jump and is judged off lead.
RE - Excellent is also off lead with between 15 and 20 stations, 2 jumps and the “Honour” (stay) station.
Then once you’ve earned your Rally Excellent title you can then shoot for your RAE where you have to qualify ten times in both Advanced and Excellent in the same trial.
