Obedience

got started in Obedience when we got our second Shetland Sheepdog, Golden Moonlight Sonata (Star). I took her to puppy kindergarten and then on to basic obedience classes. We had such a good time that we went on to advanced classes and from there private and in Feb. of 1998 , entered our first trial and received a score of 193 and 3rd place. Star received her CD on Sept.5,1998 in just 3 trials and placements in all of them.

We are hooked and having a ball. Star is a much happier dog having a job to do and having fun with all the doggy friends she has met. As for me, I am having just as much fun. We just sent our youngest daughter to college and now I am mothering my fur kids and meeting the nicest Honors and on to my next phase in life. Life is what you make of it and I am going to enjoy this phase just as much as being a soccer mom. Star is very good company and it is just like having a good friend with you all the time. At the last show we went to, we went shopping for her and had a quiet time just sitting and watching everything while sharing a shaved ice together. Just me and my dog.

About Obedience Dog Titles

The dog obedience titles below are fashioned by AKC. Read our discussion about other organizations in the agility section.

CD: Companion Dog degree, which is basic dog obedience of heeling, coming and staying.

CDX: Companion Dog Excellent degree, more advanced dog obedience which includes jumps, retrieving and out of sight stays.

UD: Utility Dog degree which is the highest dog obedience level and includes scent discrimination, directed jumping and signals.

UDX: This is Utility Dog Excellent and is earned by achieving ten qualifying scores at the UD level.

OTCh: Obedience Trial Champion, which is a dog who has won 100 points, received at least one first place in Open B, one first place Utility and a third first place ribbon in either class. First places must be awarded by three different judges. Must be at all-breed events, one of the required first places may have been won at a Specialty Show. Open B must have six in competition and Utility must have three in competition.

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Novice exercises

•  Heeling on leash; this involves starts and stops, left and right turns, and fast and slow walking. The dog is supposed to stay with you at all times (head or shoulder next to your leg). Figure 8 on leash; there are two stops, dog has to stay with you with no forging (going ahead) or lagging (falling behind). 40 points.
• Off-leash Stand for examination: your dog has to stand still while the judge examines the head, neck and back, approximately. You are standing at least 6 ft away. 30 points.
• Repeat of first heeling exercise (not figure 8 part) but without leash. 40 points.
• Recall and finish: Dog sits about 30 ft. away. You call dog and it comes briskly to you and sits. On command it then goes around into a heel pattern sit. 30 points.
• Group exercise. About 10-12 dogs together go in and line up on one end. Handlers sit their dogs and go to the opposite side. This is the long sit, lasting for 1 minute. Then handlers down their dogs and do the same for 3 minutes. Long sit is 30 points, long down is 30 points.

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Open exercises

• Heel Free and Figure Eight. Like Novice, except no lead. 40 points.
• Drop on Recall. Like Novice recall, except you signal or command your dog to down when the judge tells you to. The dog must stay in the down until you tell it to come again. 30 points.
• Retrieve on Flat. You tell the dog to stay, and throw your dumbbell at least 20 feet away. You then send your dog; it must go directly to the dumbbell, bring it back, and sit in front of you to deliver it. You take the dumbbell and then do a finish. 20 points.
• Retrieve over High Jump. Like the Retrieve on Flat, except the dog has to jump the high jump on the way out and on the way back. 30 points.
• Broad Jump. You put your dog in a stay at least eight feet behind the jump. You then walk to the side of the jump, face the jump, and send your dog over it. While it's in the air, you turn 90 degrees so your dog can come to a sit in front of you. Then you do a finish. 20 points.
• Group exercise. Same as Novice, except handlers are out of sight for the stays, and the sit and down stay are three minutes and five minutes long, respectively. 30 points each.

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Utility exercises

• Signal Exercise. You do an off-lead heeling pattern, with signals only (no voice). In addition, on the judges command, you signal your dog to stand and stay, and then from across the ring you signal your dog to down, sit, come, and then finish. 40 points.
• Scent Discrimination. You have two sets of five identical articles, one set of leather and one of metal. You out pick one of each; the rest are set out in a group, at random, about six inches from each other. You and your dog turn your backs on the pile, and you scent one of the articles and give it to the judge, who puts it out with the rest. You turn and send your dog to the pile, who has to pick out the one you scented and retrieve it as in the Retrieve on Flat. You then repeat the exercise with the other article. 30 points.
• Directed Retrieve. You have three (mostly) white cotton work gloves. You stand with your back turned to a side of the ring that is clear of equipment, with your dog in heel position. The gloves are placed one in each corner and one in the center along that side of the ring. The gloves are numbered one, two, three from left to right as you face them. The judge tells you which glove to get, and you and your dog pivot in place to (hopefully) face that glove. You then give a verbal command and signal to your dog to retrieve the glove, as in Retrieve on Flat. 30 points.
• Moving Stand and Examination. You heel your dog about ten feet, and then command the dog to stand-stay without stopping. You continue about ten feet and then turn to face your dog. The judge examines the dog with his hands as in breed judging (note this is more thorough than Novice) except he does not examine the dog's teeth or testicles. You then call your dog directly to heel position. 30 points.
• Directed jumping. There are two jumps midway across the ring, about 20 feet apart. One is a high jump, as in Open, and one is a bar jump. You are about 20 feet away from the jumps, on the center line of the ring. You send your dog down the center line of the ring (between the jumps). When the dog is about 20 feet past the jumps, you tell it to sit. Then you command and/or signal the dog to take one of the jumps (the judge tells you which). The dog must jump the jump, come to you, and sit in front. (While it is in midair you turn towards it.) Then you do a finish. You then repeat the exercise with the other jump. 40 points.

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Rally exercises

AKC Rally is a highly motivational obedience class, which both you and your dog will enjoy tremendously! Hand and/or voice commands and body language ARE encouraged, and are a major part of the teamwork.

The basic objective of Rally is to provide an activity that does not require extensive precision for success. As described in the AKC Rally Regulations, Rally is a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course that has been designed by the rally judge. The judge tells the handler to begin, and the dog and handler proceed at their own pace through a course of designated stations (10 – 20, depending on the level). Each of these stations has a sign with a diagram and text describing what is to be performed. It’s very important that all students read the AKC Rally Regulations and the AKC Description and Performance of the Exercises found at the AKC Website. Rally Regulations are in the back of the current issue of the Obedience Regulations.

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