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THE
BENIFITS OF DOG OBEDIENCE TRAINNG
In this day and age it is more important than
ever to consider some form of obedience training for our canine companions.
Whether your dog is big or small, hairy or
smooth coated, old or young, all dogs will benefit if their owners enrol them
in some form of obedience training. Increasingly, local ACT Government
legislation requires ACT residents to be responsible dog owners and imposes
penalties for those who fail to comply with their requirements. Even a basic
level of training will enable most dog owners to have a happy, well socialised
and well behaved dog.
Obedience
Clubs in the A.C.T.
The ACT Canine Association (ACTCA) can advise
dog owners about dog obedience clubs in Canberra. There are three main all
breeds obedience training clubs.
- ACT
Companion Dog Club http://www.actcdc.org.au/
- Belconnen
Dog Obedience Club http://www.bdoc.asn.au/
- Tuggeranong
Dog Training Club http://www.tdtc.asn.au/
These clubs cater for all categories of dogs -
pedigreed, mixed breed, old and young. Some clubs offers kindergarten classes
so that puppies over three months of age can be socialised with other puppies
and their owners can learn basic tips about handling and caring for their pets.
There is also a breed specific club - the
German Shepherd Dog Association which caters for pure breed German Shepherds
and their owners. (Email: mlbarnes@grapevine.com.au
).
Obedience Clubs generally offer classes on
Thursday evenings and Sunday mornings. In addition, the ACT Companion Dog Club
has classes on Wednesday mornings. A standard condition of joining obedience
clubs is that your dog is currently vaccinated. You’ll need to bring your
certificate along with you when you join.
Discounts
for Obedience Trained Dogs
The ACT Government offers discounts on annual
dog registration fees for those dogs that have been trained to a basic level of
obedience and have passed the standard set of tests required for the issue of
an Obedience Trained Dog Certificate. The Obedience Clubs in Canberra offer
training towards this certificate as an integral part of their training
syllabus and hold assessment days at regular intervals throughout the year. The
Queanbeyan Dog Obedience Club is also authorised to issue the Certificate to
those ACT residents belonging to their Club.
Why
Obedience?
The hour you spend each week in an obedience
class will help you to understand your dog and teach you how to train your dog
to be sociable with other dogs and people. Life is much more enjoyable when you
can trust your dog to be well behaved in public and to do what he or she is
told. For example, you will learn how to teach your dog to walk beside you on
lead without pulling your arm out of its socket; to respond to sit, drop and
stay in position commands and to come to you when called. You will teach your
dog to allow strangers to pat it without making a fuss and to wait quietly in
the sit or down position for a period on your command. Beyond all this is the
thrill and pride you feel when you see that your dog is eager to learn and is
responding to all you teach him or her.
Many people who join obedience clubs to learn
basic obedience skills progress through the classes and compete in club
members’ competition and assessment days where they are able to demonstrate the
level of skill achieved with their canine companion. The Club environment
itself also offers a way of meeting other people with similar interests.
A further step is to join Dogs A.C.T (the
ACTCA) and compete in official obedience trials, which are held at regular
intervals throughout the year in Canberra and the surrounding NSW trialling
venues. This is an opportunity to meet other owners and their dogs as you
compete to achieve passes at the various levels comprising this most enjoyable
sport. Many triallers travel as a group to trialling venues, camping on the
trial grounds or in nearby parks, and combine their sport with a social outing.
What
are Obedience Trials?
Obedience Trials throughout Australia are
governed by a national set of rules and guidelines issued by the Australian
National Kennel Control (ANKC). The Canine Association in each State and
Territory is affiliated with the ANKC and administers ANKC requirements on its
behalf. The ANKC “Rules for the Conduct of Obedience Trials” states:
The
idea of obedience trials is to demonstrate the usefulness of the dog as the
companion and guardian of man and not the ability of the dog to acquire
facility in the performance of new tricks. The classification which has been
adopted is progressive with the thought in mind that a dog which has been
granted the title of “Obedience Champion” has demonstrated its’ fitness for a
place in our modern scheme of living.
These Rules
contain descriptions of each of the exercises comprising the five levels of
obedience trialling. They provide guidelines and marking procedures for judges
who assess a handler/dog team performance and they establish a structured and
objective competition framework for judges and competitors. Copies of the Rules
are available from the Dogs A.C.T office, The ANKC web site http://www.ankc.org.au/Rules.aspx or from A.C.T Obedience Clubs.
Starting off as beginner in obedience
trialling, you can compete in the Encouragement Classes run by local Obedience
Clubs in conjunction with official trials. Here you and your dog can gain
valuable ring experience in a less formal competitive atmosphere. If you then
wish to pursue the sport and participate in official trials, you will need to
become a financial member of Dogs A.C.T and register your dog with Dogs A.C.T
for competition purposes.
Trialling
Classes.
· The first competitive
trialling class conducted under ANKC Rules is termed the Community Companion Class, which primarily involves heelwork on
lead, a physical examination of the dog by the judge, a Recall and Stay
exercises. When three qualifying scores are attained, your dog will be awarded
the title of Community Companion Dog and will bear the
initials CCD at the end of his registered name.
·
The next competitive
level is the Novice Class which
requires that all work be executed off lead and introduces retrieval and
exercises. Three qualifying scores at this level qualify your dog for the Companion Dog title and the initials CD
are substituted for the CCD after your dog’s name.
· The next level of
obedience competition is the Open Class.
Here all exercises are conducted off lead and include jumping exercises.
· Next comes the Utility Class which includes tracking,
scent discrimination, retrieval and jumping exercises. In most cases the dog
works at a distance from the handler. One exercise includes the requirement to
respond to signals instead of verbal commands. A dog entitled to bear UD after
his or her name has demonstrated an extremely high level of competence,
confidence and teamwork. It is at this level that a dog might attain its’ Obedience Champion Title.
· The highest
competitive level of trialling is the Utility
Dog Excellent Class in which the dog and handler perform tracking and scent
exercises which include high levels of difficulty and involve the dog working
at a distance with minimal command and signals.
· The great satisfaction felt by handlers who
have developed the skills and confidence of their dogs to achieve this hard won
title repays all the hard work and practice which is necessary to reach these
high levels of achievement. The close bond and mutual respect evident between
obedience trained dogs and their handlers is truly something special.
So -
If you think you might like to be part of a
rewarding sport that you can share with your canine companion, or if you would
simply like your dog to be better behaved and obedient, please be in touch with
the Dogs A.C.T Office and we will set the ball rolling.
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