Dog Obedience Trials

A good way of measuring how well your training and dog handling skills are progressing is to enter your dog into obedience trial events. Obedience trials are sponsored on a regular basis by dog food manufacturers, other canine product providers, dog breed associations and a host of other companies and organizations. They are held locally, nationally and sometimes internationally; normally there is no restriction as to the type of dog that is entered. The dog doesn't have to be a registered pedigree but if your dog is, he will not be excluded. The list of entrants will be split into categories of size, weight, breed or crossbreed to maintain a fair balance of dogs competing against each other in the trials.

Youngsters and children are also allowed to enter their dogs and sometimes junior handling trainers are made available to them. The cost of entry is very small, particularly if the trials are held locally. The trials are usually broken down into the following groups:-

Basic level

Trial events may vary in different countries but usually in a basic level obedience trial you will need to be able to demonstrate that your dog is able to walk with or without a leash accompanied by his dog handler, respond to the 'come?, 'sit? and 'down? commands, walk in different directions without touching or showing attention to his handler together with being able to stand still when the judge performs an examination of him. Your dog will also need to demonstrate that he is able to sit and stay for whatever time is set by the organizer of the trials.

Open

The Open level group is more difficult because the dog has to demonstrate that he is capable of working off the leash with the handler. Some of the time, the dogs in this group will be required to work together and at others they will work individually. Among the skills required to excel in the Open level are the ability to retrieve and drop an item on command, heel in a figure of eight and jump over a wide gap or object of a certain height together with positive reactions to the 'sit? and 'down? commands. In addition your dog will be required to sit or stay down for 3 to 5 minutes without his handler being present.

Utility

The Utility is the most difficult of any obedience trial class. Together with being able to prove all of the skills in the Basic and Open levels, your dog will have to retrieve, from a pile of objects, only those objects which have been touched by his handler. Having retrieved an object your dog will then return the object to the handler on command. His final test will be to follow hand signals with no voice commands to complete a high and broad jump.

Dogs are awarded points by the judges of obedience trials. At the beginning of the trials the dog has the maximum points available, usually 200. For each mistake the dog makes his points will decrease. The champion is the dog which, in the judge's opinion, made the least mistakes.

Written by Jeff Nenadic from My Dog Shop - browse the large selection of dog beds & dog feeders.

Rate This Article: - Excellent Good Average Poor Terrible

Receive free shipping on your orders over $35 at PetCareRx and save today.

Only Natural Dog and Pet Store

bookmark DoggyDetails

Dog Harness , Dog Collar , Dog Leash , Dog Muzzle - Dog Harness , Dog Collar , Dog Leash , Dog Muzzle Trusted Direct Source (online store) - www.ForDogTrainers.com

Related Articles:

DOGGY DETAILS

Dog Training Sites Reviewed
Dogs are man's best friend. Despite that, sometimes they can grate on your nerves; barking, chewing, and the occasional nip can sour a relationship very quickly. That's why it's important to establish boundaries and make sure your dog is well-trained! There are always plenty of guides to training dogs, both in print and online. But the trick is to find the best ones! That's why we've exhaustively checked out dozens - hundreds! - of guides on the Web: to find the best guides and sites out there!

test
dddddddddddddddddddddd dddddddddddddddddddddddd ddddddddddddddddddddddddddddd ddddddddddddddddddddddd

Dog Training - The Basic Commands
About The Author--Tony Robinson is a dog lover and international author. And doggy Details thanks him for his contribution...

How Do You Know If You Are Right for the Dog?
There are probably more dog breeds in the world at this moment than there are different strains of bacteria!

Dog Food From Natural Sources Is The Best
There is no other event which arouses our darling dogs other than that hour where we demonstrate our intentions to give them their favorite dog food. We must be measured, however, with what we give to our dogs. In the history of dog food, there have been multiple recalls due to contamination. This is why it pays off to believe in natural manufacturers of dog food.

Dog Treats - Find Out How to Make Them
Dogs are said to be man's best friend and let's face it, they really are. Loyal and caring, dogs can be a constant companion to most anybody young or old. As most dog owners will already know, Fido really is a part of the family. However, sometimes our dog's nutrition goes unchecked. Some pet owners just go by any standard dog food out there in the market, some rely on nothing but kitchen scraps or bones that need to be discarded of, unaware that what we may be feeding to the family pet may be bad for him.

Dog Information and Your Vet
There is a strange, little known fact about pet nutrition that many pet owners are not aware of. It is that your vet may not be the best source of dog information (http://HealthierDogs.com) particularly for nutrition. Veterinary schools' nutrition courses tend to be rather short and incomplete, and pet food companies tend to push their products on vets and patients rather aggresively.

Dog Training Leads And How To Start Dog Training Products Business?
Dogs often require to be trained in obedience and other training forms before they can serve people or be able to associate with other people and dogsThis article will provide you Dog Training Leads information also it will show you how you can make some extra money by starting a Dog training products business

Choosing the Best Dog Food
Browse any grocery store or pet food store to buy Dog Food and you will agree that trying to decide on what is best for your dog is an exhausting task Scanning the shelves of products available, you are bombarded by foods extolling different health benefits as well as a huge range of prices

Electronic Training Collar For Dogs
Dog owners and dog trainers can train their dogs to recognize and differentiate appropriate and inappropriate conduct by using electronic dog training collar. It helps to reduce the frustration and stress dog owners and trainers have to experience to train their dogs with behavioural problems. Electronic dog training collars are commonly used to teach dogs all the basic but necessary commands like ”sit”, “stay”, “lie”, “come” and others. However, dogs that have been problematic and hard to teach using other techniques is most suited to utilize it.

Natural Dog Food, For a Healthier Happier Pet
The only source of nutrition the family dog gets is from the daily dog food it eats. Selecting a healthy diet for the family pet shouldn't be rocket science, but we should know what we feed our pets, as what they eat can have a direct affect on their health.

For the Wellness of Your Pets, Dog Food Rating is Very Important
There are so many various dog foods on the market nowadays and there are various points of view about the premium ingredients, developed processes and supplements to choose from and it will be a challenge to pick the right dog food for your pet There are ways to do a basic dog food analysis from the premium dog food, natural dog food to organic dog food

The Best Dog Food For Your Dogs
Loving pet owners strive to give the best dog food to their dogs But with all the products in the market, it can be a challenge to find one that is suitable for your pooch

Do You Have a Dog Day Care Business Plan?
If you are considering opening a dog day care, then you need to make sure you have a dog day care business plan. A solid dog day care business plan will help you get started in the right direction.