Obedience is essential. In fact, many trainers even consider it a lifesaver. How many dogs end up being put down at the shelter due to a lack of training rather than the temperament of the dog? Regardless of how much effort you want to put into it, obedience is important. But it doesn’t always have to be that mundane work that needs to get done as a requirement to owning a dog. Obedience can be fun! Believe it or not, obedience has become one of the most competitive dog sports around! There are tons of ways to compete in obedience with your dog, and this article is going to focus on the obedience titles and trials that the American Kennel Club offers for dog owners and their pets.
There are a few different ways you can compete in obedience with your dog. You can start at the very beginning, with Beginner and Graduate Novice, and move all the way up to Obedience Champion! Although fun, it’s no easy feat. All obedience titles are earned by a single dog and handler team. Each team must get three passing scores under two different judges in order to obtain the obedience title. The Beginnger Novice, or BN, is done all on-leash and signs around the ring direct the team. Each sign tells which exercise the team must perform, and after it’s completed, they move on to the next sign. The next step would be Companion Dog (CD) and Companion Dog Excellent (CDX). These are done off-leash, and the judge is the one who tells the teams what exercises they are to perform. The next steps go into the Utility Dog (UD) and Utility Dog Excellent (UDX). Each phase includes more exercise and the difficulty level rises significantly. The Beginner Novice, Graduate Novice, and Graduate Open titles are all optional. Neither is required to move to the next level. However, in order to compete for a CDX, a dog must have earned a CD. For the UDX, the dog needs the UD, CDX, and CD.
Perhaps one of the most impressive titles a dog can earn are the Obedience Master (OM) and the Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH). To earn these titles, dog and handler teams must have qualifying scores that give them first-place standings in the competition in which they entered. Not only do they need to come in first place, they need to have perfect or near-perfect scores. Obedience has come a long way, and the winning dogs are precise, fast and flashy. They really put on a show. Teams work very hard for a very long time to earn these titles, and they certainly deserve respect!
AKC also offers a fun obedience-based sport called Rally. Rally is pretty much just what it sounds like – a race! Dog and handler teams compete one at a time, but they go through a ring filled with signs (like in the BN). These signs tell the teams which exercise is to be completed. They start at a starting point and finish at the finish sign. In Rally Novice (RN), all exercises are completed on-leash. But in Rally Advanced (RA), Excellent (RE), and Advanced Excellent (RAE), the exercises are off-leash. The teams are scored according to their performance, just as in the obedience classes. However, in Rally, the judge keeps a time record of how long it took each team to finish the course. If there is a tie in scores, the judge compares the times and the team that competed the fastest wins.
The advanced levels of obedience are certainly difficult, as the dogs must perform every exercise correctly in order to pass. But if you think your dog would like to have some fun learning some new tricks (jumping over hurdles or retrieving a dumbbell, anyone?), don’t hesitate to check out local obedience groups near you! We’re all dog lovers here, and we’ve all been in the Novice rings making mistakes before. Even if you have no desire to go out there and win, getting the titles and working as a team with your dog is an incredible experience that will only bring you closer together. So snap on that leash, pull out the treats, and get your train on!
About the Author
Katie is a professional dog trainer located in Southern California, with a background of experience as a veterinary assistant as well. She has trained and competed with multiple breeds in AKC Obedience and Rally, agility, herding, Schutzhund/IPO, French Ring and conformation. She has been involved in dogs since she was a child, and specializes in protection dogs, working dogs, and aggression issues. You can visit her website, Katie’s Dog Training, to find out more information about her training and accomplishments. When she’s not helping others and writing, she’s out on the field with her Belgian Malinois and Pembroke Welsh Corgi.
Obedience is essential. In fact, many trainers even consider it a lifesaver. How many dogs end up being put down at the shelter due to a lack of training rather than the temperament of the dog? Regardless of how much effort you want to put into it, obedience is important. But it doesn’t always have to be that mundane work that needs to get done as a requirement to owning a dog. Obedience can be fun! Believe it or not, obedience has become one of the most competitive dog sports around! There are tons of ways to compete in obedience with your dog, and this article is going to focus on the obedience titles and trials that the American Kennel Club offers for dog owners and their pets.
