An introduction to Obedience Training
Firstly, you need to teach your dog to walk beside you on a loose lead (heeling),
sitting automatically when you stop and standing and dropping on comand.
Then this is done off-lead.
Stand for examination. The dog stands while the handler moves to in front of
the dog while the judge (or trainer) runs his/her hands over the dog.
Stand stay off lead - the dog stands while the handler moves about 5 metres
from the dog and the judges walks around the dog between the handler and the dog
Recall off lead. The judge asks the dog to halt (and the dogs sits). The handler moves
about 20-30 paces away while the dog stays. The judge then asks the handler to
"recall your dog" and the dog returns and sits in front of the handler. Then the command
is give the "finish" and the dog goes around the back of the handler and sits at
his/her left side.
The last exercise is the stays. All dogs in the class are in a line and are told to
"sit" and "stay". The handlers move about 20 paces away, wait for 1 minute, then told
to return to their dogs. During this time the dogs must stay in the sit position.
The dogs are then told to "drop" and the handlers move away again, but this time for
three minutes.
You can then enter you dog as a "Novice". He will get 3 passes of 170
(starting with 200 then points taken off for misdemeanours).
When your dog has 3 passes, he can then be awarded the COMPANION DOG (CD) title.
If you have survived basic training, you can now go on to the next level which
is COMPANION DOG EXCELLENT (CDX).
At this level, there is no lead! There is a slight change to the "recall". After
you call your dog, he gets half way back and it told to "drop", which he must do,
then continue the recall.
The dog must retrieve a dumbbell first on the flat, then over a jump. The dog must
then return and sit in front of the handler and "finish" on the left hand side when directed.
Your dog must then go over a broad jump. These, and the high jump, are set at levels
which are suitable for to size of the dog. (Your Cocker does not have to jump the same
as a Labrador). On completion of the jump, the must, again, sit in front of the handler
and return to the left hand side when directed.
To finish, there are the group stays, but this time, the sit-stay is 3 minutes with the
handlers out of sight of the dogs, and the drop-stay is 5 minutes also with the handler
out of sight from the dog.
Again, you will need 3 passes of 170 or more to gain the title
COMPANION DOG EXCELLENT (CDX)
From there you can go on to UTILITY DOG (UD) where the exercises get more involved.
And the top level in obedience is OBEDIENCE CHAMPION, again with more exercises, and
a higher pass mark needing 5 passes with a score of 185 or more. Some very clever dogs
win the ring with a pass of 200 - no errors !!
NOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT
There is TRACKING. Again, various levels requiring the dog to follow a previously
laid track, starting with 300 metres with a 90 degree turn, to 800m, 1000m and 1200m,
all with added "incentives". Each track is longer, older, laid by different people,
with articles to be collected along the way.
Once your dog has completed all levels he will then have the title
"TRACKING CHAMPION"
There is also RETRIEVING and FIELD trials, using a gun over you dog.
Or for the more "fun" activity, there is AGILITY and FLYBALL.
For more information about these activities, please refer to the Victorian Canine
Association web site www.vca.org.au
Cocker Spaniels like to please their owners, which is why they can be good at
obedience or any of the other activities.