Obedience Training

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Beginner Classes

Initially we start out training our new members in Basic Manners and Basic Obedience.

Basic Manners includes a dozen or so initial lessons that encourage calm behavior and to pay attention to to the handler and remain calm around strangers.

Basic Obedience includes walking on a loose lead, Drop, Stay and Stand just to name a few.  Master these and your dog will already be more fun to have around.

Once you and your dog have achieved competence in these activities you can move on to Intermediate and Advanced Lessons.

New Members Welcome Kit

The following documents will assist you on your first day.

Competition Obedience

Obedience competitions are open to all dogs, pure and crossbred.  Grafton Dog Obedience Club holds a Triple Obedience Trial once per year and the details are available in the Events Calendar. The competitions are designed to show how well handler and dog work as a team and how well the dog responds to the handler’s cues.  Dogs can earn titles in Community Companion Dog (CCD); Companion Dog (CD); Companion Dog Excellent (CDX); Utility Dog (UD) and Utility Dog Excellent (UDX).

To earn a Community Companion Dog (CCD) obedience title after his name a dog must pass 3 Community Companion Dog tests, scoring at least 85 out of as possible 100 in each test.

The CCD test requires a dog to heel (walk close to the handler’s left side) on lead and to sit, drop and stand when asked at three different paces (slow, normal & fast pace); stand without moving while being examined by the judge; come when called from a distance of up to 12 metres; and finally sit and stay for 1 minute then drop and stay for 2 minutes with the handler 5 metres away.

After gaining a CCD title, dogs are then eligible to enter Novice class to earn a Companion Dog (CD) obedience title after his name and must pass 3 Novice obedience tests, scoring at least 170 out of a possible 200 in each test.

The Novice test requires the dog to heel off lead and to sit, drop and stand when asked at three different paces (slow, normal & fast pace); stand off lead without moving while being examined by the judge; come when called from a distance of at least 15 metres; retrieve on the flat or change of position; and finally sit and stay for 1 minute then drop and stay for 3 minutes with the handler 15 metres away.

Dogs that have earned their CD title are then eligible to compete in Open class for the Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title which requires the dog to heel off lead; stand  for examination off lead; recall from a distance of 45 metres and drop part way as directed by the handler; retrieve a dumbbell over a jump or a directed retrieve (retrieve one of 2 gloves); jump over a broad jump or distance control; and finally sit stay for 3 minutes and drop stay for 5 minutes with the handler out of sight.

Utility class is for dogs that have earned their CDX title and are working towards their Utility Dog title.  In Utility class dogs need to use their own initiative to carry out many of the exercises.  These include finding a small lost article; performing a heel work pattern given signals only (no verbal cues from the handler); finding and retrieving objects with the handler’s scent from a group of similar objects; jumping one of 2 jumps according to the handler’s directions; speaking (bark) on command or refusing food when offered by the judge or retrieving one of 3 gloves as asked by the judge; stand for examination; and finally a 10 minute drop stay with the handler out of sight.

The highest level obedience class is Utility Dog Excellent which earns a dog its UDX title by passing 3 UDX tests and earning at least 170 out of 200.  Exercises include seek back with decoy article; positions in motion; scent discrimination – judge’s scent; directed send away and recall;  distance control; multiple retrieve and group examination.

After earning a UDX title, additional qualifications are required for a dog to earn its Obedience Champion (O Ch) and Obedience Grand Champion (O Gr Ch) titles

Grafton Dog Obedience Club holds regular Obedience training classes.  We also hold a weekend triple Obedience and Rally-Obedience trial in July each year.