Thought about an OTCHI’ve been asked about what it takes to put an OTCH
on a dog so I thought I would share some reflections on what it takes (in my
opinion). I recently finished Echo’s OTCH and OBHF when he took a HIT and a HC
at the Butler Co. Show in Getting an OTCH takes perseverance and lots of
training from the very beginning of the pup’s life. Pedigree helps too! Now
let me explain a little. I’ll start with pedigree first. Not every golden is cut out to be an OTCH dog, it
takes a temperament that is willing to work hard, the endurance to do multiple
shows in a day at a high level of perfection and be able to accept corrections
without loosing attitude. Structure also plays into the equation because of the
rigors of the sport. I’ve had three performance goldens. Indy hated
doing it, she loved to train (actually she loved the treats, which I used all of
the time-big mistake!). She was not a candidate for an OTCH and if you look at
her pedigree, the story began there-very few performance titles. This is not to
say there is not a gem out there that has a pedigree void of titles yet is an
excellent, competitive performance dog, but this dog would be the exception. I fell in
love with performance events, especially obedience and field so when I looked
for my next pup, this was a priority and I searched for a pedigree and breeder
that could help me reach my goals. I have admitted in the past and I will admit
again, that I had no idea what it meant to get an OTCH when I first started out
with Skye. I was much more prepared with Echo, though I messed up some of his
early training which still haunts me in the ring. Yep! Experience helps, but
more experience is even better! Each dog brings a different set of issues and
pluses to the training ring and each dog makes us better trainers! So, the
bottom line is, if you would like to try for an OTCH, take a serious look at
pedigrees, temperament and structure. In some pedigrees there is a fine line
between a highly competitive dog and one you can’t live with. For me, the
later is not an option. So don’t just look at titles, look at the whole
package. I wrote down a quote that I saw once, which simply states; “Pedigree
indicates what the animal should be, Conformation indicates what the animal
appears to be, But, performance indicates what the animal actually is”-good
food for thought! I apologize to the author as I didn’t write their name down
when I scribbled the quote down. Up to this point, I have only addressed the dog’s
pedigree, temperament and structure but the dog does not go into the ring by
itself! We as handlers have to make an appearance also! And, I might add, we are
responsible for the majority of mistakes made. So, when deciding whether to go
for the OTCH, it is important to evaluate yourself also. Do you have the
perseverance to train your dog on a regular basis, daily, more than once daily
to work on little things? Do you have the temperament that it takes to deal with
the disappointments of blowing a 199 because the dog failed an exercise, or
worse yet, you goofed! Yep, been there, done that-gave a verbal and signal for
the finish on the signal exercise and cost us plenty of OTCH points. Next day,
it was Echo’s turn, he was fixated on the glove and didn’t take a verbal
finish command-cost us first place and loads of OTCH points. I admit, I am not
very good at dealing with these errors when they occur-I am a handler in
training!! Do you want to become a student of the sport of obedience, learning
all of the fine details that it takes to make the nearly perfect performance
that is required to earn the OTCH, at least in my area of the country. I admit-I
love this the most-training for the details and the challenge of problem solving
issues that arise, though patience is not always one of my strong suits,
especially with Echo. Again, trainer in training!! Are you willing to spend lots
of time and money to make your dream of an OTCH a reality? Are you willing to
travel around to different training locations to proof the various exercises,
dragging jumps and gaiting with you? Are you willing to stop part way along the
way when it is not in the best interest of the dog? If you’ve answered yes to all or most of these
questions, or like me, you are willing to grow and learn and be a little humbled
from time to time admitting you’re not perfect, then you might just have what
it take to be an OTCH trainer! Time for Echo and I to head off to train and for
Skye to snoopervise! I’ll finish this article next month. Until then, enjoy
the training and most importantly, treasure your furry partner! You can contact me at indy@centurtyel.net
with any questions or comments. |
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