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Selecting an Obedience Instructor In my last article, I mentioned the importance of finding a good instructor when you decide to go into competitive obedience. When you are first starting out, it is common to ask friends or co-workers who they take their dog to for training. This is how I found my first obedience instructor and unfortunately for both Indy and myself, it was not a good experience. Being a raw beginner, I didn’t know any better. Since this instructor was highly recommended by a co-worker whose daughter was showing in 4H, I felt she must know what she was doing. In hindsight, she did not, she was very dominant, very heavy handed, used no motivation and the result was I nearly ruined Indy’s obedience career before it began. I would like to offer some suggestions so others don’t make the same mistake that I made in choosing an instructor. First, set your goals: are you planning on competing
with your dog, if so, to what level (CD, CDX, UD or beyond); do you want a
competitive dog or do you just want to qualify. Second, attend a local obedience trial and ask around
where the local competitors train. Is there a local all-breed club, private
training clubs or individuals who put on training classes in your area? Finding
an instructor to train for competitive obedience is different than finding an
instructor who primarily teaches pet classes. Decide if you want group lessons
or private lessons, there are pros and cons to both. Third, once you’ve decided who you will take
lessons from, talk to that instructor about your goals. This works both ways, if
you want to be a highly competitive person, does this instructor have the
working knowledge to help you reach your goals. Or, if you just want to qualify
and are not worried about scores, is the instructor comfortable with that goal. Fourth, ask about the instructor’s training
philosophy. Are you comfortable with it? My suggestion would be to find someone
with a balanced approach. By this I mean, find someone who uses motivation but
also uses fair corrections. If you don’t understand something or do not feel
comfortable with something, talk to the instructor about it. Depending on the
situation, it may be polite to wait until the end of class to ask your questions
or make your comments. Don’t be afraid to do this! I hope these suggestions help you to find the right
instructor for you and your dog and that you have a successful journey
throughout your obedience career! Now onto answering a question that was sent to me by
Diane Stefani:
Do you use different commands for each venue (i.e. heeling in the field
vs. obedience, “wait” or “stay” in field/agility/obedience) and when?
I personally use some different commands when doing obedience and
fieldwork. I don’t know if the dog needs them, but I do! When I ask my dog to
heel in obedience, I want total attention and correct heel position. For all
other times, including working in the field, I use “walk” or “with me”.
The dog may be looking around, which is a good thing in the field. I am not
worried about correct “heeling” position, just that he stays by my side and
is not racing around doing his own thing! He is still under command, just not as
formal as in obedience. In the
field, the command, “sit” means stay put until I tell you to do something. I
do fall into using “wait” just because I am so use to using it in obedience.
I use both “wait” and “stay” in obedience for different exercises. When
I did agility with Skye, I used “wait” at the start line, which meant, wait
there until I call you from a distance. Having a dog that understands to sit
until told to do something is a real benefit in all three sports! I make this a
priority in my early training and keep a high standard for it throughout my dogs
career no matter what sport I happen to be working on a the time. Thanks
for the question, Stephanie! Until
next month, happy heeling and enjoy the special bond that develops as you work
with your dog! If you have a question for me, I’ll do my best to answer it!
They can be sent to: indy@centurytel.net If you have some ideas for future columns please
e-mail me at indy@centurytel.net. |
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