Questions about AKC Obedience Training - Page 1

1) "The Novice A class shall be for dogs that have not won the CD title. A handler must own the dog entered or be a member of the owner's household or immediate family and may not have previously handled any dog that has earned an AKC Novice, Open, or Utility title."

What if you HAVE trained a previous dog who's earned a title? Are you not allowed to compete with any other dogs?

2) (This question is in reference to the "Stand for Examination" exercise) "The handler will take their dog to the place indicated by the judge and, on the judge's order, will stand/pose the dog by the method of the handler's choice, taking any reasonable time if they choose to pose the dog as in the show ring."

Can you just let the dog stand however it wants?

3) (This question is in reference to the "Recall" exercise) "On the judge's order, the handler will give a command or signal to finish. The manner in which the dog finishes will be optional, provided it is prompt and that the dog sits straight at heel."

What options does the dog have for finishing?

4) Are you allowed to give BOTH a command AND signal when doing the trial? Or is it one or the other?

5) (This question is in reference to the "Group Exercises" portion) "The dogs that are in the ring will be lined up in catalog order along one of the four sides of the ring. Each handler's armband, weighted as necessary, will be placed behind their dog."

What does it mean when it says the handler's armband is "weighted"?

6) Are specific commands required to be used? For example, (and I'm not sure exactly which commands they actually use so bear with me), if they normally say "Release" when telling the dog to give you the dumbbell, would it be acceptable for me to say, "Leave it" instead?

7) Is a specific leash length required?

Godd questions Franque,  same thins i'd  like t know.

Jen

1) You would enter "Novice B."

2) You can.  Many handlers simply heel into position and give a stand command, but in case the dog stands awkwardly, like front feet really close together or one back foot far back, for example, you are allowed to position the dog, therefore making it easier for the dog to stand four-square and not move.

3)  The dog can go around behind you, passing you on your right, going behind your back and finishing up in heel position OR the dog can do a flip finish: go straight to your left side WITHOUT going around behind you and "flipping" itself around into proper heel position

4)  Usually it's one or the other.  Are you asking about a specific exercise?  If the Regs say command OR signal, you may only do one OR the other, not both.

5)  You take off your armband, place it on the ground behind your dog and put your lead on it so the wind doesn't blow it away (outdoor trials, but you do this no matter if the trial is inside or out).  Usually, since the armband has a rubber band around it, handlers put the lead through the circle of the armband.

6)  I just put a CD on a GSD this Spring, and I used "Fuss" and "Hier" instead of "Heel" and "Come."  No problem.  I also used to use "Fetch It" on the retrieves instead of "Take It" which a lot of people use.  Now I use "Bring."

"Leave it" seems odd to me as a release command, most people use Give, Give It, or Out, but use whatever you want.  Be aware though that you never say things so they could be mistaken as double commands.  For instance, Take It and Leave It are said quickly - you can't say Leave....It...and stretch it out or the judge may consider you to have given a double command.

7)  I'll have to look up that one.

 If you've handled a dog that has an AKC obedience title, you simply enter the Novice B classes, as opposed to Novice A.

You can let the dog stand however it wants, but if the dog stops in a manner in which he's unbalanced (one foot too close to the other, for instance) he's more likely to move his foot if he loses his balance after you give the stay command.  Therefore, it's not a bad idea to start with the dog in a posed, 4-square position.

You can only give a command, or a signal, not both.  The dog can do a "flip finish" to the left, or can come around from the right, behind the handler.  Many people train 2 separate commands so they can use either method.

You weight the armband with the leash, which is removed for the long sit and long down exercise.  This keeps the armband from being blown away theoretically.

As long as you use the same command every time, you should be ok.  Some people use the word "strut" to get the dog to heel.  I think it sounds absurd, actually, but whatever gets the job done  :^)

Most people use a 6 foot leash, but as long as you have a leash that isn't going to tighten unnecessarily (each time the leash goes tight you lose points) you could use one that is shorter.

Thanks for the quick answer's guys! I just got done reading the AKC's Obedience Regulations manual (http://www.akc.org/pdfs/rulebooks/RO2999.pdf) and I couldn't figure that stuff out (:

 Franquie, if you have never handled a dog in a trial that has earned a title (which I'm assuming is the case) you can enter your dog in Novice A.  Simply working with a titled dog in a home situation or in an obedience class doesn't count.  

Ok, the Regs say the Leash has to be of sufficient length so it easily shows slack when the dog is in proper heel position.  A 6-foot leash is pretty standard at all the competitions I've seen. 

I've never done Rally, but I've looked at the Regs and they apparently have On Leash exercises and the Rules specifically state a 6-foot long leash.

For the Novice exercises, when you leave the dog on any of the stays - for the Stand for Examination, the Recall, the Sit Stay, the Down Stay, for those exercised WHEN YOU LEAVE THE DOG ONLY you may use a hand signal AND a voice command to STAY.  The other exercises say command OR signal so make sure you only do one or the other.   So for the Recall, you go to the designated position - if your dog doesn't sit, tell it to Sit, because you're not being judged yet.  The judge will say, are you ready? and you say yes if you are.  The judge says Leave your dog, and you can both say and hand signal STAY, but when you walk across the ring and the judge signals you to call your dog and then later to finish, you may ONLY use either voice OR signal, not both.  Make sense?

Also, make sure your STAY hand signal never touches the dog. 

 And Franquie?  Getting into a class taught by someone who competes in AKC obedience, rally, etc., will give you a live person to ask questions.  That person can easily demonstrate what the rules mean, and can show you how to weight the armband properly (LOL).

Tess is right.  The rules will indicate where you can use a command "and" a signal, by stating so.  Any time you see the word, "or", you have the choice of only one.

You can go to Novice A as long as you have not titled a dog before. Rally does not count as it is Rally not AKC OB.You can use a flip finish to the left or a AKC finish coming behind you and finishing on your left. If your dog fails any excercise you are done so if your dog does not stop in front on the recall and finishes without a command make sure to command your dog to finish again or that is it you are done.  If your dog leaves the ring or hikes its leg that is a DQ.You can touch your dog to stand him up but you must leave him and stand about 3 feet away then return to heel position on judges command. Dog must not move until the judge says excercise finished. You must not use the leash to control the dog the judge wants to see a s curve. I find a shorter leash is less to trip on.You must hook to the dead ring or use a flat leather collar. They do not want to see exaggerated arm movements your arms must hang naturally. You can use whatever command you want. You leave your leash and armband behind your dog in the long sit and long down. You will start with 200 points and it will go down from there you must have 170 to qualify. You must qualify under 3 different judges to obtain your CD.