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Obedience With Your Rottweiler |
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CH Nikki UD - Winning back to back MRC High in Trial wins 1999 |
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Obedience Training: What's it all about? Is it worth the time and
effort to take a dog to obedience class? Consider these facts. The
average female Rottweiler weighs 80-90 pounds and the males are
100-120 pounds. Dogs walk on 4 legs which gives them extra
leverage. Obedience training gives a bit of leverage back to the
owner!
This explains why so many Rottweiler breeders encourage their puppy
owners to enroll in Puppy Kindergarten classes, and continue on with
Canine Good Citizen and Obedience training.
Walking a well socialized and trained
Rottweiler around the neighborhood is a pleasant experience for dog and
owner. It has the added benefit of letting the neighbors see the dog as a
well-mannered member of the family. So, Obedience training is a win-win
for everyone.
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Resources
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Besides being useful for every day living with dogs, Obedience is a
competitive sport. The AKC sport of dog Obedience began in the United
States in the 1930's when Helene Whitehouse Walker and Blanche Saunders
developed a program and began teaching classes. They convinced the AKC to
administer their program as a new activity for dog owners.
Prior to the 1930's dog training was predominately for
working breeds. German Shepherds and Doberman Pinchers were the most
common breeds that were trained. The AKC Obedience exercises were
initially fashioned after European working dog trials. The early high jump
in AKC Obedience was approximately a meter tall and could be jumped or
scaled. In the early days, double commands were points off, not an
automatic NQ. Sits and downs could earn a passing score if the dog stayed
75% of the time.
One of the first AKC obedience trials was held by the North West Chester
Kennel Club at their show in 1934. Dogs entered in Obedience were also
required to show in Conformation. The Obedience classes included Novice
and Open, which were very similar to those classes today. Utility was
added in 1936. The Obedience Advisory Committee of 1949 proposed changes
to Utility that made it closer to what it is today with some major changes
in the 1960's.
The best way to learn more about obedience is to go to an obedience trial
and watch the dogs and handlers in action. |
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Obedience Levels |
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At each level, dog and handler
teams are judged on how closely they match the judge's mental
picture of a theoretically perfect performance as they execute a
series of specified exercises, with the ideal performance offering
200 points in total.
A qualifying score in any class is 170 with the additional
requirement that 50% of the points for every exercise must be
earned. Each level is further divided into "A" and "B" classes.
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Pictured - Stormy VCD2, TDX, OAP, AJP - 2001 MRC
High in Trial
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A rulebook can be ordered directly from the AKC which outlines class
eligibility, as well as requirements for each exercise |
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Novice Obedience:
The Novice exercises include both on and off lead heeling, stand for
exam, recall, and sit & down stays. This is a very practical list of
exercises to teach any dog, especially a big dog. Heeling teaches the
dog control and makes for a nice walk in the park or neighborhood. The
stand for exam teaches the dog to accept another person touching them,
such as a groomer or veterinarian. The recall is a life saving exercise
for dogs. The ability to recall a dog headed for a busy road is
invaluable. The stay exercises might not be practical in every
situation, but sure can be useful at times. Qualifying in this class
under three different judges earns the AKC Companion Dog (CD)
designation.
Open Obedience:
The skills for Open add two retrieves. The first is without a jump,
commonly referred to as "on flat", and the second is over a jump. Other
exercises include the drop on recall and the broad jump. The stay
exercises in the Open class are longer duration and out of sight.
Qualifying in this class under three different judges earns the AKC
Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) designation.
Utility Obedience:
Utility exercises have changed the most over the years. Originally
Utility required the dog to pass a tracking test to qualify for the
title. This became difficult due to land requirements and was replaced
by the "seek back" exercise. Few dogs ever actually tracked the
handler's path back to the glove and the seek back exercise was dropped
by AKC in 1966. It was replaced with the directed retrieve. Another
early Utility exercise that was eventually dropped was "speaking on
command". Utility exercises now include: Signals, Scent Discrimination
(leather & metal), Directed Retrieve (glove), Moving Stand and
Examination, and Directed Jumping. The training required for Utility is
more in depth. Only 9% of Rottweilers that earn a CD go on to earn a UD.
But, Utility training is rewarding and fun. It requires a systematic
approach, but it's great to watch a Rottweiler use their intelligence to
work out the exercises. Qualifying in this class under three different
judges earns the AKC Utility Dog (UD) designation.
Utility Dog Excellent Title (UDX)
Upon completion of the UD title, dogs may earn the Utility Dog Excellent
(UDX) by receiving 10 passing scores in both Open B and Utility B at the
same show
Obedience Trial Champion (OTCH)
To obtain an OTCH title, a dog and handler team must receive 100 points
by placing first through fourth in the Open B or Utility B class with
competition, including a first place win from each of these two classes,
plus a third first place win from either class. |
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There are few endeavors that bring
a dog owner more joy than working with their Rottweiler to teach
them new things! So, go ahead... give Obedience a try!
Submitted by: Lynette Nehmer
AKC Obedience Stats:
Of 3840 obedience titles earned by Rottweilers during the
years 1996-2006...
2752 were Companion Dog (CD) titles
758 were Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) titles
247 were Utility Dog (UD) titles
67 were UDX titles (including UDX2-UDX6)
16 of those were OTCH titles |
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