Obedience training yesterday and today
Obedience training for dogs originated in England and was officially recognized as a dog sport there in the 1950s. Obedience will probably seem familiar to you at first. The English name “Obedience” means nothing other than “obedience” and describes those training tasks that occur in Germany, for example in the obedience part of protection dog training. You will know some of the tasks from your dog's dog school and basic training. Obedience also involves the commands “Heel!”, “Down!”, “Sit!” or “Stay!” But with obedience this is by no means everything and is anything but easy.
In obedience training, the dog first of all learns to walk perfectly at heel, so that it literally clings to the handler's leg and at the same time looks up at him attentively. But what is different about obedience dog training than the obedience training from grandfather's time?
Obedience is trained exclusively through positive reinforcement, reward and attention. Dominance and suppression of the dog through punishment and coercion are by no means part of obedience training and should not be used in any dog school. The dog's undesirable behavior is ignored, while the desired behavior is reinforced through reward and advocacy. Obedience training is often combined with clicker training. Each correct reaction of the dog is marked with a single click and then rewarded.
Accuracy in the performance of tasks, attentiveness and motivation of the dog as well as perfect interaction between dog and handler - these are the objectives of obedience training and the evaluation criteria in the tournament.
The exercises and tasks of obedience training do not require athletic or skilled dogs, as is the case with agility, for example. However, the range of tasks that the dog gradually learns during training is large and includes a variety of obedience exercises. How does the dog sit down after the command and what is his relationship with the handler? How attentively does the four-legged friend maintain eye contact and how fluidly and smoothly does he follow the handler's movements? The ability of both parties to work as a team plays a key role in the obedience training goal. Only a particularly well-coordinated team that works together visually as if from a single source can achieve the goals of obedience dog training.
The requirements for obedience
Whether young, old or handicapped - every dog can in principle train obedience and even take part in tournaments, because the dogs are evaluated according to groups (young, old, with a handicap) and classified into classes (beginner, obedience 1, 2 or 3). However, your dog must meet two requirements: It must be at least 15 months old and absolutely well socialized. Aggressiveness towards other dogs or people will not be tolerated and will result in exclusion from training or disqualification from the course.
Since obedience dog sport requires a lot of discipline and precise tasks from you and your dog, it is advisable, at least in the beginning
to attend expertly led obedience training groups. This way you avoid making mistakes during your training that are very difficult to correct later. To avoid frustration, it should be clear that there are races that are very independent characters. The more independent the dog is, the more pointless absolute obedience seems to him. Good examples of this are the Rhodesian Ridgeback and herding dogs in general.
Obedience exercises during obedience training
- walk on foot
- Sitting down/putting down while moving
- Change position between sitting, standing and lying down
- Following commands at a distance and while running
- sit down independently in a box, a marked field, at a distance
- Retrieving with and without hurdles
- Identification of an object that belongs to the handler
- Character stability towards strangers and dogs
Here are a few links for further information
