The very top level of Competition Obedience is the Championship Class. This is the class where our top dog and handler teams from all over the UK and Europe battle it out to win their 'ticket' to the Crufts 2025 Obedience Championships.
Judging this class is a responsibility I do not take lightly. Aside from being a qualified Championship judge I am also a seasoned Championship competitor which means I understand only too well the blood, sweat and tears it takes to win at this level.
It is both and honour and a privilege to be invited to judge a Championship class and to be able to give someone their passport to Crufts 2025 Obedience Championships......our sport's most prestigious event.
Yesterday I headed to Devon to judge the Dog Championship Class where we were witness to some simply fabulous displays of Competition Obedience at it's best.
Huge congratulations to my winner Julie and Obedience Champion Sarkam Doyouthinkhe Saurus AKA Yoshi! #obedience #competitionobedience #dogsports #judging #championships
Thank you so much to Paul Cook for these lovely words from our last Championship weekend. x
6 weeks off and we loved every minute of our return! Sometimes a break is just as good as a rest! We had a ball ❤️
Attitude with a capital A!!! Miss Tove .. now to work on the details ⭐️⭐️⭐️#thegsdhubwithjennygould #zakanjagsds #heelworktraining #competitionobedience #positivereinforcementdogtrainer #attitude #drive #gsd #germanshepherdsofinstagram
Miss Tove! First and foremost we need attitude with a capital A! Thereafter we can work on the details …
Building the muscles!!’ #thegsdhubclub #thegsdhubwithjennygould #zakanjagsds #sportsdog #gsdtraining #foryou #sportsdog #dogsports #dogsportslife
The Hold And Do challenge...
Film, post and send it on! The GSD Hub with Jenny Gould
#thegsdhubwithjennygould #holdanddochallenge #holdanddo #dogsports #dogsportslife #justdoit #justdoitchallenge #challenge #trainingames #dogclub #dogtraining #dogtrainerlife #dogtrainersoftiktok #DogTrainersOfInstagram #malinois #zakanjagsds #gsdoftiktok #malinoisoftiktok #malinoislife #malinoisworld #gsdoftiktok #holding #retrievetraining #retrieve #multitasking #rewardbasedtraining #SendItOn #foryou
We had a great time at dog club last night - K9 Olympics! Whatever you decide to do with your GSDs it really does not matter. It is not all about competitive dog sports. Get them out and about concentrating on and having fun with YOU whilst around other people and dogs! You need to matter to them....really matter! These sorts of fun evenings are perfect for consolidating all your training and generalising to a 'real' environment. A pub stop after was compulsory just to ensure our settle training was going well 😜 #thegsdhubwithjennygould #dogclub #dogtraining #Olympics #dogtrainer #dogtrainerslife #relationshipgoals #gsd #gsdlove #gsdofinstagram #cockerspaniel #kelpie #airdaleterrier #hungarianvizsla #springerspaniel #positivereinforcementtraining #rewardbaseddogtraining #havefun #keeptraining
Relationship, Relationship, Relationship!
Whatever you decide to do (or not do) with your GSDs your relationship with him or her is key! I choose to compete in dog sports with my GSDs. It gives me a goal and something to focus on which keeps me committed to training and gives my GSDs a fabulous mental outlet.
My favourite ever pictures or videos however are always of our special moments together as opposed to the "work" elements and today's training video is a typical example of that. It is not always about wild and enthusiastic play...sometimes it is the 'being' that makes all the difference.
What do you do together that you feel cements your relationship?
#thegsdhubwithjennygould #zakanjagsds #myboy #gsdofinstagram #gsdofinstagram #relationshipgoals #Heartfelt #emotions #germanshepherd #germanshepherdsofinstagram #heartbased #gsdlove #gsdlife #heart #dogtraining #dogsports #sportsdog #meandhim
Fiona thank you so much for this absolutely lovely write up for Tove from the weekend! These words mean such a lot. Insanely proud of my girl and super excited about our future together. I just hope I can do her justice! ❤️❤️❤️ #thegsdhubwithjennygould #zakanjagsds #teachingtove #gsd #gsdlove #sportsdog #dogsports #dogsportsforlife #germanshepherd #germanshepherdsofinstagram #workingdogsofinstagram #heelwork #heelworktraining #competitionobedience #talented #potential #shiningstar
Choosing your new GSD Puppy
GSDs have large litters and it may be that you have to make a choice from numerous puppies. You have to live with this choice for the next 10-15 years...make it a good one!
Teaching Tove Part 11
Sowing Seeds!
An exercise may not be required until advanced level of a sports competition but there is great benefit in introducing the dog to the very basics from a young age. Muscle memory most definitely has a part to play here. You can then put it to bed for a couple of years before pulling it out again and fine tuning for the finished product. Sow those seeds early with a picture in mind as to the finished product.
Here is Tove in a Distance Control training session. My criteria is for cleanness of position and speed.
#thegsdhubwithjennygould #teachingtove #zakanjagsds #sportsdog #dogsports #attitude #motivation #speed #gsdtraining #germanshepherd #germanshepherdsofinstagram #germanshepherdtraining #dogtraining #positivereinforcementdogtrainer #dogtrainerslife #dogtraineruk #distancecontrol
Matchy matchy!!! Not just a one off....its a trainer thing! When you see identical traits in several dogs owned by the same person then just know that it is a reflection of the trainer themselves and not a stroke of luck! The GSD Hub with Jenny GouldLook for repeats not one offs!!! #trainertraits #thegsdhubwithjennygould #zakanjagsds #gsdlove #notaoneoff #repeat #walkthewalk #gsd #gsdlife #germanshepherd #germanshepherdlove #germanshepherdsofinstagram #germanshepherdtraining #gsdtraining #dogtraining #obediencetraining #knowyourtrainer
Karen Harrison what have you started ?????
GSD Mother/daughter heelwork😍😍😍 #thegsdhubwithjennygould #zakanjagsds #gsd #germanshepherd #heelwork #heelworktraining #competitionobedience #competitionobediencetraining #germanshepherdlove #gsdlove
Distance Control! The only GSD in the UK competing in Championship level Competition Obedience....here is Obedience Champion Zakanja Golden Chance showing how its done! #thegsdhubwithjennygould #zakanjagsds #competitionobedience #gsd #germanshepherd #sportsdog #dogsports #germanshepherdsofinstagram #dogtraining #distancecontrol #TopWinner #competitionready #dogs #gsdlove
LOVE LOVE LOVE heelwork❤️. OBEDIENCE CHAMPION Zakanja Golden Chance and his little niece Zakanja Bees Knees joining forces to show us just how much fun it is ❤️
#thegsdhubwithjennygould #heelwork #heelworktraining #competitionobedience #gsd #obediencechampion #germanshepherdchampion #gsdlove #gsdofinstagram #breederofchampions #zakanjagsds #sportsdog #dogsports #dogtrainingofinstagram #dogtraining #germanshepherdlife
Teaching Tove Part 6
This weekend I was instructing at the IAABC (International Animal Behaviour and Training College UK). I needed to demo some of the basic foundation skills for Competition Obedience and decided I would use Tove. It is so much more realistic for the students to watch a 'raw' dog as opposed to a fully trained dog during these seminars.
Before I decided to use Tove I considered whether the environment was 'safe' and achievable for her. Firstly It was indoors. We had a room full of people but no dogs during the demo. This was a new environment for her but the setup was similar to what I had used in Teaching Tove Parts 2 and 3. So similar environment but different...great for generalising behaviour!
This little clip shows you just the beginning part of the demo. The lead had just been taken off and the skills I have discussed in my previous live videos were all evident..
Lead off ✔️
Tove remained engaged✔️
Focus on me whilst stationary ✔️
Switch between moving reinforcement and still✔️
I talked previously about the difference between the dog choosing the option of remaining with me versus my body language or the toy play 'holding' her with me. Here you can see that those 'lulls' I was incorporating into my training sessions previously are coming to the fore. Her focus is sustained whilst waiting for that moment when she will be reinforced. This was a really big test for Tove and she aced it.
Whilst teaching I was still very aware of reading Tove. Had things become too much for her and she was unable to hold her attention on me then I would have changed my handling of the situation. As it was her understanding of attention on me to earn what she wanted was shown to be strong and thorough.
TEACH THE BASICS FIRST AT HOME THEN SYSTEMATICALLY INCREASE DISTRACTIONS TO ENABLE THE DOG TO SUCCEED IN ALL ENVIRONMENTS. YOU WOULD NOT LEARN HOW TO SPEAK FRENCH BY CONVERSING WITH LOCALS IN A PARISIAN CAFE….GIVE YOUR DOG THE SAM
Fabulous first day teaching on the Competition Obedience course today! Lots of different breeds (always a bonus to see lots of GSDs😜). Thought I would share just a few bits of video... it is a fabulous sport....teamwork all the way!!! #competitionobedience #sportsdog #gsd #thegsdhubwithjennygould #australianshepherd #bordercollie #anyonecandoit #dogsports #jobtodo #dogtraining #dogtrainingisfun #dogs #dogtrainer #dogtrainerslife
We had an absolute blast at Crufts 2023 Good Citizen ring demonstrating Competition Obedience. It is so important to showcase our sport to the public in a way which shows just how achievable and just how much fun it is!
I am so incredibly proud of the team! They just rocked it from start to finish!! #Crufts2023 #obediencedemo #goodcitizendog #positivetraining #youcandoit #anybreed #AnyDog #fun #traininggoals #dogtrainingisfun #dogtraining #jennygouldsportsdogtraining #competitionobedience #sportsdog #dogsports #dogs #dogtrainingtips
