Often while speaking to clients about obedience I hear statements like "I don't need a hunting dog" or "I don't need my dog to sit on a whistle at 300 yards.
Every hunting dog, service dog, police k9, blood tracking dog, or pet we train all go thru the same initial obedience! If you can't get your dog to sit or come to you on a 6ft lead how would you ever expect them to sit at a distance, during distractions, or in strange environments?
The video below is of a K9 that we initially trained in obedience last July. The dog has worked the street and like all good K9's love someone in a bite suit! I have not handled or did an obedience routine with this dog since last August. You can see him dragging the same 6ft lead that he and dozens of other dogs have been trained with. I can't think of many situations that would be more tempting for a dog to be disobeint. I am usually the "bad guy" and the dogs handler is in control. This dog would MUCH RATHER make me his squeaker toy and chew me up but instead he is performing numerous obedience commands, then being allowed to do what he prefers (biting) me only to again go back to being under control.
Whether the obedience command is sit, here, bark, bite, release, roll over, lay down, fetch, etc. it all takes teaching the dog the desired command, repeating the command until it is automatic, then proofing thru distractions all in a controlled environment on that "boring 6ft lead" that every dog starts on.
Hard to believe it's been almost 10 years! #differentkindofretriever
First series West Allis
Edge
Master Test dog
The judges asked Avery Sunday morning if she was running test dog. In typical Avery fashion she goes to the trailer and grabs her dog. This was the first walk up and triple she has ran.
Thank you to the West Allis Judges Carol Reed and Carol Greenwald for giving her this opportunity!
West Allis Master test
Cleo running a big land triple at this weekends master test.
Bear
This time last year Bear was a wild boy, noisy, independent, and not fond of sitting still at the line. He has made huge improvements and sure is fun to watch!