RetrieverTraining.Net - the RTF banner

Question for Obedience Trainers (GDG I guess)

2K views 9 replies 8 participants last post by  Deb Z 
#1 ·
My daughter really wants to do SOMETHING with my dog, as in collect ribbons and earn "titles" he doesn't already have.

From what I can tell the easiest thing would be the CGC and then Rally Novice A.

Is there a message board for obedience training/competition where I can go to ask stupid questions?
 
#2 ·
Join an obedience club. The closest one to you is probably the Atlanta Obedience Club. Most of them offer classes (typically pretty inexpensive for members) that are geared towards competition so she can learn how to handle the dog in the obedience ring.

Rally Novice is really pretty straightforward and super fun for the dog. I think they would have a blast doing Rally... my dogs have always liked it MUCH better than regular obedience.
 
#7 ·
Most of the clubs I could find on the internet that appear active in obedience are too long of a drive for me. I'm 30 minutes south of the bottom of the perimeter, so stuff truly in Atlanta or on the north side of Atlanta, like so many are, are just out of the question for anything on a regular basis.

Thanks, I just signed up and I'm waiting on them to activate me.

How old is your daughter? You might also consider agility, kids and dogs love it. UKC agility is very kid-friendly place to start, and they really encourage junior handlers
Daughter is 9, dog is 8. Daughter would love to do Agility, but I was thinking that the lower level Rally and low level Obedience would be easy for the dog because he already has most of the skills...so it would mostly be a question of building teamwork between them and handling skills for my daughter. It seems that Agility would require a lot more learning for everyone. Also my dog has had some carpal issues lately, so I don't think I want him doing a bunch of jumping.

Atlanta Obedience Club classes are in Norcross. I know a great instructor in Newnan, Patty King- http://www.uluckydogunewnan.com/Default.aspx

She coached me through a Rally Novice, Advanced & Excellent titles, a CD title in Obedience and Novice Standard & Jumpers titles in Agility with my young Chesapeake.
I talked to Patty via e-mail in the past...she had some interest in running her Goldens in hunt tests so I was giving her some info on that and I was asking her about CGC (for my daughter to do) but we never got together. I did send her another e-mail today.
 
#4 ·
Good Idea to join a club that is competition oriented, and go watch a trial
 
#5 ·
How old is your daughter? You might also consider agility, kids and dogs love it. UKC agility is very kid-friendly place to start, and they really encourage junior handlers
 
#8 ·
Is there a 4H club near you? They frequently have obedience and/or rally classes geared just toward children. Also UKC obedience is pretty similar to AKC, they are more child friendly, and they give WAY nicer ribbons !
Also there are quite a few people on here who have done competitive rally/obedience. I'd be glad to try to answer any questions you might have and I'm sure others would as well.
 
#9 ·
Rally is a great place to start. I don't like it because the courses are so herky-jerky, but a lot of people like it a lot more than OB. It's less exacting and you can fail a couple of stations and still get a Q. OB can be very discouraging for adults, much less children. (I say that as someone whose favorite performance event is OB.)

Best bet is to go to a trial with your daughter and watch Rally and OB. You can find trials using the AKC event search feature on their web site. (Kind of clunky, but it'll get you there.) Look for the people who have dogs working the way you like: upbeat, attentive, etc. Ask those people who they trained with or whether they give lessons. Keeping in mind that the best dog trainers aren't necessarily the best people instructors. Find a trainer that's actually put Rally and OB titles on a dog. There is a big difference between obedience classes and instructors that teach manners (most pet OB classes) and classes aimed at showing in trials, which is more like doggie dressage or a dance routine.

Also, lots of YouTube videos of Rally and OB, but very few that are useful for teaching.
 
#10 ·
One of the newer AKC non regular classes is the Beginner Novice Class. This is a really, really nice class, and as an assistant obedience instructor at a local school, we are strongly encouraging newer/young to participate in this class to gain experience and confidence.

This class is a combination of Rally and Obedience, and a better transition into traditional obedience than Rally alone.

The heeling pattern is done on lead, but you follow the rally signs. Sit for exam only, short recall, and the dog does a sit stay while the handler walks around the inside of the ring. There are certain areas where you can give your dog a word of encouragement, although you cannot talk to them as much as rally.

Go to the AKC website and check it out!

Good Luck!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top