# Beginning Obedience



## pudellvr (Dec 1, 2016)

When starting w a new puppy, how long w consistent training would you say it took to get your SPoo ready for their first events?


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## Verve (Oct 31, 2016)

Hmmm. It kind of depends on the age of the dog, his/her temperament, the title, and what scores you are shooting for. I didn't do a lot with Phoebe until December of 2013, when I lost Dexter suddenly. We started working a little every day because it made us feel better, and she made great progress. She finished her CD that spring. But she was 2 years old, and mentally pretty mature. 

I also haven't done much beyond the basics with Parker apart from starting to take him to Novice classes last winter. He got two Rally Novice legs last spring, then finished this fall after taking all summer and fall off (Phoebe had puppies last summer and I stopped going to classes). Parker turned two this fall and is still a wild child. But I'm hoping to have him ready for Novice Obedience this spring. 

I just aim for qualifying scores in Novice. I find the Novice kind of boring--Open is much more fun--so I aim to get through so we can get to the fun class. (We can and do train Open stuff at home, but like many clubs, my club doesn't allow a dog in the Open class until he has at least one Novice leg.)


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Lily was about to turn three when she really "got it." At about 2 1/2 she Qd in novice with a crappy score, but then just before she turned 3 she turned it on and got a 195.5 for her 2nd novice leg and a 194 for her title (which was at a poodle specialty and also good enough for a high in trial). We started rally around the same time and all of her rally novice scores were in the high 90s.

Javelin got his rally novice title at PCA last spring just before he turned one. He had a couple of scores in the mid to upper 80s, but also had a by the skin of his teeth Q in there too. I would not normally have shown him for anything at that time since he really still has to collect his head, but I wanted to try for a title for him in something at Poodle nationals in 2016 since I won't be going to that show again until I retire if it stays at Purina farms. I may do beginner novice with him this year, but since I am trying to make him into a really awesome heeler he will wait for novice until he has good open and utility skills already in place.

I will add that knowing the dog is ready isn't just about the dog knowing the exercises. You have to make sure you have done the work to get the dog to be savvy and confident in a trial environment. Go to matches and treat them as you would a trial as much as you can. Use your crate, develop a get ready to work routine. Make sure your dog understands that entering the ring is about putting on their best working attitude and that they understand to stay very connected with you. Practice that stuff along with practicing your heeling and recalls, etc. At the trial I went to over the weekend there was a GSD in a crate near us who was so anxious that she chewed through the hard plastic and hurt her mouth. Her owner had come along with a friend who was entered in rally novice. The GSD wasn't entered but they are training for rally. Her owner was very surprised at how anxious her dog was. I talked to her about training for the outside the ring time before she actually enters. She noted that her dog never had any of the issues she was showing on Saturday in their training. I asked where they did their training and she said in quiet places and usually one on one. My suggestion to her was to practice in loud and busy places.

At my club you can train in any level class no matter what titles or legs you have as long as you and the dog you are working are not disruptive to the flow of the class because of the level you are working at. I often put Javelin in for open sits and downs even though I don't go out of sight but instead want him to have the exposure to group stays and the time intervals for open. I'll also put Lily in for novice stays if I need an extra dog to make a good size group.

I am glad you are thinking about performance. It is fun and the community of people is really nice.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Oh and one thing I would add is that you can start doing things with Percy right when you get him home that will start his training in a performance oriented way. Everything that I have shown in Javelin's Road to Ring Ready can be done with a puppy. You might want to check out these videos too.

Top Dog Obedience School


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## pudellvr (Dec 1, 2016)

Great. I have been reading Javvy's thread.


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## LittleAussiePoodle (Jun 2, 2016)

Depends what you want to do, and the personality of the dog, coupled with how well you train and how often you actively work to prepare them for the ring. Hendrix is 14 months old now and I estimate his first heelwork to music, obedience, or canine freestyle competition will be at around 18 - 20 months of age. 
He's got the basics down, but working in the ring needs work. Hendrix picks things up quickly, has good focus, and has superb impulse control. For a dog who had poor focus and had no work done on impulse control, it may be 2-3 years before their first showing. Take into account all the extra behaviours necessary to train for rally and canine freestyle, and it may be longer before the dog is actually any good. 
The first few shows are more about getting the dog some exposure and progressing than actually winning and doing well. It's all a big training exercise.


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## CharismaticMillie (Jun 16, 2010)

pudellvr said:


> When starting w a new puppy, how long w consistent training would you say it took to get your SPoo ready for their first events?


Well, what type of events?


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## pudellvr (Dec 1, 2016)

Obedience trials first I am thinking. It is something we can work towards while we are waiting for growth plates to mature.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

And if I read between the lines that you want to do agility later on, having good obedience skills will be excellent as foundations for things like start line stays and two on two off contacts. Personally I like obedience better.


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## pudellvr (Dec 1, 2016)

Actually our final destination is SAR. 
My thinking is obedience to establish basic skills and prepare for Therapy Certification 
Then possibly Rally as I am not athletic enough for agility 
Nose work to begin SAR training. 

Our long term goals are Therapy ( I am a retired nurse) and SAR w my son w his Civil Air Patrol squadron.


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## snow0160 (Sep 20, 2016)

Training your dog when they are young is incredibly important in establishing a good foundation for life. Training goes far beyond CGC levels for a well-behaved dog. I also believe there is a lot of maintenance so they don't forget. It is like people and math. If you don't do it for a living, it can get rusty. 

I've noticed something while I was on a hike with Lucky, who is 9 months and change. He seemed to have discovered his prey drive out of nowhere. I say this because he never used to chase squirrels. He also does not mess with the cats at home or the stray cats outside. Thankfully he is way more obedient toward the end of a long walk and he understood leave it. Otherwise, he is very strong and can pull me down. I am still working on training with different kinds of distractions and it is an ongoing process.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

What about tracking rather than nose work as a foundation for SAR? I think you will enjoy rally since it is a really fun way to get great team building.


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## pudellvr (Dec 1, 2016)

I am open to suggestions. There is a school of thought that indicates that tracking is not a good entry to SAR due to its highly structured rules and SAR is nothing about structure. I will worry more about it when I get closer to it. 
Snow, good point about developmental stages and changes in behavior. Something to remember.


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