Obedience

Table of Contents

• Exercises
• Go & See
• Homework
• Links

4-H Exercises & Classes

First, a few definitions:

Heel Position: Heel position is where the dog is at your left, so that he is facing the exact same direction as you, with your leg being approximately in line with the space between his shoulder and his nose.

Front: The dog is sitting in front of you, straight (facing directly opposite of what you're facing), close enough that you can reach him but not touching you.

And now, on to the exercises:

Heel On Leash & Figure 8: Your dog should be at heel throughout the entire exercise. You are only permitted to tell him to "heel" when you start walking foreward, not at turns or speed changes. You will be asked to "halt," "about turn," "left turn," "right turn," "fast," "normal," and "slow." The leash must be loose throughout the exercise.

Stand for Examination: Your dog must stand perfectly still as the judge goes over him. The dog can only move their feet minorly, and not move or sit.

Grooming: A judgement of how well cared for your dog is. Basic grooming is all that is necessary.

Recall: Your dog is left in a sit-stay, and may not move until you call him. He must come to the front position, then, when you are told, he is to move to the heel position.

Long Sit & Long Down: Your dog must sit, with you at the end of the leash, for 1 minute, and down for 3 minutes.

At the novice level (Nala & Harley), the dog does "Heel Free" rather than the Grooming exercise, and all exercises except Heel on Leash are done off-lead.

Events

All upcoming AKC events in Michigan are located here, at Infodog. Here's a short list of what's coming up, when, and where:

Homework: 10/24-11/1

Sub-Novice Trainers

Supplies: Leash, collar, treats, clicker.
Directions: Twice daily, for 5 minutes. Begin with dog sitting at heel. Take one step foreward, and stop. If dog remained in heel position, click & treat. If not, try again. Dog needs to get up *immediately* as soon as you step foreward. Dog receives click/treat ONLY if it remained in heel for the full step AND sat straight when you stopped.
Remember: Use LEFT foot for first step. Dog must remain in heel position and sit straight.

Supplies: Leash, collar.
Directions: Twice daily, for two minutes then five minutes. Begin with dog sitting at heel. Tell dog "STAY" with hand signal, and step two steps out from dog. Dog must remain in position for two minutes. If dog gets up, immediately say "No" firmly and put dog back into position. Do NOT return to the heel position--put dog back in sit from the FRONT of the dog. After two minutes, walk around the dog to return to heel. The dog MUST stay sitting the full two minutes, otherwise you must begin the time over. Following the full two minute sit, do the same with a five minute "down."

Homework: 11/07-11/21

Please e-mail me a progress report for this exercise on the 1st (or shortly after). Thanks :)

Sub-Novice Trainers

See directions/requirements for last homework. However, add *two* steps to the heeling exercise from the 7th to 14th, and three steps from the 14th to the 21st. Continue with the sit/stay and down/stay exercise.

Novice Trainers

Please follow the directions for sub-novice trainers, excepting that your stays are to be done off-lead at 20 steps from the dog. If the dog breaks, return to two steps out.

Links

(c) 2003 Emily Carroll & W&W 4-H Club.