People often ask how to get into Obedience Competitions.

Competitive Obedience has been a major sport in the dog world since the early fifties. There was a boom time during the sixties and the shows got very large. But during the last few years venues have been hard to find and help to run the shows has been a major problem. Many more dog training clubs have come into existence with dedicated trainers who are now able to take specialist courses in Instructing. People are far more aware of the need to train their dog and socialise new puppies at a young age. However, fewer new people are coming into the sport to compete at the Shows. I hope this little e-book will help to explain the way things work and encourage these people to have a go.

Having fun with your dog is what obedience is all about. This book is not about how to train your dog in Obedience exercises. I leave that to the many trainers around and the numerous books written on this subject. This one is written for those who might like to try competing with their dog. I have explained the different types of Shows and how you go about entering them and what to do when you get there. Some aspects of the sport can be a little confusing to new comers, so I have clarify these areas. The aim is to take away the mystique and encourage you to make new friends and join other people who love and work their dogs.

If you have seen the highly trained Border Collies or Working Sheep Dogs, German Shepherd Dogs and sometimes other breeds, working in the Big Ring at Crufts, you may think these are the only breeds capable of working. This is just not true. Nearly everyone began training with their pet dog by joining their local Dog Club. From there the Obedience bug bit, and some people have fallen for Collies, believing them to be much easier to train. This is not necessarily the case. You need considerable experience to train a Collie successfully. For every collie that reaches the dizzy heights of the Crufts Obedience Ring, thousands will be working all the other classes with no hope of ever reaching the top.

Not all Collies make good pets either, unless they have some training. They are a working breed that is generally very active and boredom in the home can cause all sorts of problems not just for you as the owner of this breed, but for the poor dog as well. The Border Collie Rescue Centres are full to the brim with unwanted Collies with all kinds of problems that were bought as pets. Stick to the breed you know and enjoy the sport of Obedience.

Remember the National Canine Defence League slogan:

‘A Dog is for Life.... Not just for Christmas.’

You are welcome to print these pages for your own use.