To Earn a CD or U-CD

[George Bailey]

The following are the required exercises for the AKC CD, or Companion Dog title, or first level:

Heel on Lead (with figure eight), 40 points
Stand for Examination, 30 points
Heel Free, 40 points
Recall, 30 points
Group Sit Stay (one minute), 30 points
and Down Stay (three minutes), 30 points

and the UKC U-CD, United Kennel Club Companion Dog title:

Heel on Lead (and figure eight), 35 points
Stand for Examination, 30 points
Heel Free, 35 points,
Recall over Jump, 35 points
Honor Down Stay (while another team performs the heel on lead exercise), 35 points
Group Sit Stay (one minute), 30 points

Detailed rules can be found at:
http://www.ukcdogs.com/WebSite.nsf/RulesIndex?OpenView&group=DE#Obedience
and
https://www.akc.org/events/obedience/

Everyone starts out with 200 points and deductions are made for errors deviating from the rules and the judges interpretation of perfect. You may pass with a score of 170 provided you have earned 50% of the points alloted each exercise. In both registries, you must qualify three times under two different judges.

From the AKC website:
What is AKC Obedience?

* Demonstrating the usefulness of a dog as a companion to humankind, AKC Obedience is a sport with rules, regulations, judges, conditioning, training, placements and prizes.

* Dog and handler teams are judged on how closely they match the judge's mental picture of a theoretically perfect performance as they execute a series of specified exercises.

* Accuracy and precision are essential, but the natural movement of the handler and the willingness and enjoyment of the dog are very important.

* Helen Whitehouse Walker devised the first obedience "test" in Mt. Kisco, New York in 1933 to show the intelligence of her poodles.

* The first AKC licensed obedience trial was held in 1936 with approximately 200 entries in 18 trials.

* Each level of obedience competition - novice, open, and utility - requires mastering a specific skill set, which increase in difficulty, before advancing to the next level.

[George Bailey]

To earn a CD or U-CD on our breed is no small accomplishment. Once you have earned one, you will have total control over your dog, having proven that your dog can stay in a group of up to twelve dogs, being tested both on and off lead in heeling, as well as a stand for examination, and recall.

You can be as competitive as you like or you can simply go to earn the title. It is tangible proof your dog is a responsible, well behaved pet.

Over the years, I've had some great scores, some low scores, some go down in flames scores, some wins and some losses. In the end, you mostly remember the training times and the special relationship you built with the dog.

Can all of our dogs get a CD? I've had a few who couldn't for various reasons, but most of them not only can, they enjoy it, and certainly all benefit. As stated in my previous post, my husband took a dog in at 16 weeks of training, the fastest I've ever gotten one into the ring was six months, and she got one very good score and two just passing. Nowadays, I really take my time getting them into the ring, the novice skills are perhaps the most exacting of all the classes, the upper classes offer more appetitive exercises for both dog and handler. My current dog will be finishing her Novice title and Rally Novice title at age four, and I haven't put my youngest dog in the ring yet, she's not quite two. Both can do most of the open exercises and some utility.

The problems I've had with the dogs are:
attention (keenly alert to their surroundings)
going into overdrive
stays, it's hard for them and they need black and white information

My favorite exercises are:
heeling, which can express rhythmic movement and partnership between dog and handler
and the advanced exercises, which include retrieves, jumps, and distance work

There are only about fifteen Amstaffs who earn CDs each year. I don't know the statistics on UKC, but I doubt it is more. The numbers go down in the upper classes.

Pros and cons to AKC shows:
availability
acceptance and support by a large group of dog fanciers
larger numbers of both exhibitors and judges
the quality of stay groups has gone down in recent years, IMO

Pros and cons to UKC shows:
lack of availabiltiy
slightly more challenging exercises
safer stay groups
less formal, more user friendly
smaller numbers of both exhibitors and judges

[APBTMOMMY]

Great post Julie........

[George Bailey]

Yesterday, my puppy, who isn't a puppy any more (she just turned four) except in my mind, earned her CD and her RN, so thought I would share a bit about our journey.

I really took my time with her, as the last two dogs I trained, for various reasons, only got rally titles. While she lives with her mama, and generally totally ignores other dogs, she's the kind of dog who could quickly go into action if another dog got in her face. She was a singleton pup, from a planned and final breeding for her mother.

I started showing her very selectively at one year, she got all her legs a long time apart, including the one bust in obedience when she broke a sit stay in gale force winds in a freezing cold cowbarn earlier this year, then gritted her teeth and completed the down stay because I told her she had to.

I only entered her in one day of a cluster show and counted on my training and her being a good partner that she would pass and earn her titles, no insurance show if she failed.

If you show under certain superintendents, you sometimes carry the same number into the ring. For the first two legs of her title, we were next to a well known obedience exhibitor and judge with a small breed dog. This person also is a PhD, and she is actually a nice person, but probably said to me a dozen times, "I've never seen such a skinny dog". There really is no answer to that, so I would just smile and walk away. At one show, as we were in line outside the ring waiting to go in for the stay groups, she said, to the dog, who was staring off in another direction, "I hope you won't eat my dog". She didn't. At the last show she was entered in, she was next to a lady with a rare breed dog from way out of state, who was obviously very worried, she set her dog up noticeably far away. These were really the only negative reactions we had, in general, most people were supportive and complimentary, she has lots of cuteness factor going for her.

The group stays in AKC are difficult for many dogs and I was really proud of my dog at her last show; on the sit, she looked very serious and like she was concentrating very hard, and on the down, she made an effort to be easy and kept her chin on the floor for the most part. I always tell my dog exactly what we are doing on the stays, and I count in practice and mentally in the ring. There was a large dog in her final group down who was excused because it wouldn't go down in position, which made the whole exercise longer. I don't release my dogs until we are out of the ring, and I teach them to stay in the down until their leash is attached.

Our goals in the future are to calm her down on the working exercises, polish up her open work and out of sight stay, and spend more time teaching utility exercises. Though she's certainly not without problems, she's one of my all time favorite partners and it's a pleasure to be at the other end of her leash.

Julie K

[buzhunter]

Congrats on all of your accomplishments. Sounds like you sure do get back what you put into it.

[George Bailey]

Thanks, buzhunter! It is the most pleasurable work and the rewards are huge for me and the dog. I do believe they feel a sense of accomplishment, too. Relating to something you wrote recently about how you keep your dogs, a great deal of success depends on how you orchestrate your dog's life.

[George Bailey]

Rounder's So White CD RN
http://i104.photobucket.com/albums/m165/jmkinsey/SoWhite.jpg

[Leon]

Nice work julie. You have motivated me to get off my butt and get to work on Czars obedience. Since his ear surgery i haven't gone to obedience for a few weeks just training him at home. I will try to set up something this week. Once again congrats!

[smith family kennels]

congrats julie......

[apbtproud]

That is awesome and congrats.
My pup will start his obedience classes for the end of this month. I can't wait to get him out there.

[George Bailey]

Thanks, y'all!
apbtproud, I look forward to reading about your training,

George

[DeidreM]

Thanks, y'all!
apbtproud, I look forward to reading about your training,

George
Oh boy how over confident I am sometimes, ridiculous. I've got to get this girl out to different locations and get some very astute sighted feedback on my own body position, not just my dog's! I've got to keep very present with each and every step I take when doing the exercises - probably
should do some breathing and meditation before class!
I often launch myself into an exercise half consciously in a way because I almost try not to think about the fact that I am blind and can't see! I am not aware of feeling tense but I am not fully present - don't have a good enough feel for what is going on in terms of where people are moving around me and where those blighted posts are. I try to feel what my dog is doing and just keep moving. Something is missing in that picture. Also if my energy is low, or I don't give clear signals, likewise my dog is less motivated to put real energy into the exercises.
So we did all the Novice exercises again in class tonight. My sighted assistant tells me that sometimes when people see me coming they dart around or grimmace thinking there might be a collision. I'm also told that when I return to my dog from half way across a room or from a far wall, when I reach her and go around, everyone is watching and smiling amazed that I can find her at all - it doesn't even occur to me anyone else is present, all that is on my mind is finding my dog. When necessary, my sighted assistant gives me a few low tone verbal cues to get me walking more straight or around a curve or obstacle. He says that my dog, Lou, adapts to my veering by watching my feet. He also says that I and one other woman, an accomplished teacher/trainer/ regular OB competetor have the best posture in the room, sometimes I beat her out and sometimes she tops me - just posture we aer talking about here, sheis very advanced!
After 2 "recalls" in which Lou methodically took one step after another in a straight line to get to me, I worked on getting "attention" and used some chicken to boost motivation. Voila, the third come to front was very fast and enthusiastic which elicited a gasp of delight from the people present. I also raised my own voice and gave the call much more enthusiastically that time around. When it came time to "finish" she was all over the place. That's odd cause "at home" she always comes right back to heel when asked. The teacher laughed saying she sure had heard that a million times before. I think I didn't use my hand target correctly. If I had simply held my two fingers at my left seam she likely would have lined up nicely with that. Probably I used the right hand to start her moving to my right and behind but moved the hand too soon or didn't know when she was close to help bridge her to go around in back if necessary. Hand signals and other body cues are critical to say the least.

[George Bailey]

Deidre, I'm so proud of your good posture! Many people go through a period of time when first training dogs for obedience where they start walking like John Wayne, grins, so glad you skipped that stage! The people who make it look like a walk in the park have no doubt practised very diligently to give that appearance!

George Bailey

[DeidreM]

All day different people have been telling me that when they do yoga or freestyle or comp ob, they count their steps, watch themselves in a mirror and use all kinds of systamatic ways to walk a straight line, get graceful. I thought it was only me that had a problem! I give the appearance of graceful right off the bat but it sure feels like I'm trying to walk on water much of the time.

[CASH]

I started working with Cash today. I started with his heel. We really need work on getting him correct, he tends to lean or sit at an angle, frustraiting. We also worked on the long sit and long down. Down went fine. Sit he broke several times but I did end up getting him to sit for the full minute. All in all I worked about 20 mintutes with him and gave him a short little track to do becouse he really enjoys tracking. After I just played ball with him a bit.
Any helpfull advice, smart ass remarks would be appreciated

[George Bailey]

Hi Cash,

I'm thrilled you are working on this! Don't try to do it all overnight; build your stays in small increments and get solid on each before advancing and adding the usual distance, duration, and distractions. If you've read about SATS, the cycles of bridging are extremely helpful tools for building, and I've found conditioned relaxation invaluable for stays.

As far as heeling goes, it's basically moving attention. The biggest mistake most folks make is moving without dog attention. Dogs go into drive when they are moving forward, so a lot of my beginning training is (dog) moving backward, with the dog either in heel or front position, until they can move while making eye contact. This does not go along with the description of (breed temperament) 'keenly aware of their surroundings', so it's done, literally, one step at a time. Always reinforce attention, whether you asked for it or not-- don't go two steps until you can do one.

Watch the videos of the different dogs heeling, and pay attention to what the handler is doing; there is footwork and rhythm to learn to make it all look coordinated. On all turns, you must learn to keep your feet under you while continuing to move at the same pace and rhythm. I teach the sits and turns in place, separately, before ever incorporating them into the heeling. Keep everything in your body pointing forward and learn to match strides with your dog in an easy trot; there are pace changes to learn, fast and slow, along with transitions into them to smooth out. Think about being (and staying) on a track; you both have to learn to negotiate both the straightaways and the turns.

Don't neglect teaching the stand; I find the stand for examination to be one of the most challenging exercises to teach a drivey dog. Teaching body part targeting is the next best thing to sliced bread here as it gives the dog something to focus on besides an over the top greeting.

There is a slow transition to off lead, I generally have my dogs learn to heel with a trailing lead until I am positive they are trustworthy and understand what I am asking them to do. I haven't used luring in several dogs, I've found I have better results using targets and systematic incremental cycles; I don't practice off lead unless heeling on lead is as close to perfect as we can be. This requires you have a mental picture of what perfect is, so look at various videos and study the rules, try to go to a few shows to watch or even volunteer to steward for obedience.

I find Novice exercises to be the most difficult to teach and perfect, so I work on the advanced exercises with all dogs whether they ever get there or not; keeps the work more fun and varied for the dog, and if you do go there, you will have a good foundation instead of waiting until you are finished with novice to teach them. They include running, jumping, retrieving, scent work, and working independently from the handler, and dogs find this very rewarding.

George Bailey

[CASH]

For the Heal I put Cash inbetween me and a wall and right now we are just working on getting him correct then we go one step. He already figured out that I will correct him into the right position then he gets rewarded so we are working on come to position and then one step. I am also taching him to come the heel in military fashion.
He Knows his sit command he just doesnt know what is expectid of him in tems of the hold. I have worked with him on holding before but not for a full minute.
Its not a bad starting point he just needs to learn what he needs to do becouse it is now different that before.

[George Bailey]

From the AKC rule book, the Novice Stand for Examination exercise:

Section 7. Stand for Examination. The principle feature of this exercise is that the dog stand in position before and during the examination without displaying resentment. Orders are: "Stand your dog and leave when you are ready." "Back to your dog," and "Exercise finished."
On the judge's order, the handler will remove the leash and give it to a steward, who will place it on the judge's table or other designated place. The handler will take their dog to the place indicated by the judge and, on the judge's order, will stand/pose the dog by the method of the handler's choice, taking any reasonable time if they choose to pose the dog as in the show ring. The handler will then stand with the dog in the heel position, give the command and/or signal to stay, walk straight forward about 6 feet, and then turn and face the dog.
The judge will approach the dog from the front. Using the fingers and palm of one hand, the judge will touch the dog's head, body, and hindquarters. On the order, "Back to your dog," the handler will walk around behind the dog and return to the heel position. The dog must remain standing until the judge has said "Exercise finished."

Section 8. Stand for Examination, Scoring. The scoring of this exercise will not start until the handler has given the command and/or signal to stay, except for such things as rough treatment by the handler or active resistance by the dog to its handler's attempts to have it stand. Either of these will be penalized substantiallly.
A dog must receive a non-qualifying (NQ) score if it sits or lies down, moves away from the place where it was left either before or during the examination, or growls, snaps or displays resentment.
Minor or substantial deductions, even to the point of a non-qualifying (NQ) score, will be made for shyness. Minor or substantial deductions will be made for a dog that moves its feet at any time or sits or moves away after the examination has been completed.

There are four stands in AKC, if you want to include the conformation stack, the novice stand, the moving stand, and the signal stand. UKC varies in that there is no moving stand in the utility class. Many dogs and their handlers have problems with the the stand because they have created a default sit. Body part targeting may be used to help the dog into position, even in the ring, and later morphing it into a signal.

I've found cycles and extension targets to be invaluable in teaching the stand to my dogs, some had to learn duration on each body part, from their head to their toes. In fact, I now use extension targets on any dog which shows any sort of reactivity, long before they are asked to allow an unfamiliar person to perform a stand for examination. George even learned to target and balance a rubber ducky and subsequently just about anything on his muzzle and the top of his head to help him contain his wiggling and licking.

George Bailey

[CASH]

An update.
Heel is alot better. He is coming in correct but I have switched him to come into the heel around the back insted of military. I am still working on him staying in position while moving, he has a tendancy to lag.
Long sit and long down are good. He hold the long sit for 2 minutes and the long down, well forever. We have a bet on if he will fall asleep on the long down.
We are working on his stand command. The whole thing is coming together.
I will post some video soon.

[George Bailey]

You go, Cash! Long term project, but isn't it great when it all starts coming together?
Thanks for the update,

George Bailey