Our Adventures into Obedience Training Part 1

Well, last night was my first night in my very first obedience class. No dog last night. As I sat there with this large group of people and listened to their stories, I realized I was a little ahead of the game with my little guy. He has some basic obedience training that I did when he was a pup, so he's not starting fresh like many of the puppies/dogs will be in our class.

I was the only one there with the goal of competing in obedience. I was hoping to meet up with someone else with the same goals, but didn't happen last night. Maybe in the future. I really like the trainer and she's been training for 33 years, so I'm sure she will be able to hook me up with some local competitors to befriend. I'd love to have a mentor in the show ring.

The trainer covered all types of leashes and collars, all of which I was familiar with and already have my favorites. She was very good to always indicate that there are things that I will be doing a little different than everyone else as she touched on various subjects.

I'm pretty well "book-trained" in obedience training and competition, however, I need some practical experience. I also want Gryffyn to get experienced around other dogs.

Gryffyn is a smart dog. He sits and does down, however he won't maintain the positions long and that will be my biggest challenge. I do not have a clue how to get a dog to maintain the position, so I'm looking forward to some assistance in that area.

I'm really looking forward to the first time we get to compete. I know it's a long way off, but I'm still excited about it. I've wanted to compete with dogs for many years, but the circumstances, timing and dogs have never been right. I think I finally have all three lined up and I'm going to go for it!

I will post as often as I can about our adventures into Obedience Training and then, should we get there, competition.

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Comment by Kathy Leach on April 1, 2009 at 3:25pm: Thanks for the advice Sam! I appreciate it...Gryffyn will be two this spring, so he's not young young, but he's smart, that's for sure! I've been waffling on the release word. The trainer uses the word OK, but in a high silly voice. She demonstrated with her dog using the word in a normal tone and the dog didn't even pay attention, but as soon as she used her high silly voice, the dog released. However, I'm not a high silly voice kinda person! LOL!! OK, truth be told, yes I do talk to my dogs that way, but NEVER in pubic! LOL! :) "Free" may be a good option for me.

Thanks again for the tips and the well wishes! :)

Comment by Sam on April 1, 2009 at 2:35pm: My hat is off to you. I am so glad that you started early and really wish to train your dog. Some folks just have a good innate ability to train. Sounds like you may be one of them. From a long time corgi owner one bit of advice that will be priceless to you. Dont over train. Make your sessions frequent and short. Corgis are too darn smart to continue repetitions and will blow you off in a heart beat. Include your training in your everyday life. Try a sit/stay or down/stay at meal times, times of play, when going for your walks etc. Your dog will learn quickly.
Stay is a difficult one. The big ticket is to start using a release word. "Free" is a very good one. I sadly chose "ok" which comes up in generaly conversations so frequently. Has kicked me in the butt many times. Commands need a beginning and an end. Once Gryffyn learns this you will find your stays will work much better. Remember only short times at first, frequent reminders. The better he gets the more you can ask for. Baby steps and patience are the ticket. Best to you!