yogibear

Looking at this test id say connor would pass it pretty much now easily without even trianing for it yet i would not consider him ready to trial in obedience

cgc test requirements

Test 1: Accepting a friendly stranger

This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to approach it and speak to the handler in a natural, everyday situation. The evaluator walks up to the dog and handler and greets the handler in a friendly manner, ignoring the dog. The evaluator and handler shake hands and exchange pleasantries. The dog must show no sign of resentment or shyness, and must not break position or try to go to the evaluator.

Test 2: Sitting politely for petting

This test demonstrates that the dog will allow a friendly stranger to touch it while it is out with its handler. With the dog sitting at the handler's side, to begin the exercise, the evaluator pets the dog on the head and body. The handler may talk to his or her dog throughout the exercise. The dog may stand in place as it is petted. The dog must not show shyness or resentment.

Test 3: Appearance and grooming

This practical test demonstrates that the dog will welcome being groomed and examined and will permit someone, such as a veterinarian, groomer or friend of the owner, to do so. It also demonstrates the owner's care, concern and sense of responsibility. The evaluator inspects the dog to determine if it is clean and groomed. The dog must appear to be in healthy condition (i.e., proper weight, clean, healthy and alert). The handler should supply the comb or brush commonly used on the dog. The evaluator then softly combs or brushes the dog, and in a natural manner, lightly examines the ears and gently picks up each front foot. It is not necessary for the dog to hold a specific position during the examination, and the handler may talk to the dog, praise it and give encouragement throughout.

Test 4: Out for a walk (walking on a loose lead)

This test demonstrates that the handler is in control of the dog. The dog may be on either side of the handler. The dog's position should leave no doubt that the dog is attentive to the handler and is responding to the handler's movements and changes of direction. The dog need not be perfectly aligned with the handler and need not sit when the handler stops. The evaluator may use a pre-plotted course or may direct the handler/dog team by issuing instructions or commands. In either case, there should be a right turn, left turn, and an about turn with at least one stop in between and another at the end. The handler may talk to the dog along the way, praise the dog, or give commands in a normal tone of voice. The handler may sit the dog at the halts if desired.

Test 5: Walking through a crowd

This test demonstrates that the dog can move about politely in pedestrian traffic and is under control in public places. The dog and handler walk around and pass close to several people (at least three). The dog may show some interest in the strangers but should continue to walk with the handler, without evidence of over-exuberance, shyness or resentment. The handler may talk to the dog and encourage or praise the dog throughout the test. The dog should not jump on people in the crowd or strain on the leash.

Test 6: Sit and down on command and Staying in place

This test demonstrates that the dog has training, will respond to the handler's commands to sit and down and will remain in the place commanded by the handler (sit or down position, whichever the handler prefers). The dog must do sit AND down on command, then the owner chooses the position for leaving the dog in the stay. Prior to this test, the dog's leash is replaced with a line 20 feet long. The handler may take a reasonable amount of time and use more than one command to get the dog to sit and then down. The evaluator must determine if the dog has responded to the handler's commands. The handler may not force the dog into position but may touch the dog to offer gentle guidance. When instructed by the evaluator, the handler tells the dog to stay and walks forward the length of the line, turns and returns to the dog at a natural pace. The dog must remain in the place in which it was left (it may change position) until the evaluator instructs the handler to release the dog. The dog may be released from the front or the side.

Test 7: Coming when called

This test demonstrates that the dog will come when called by the handler. The handler will walk 10 feet from the dog, turn to face the dog, and call the dog. The handler may use encouragement to get the dog to come. Handlers may choose to tell dogs to "stay" or "wait" or they may simply walk away, giving no instructions to the dog.

Test 8: Reaction to another dog

This test demonstrates that the dog can behave politely around other dogs. Two handlers and their dogs approach each other from a distance of about 20 feet, stop, shake hands and exchange pleasantries, and continue on for about 10 feet. The dogs should show no more than casual interest in each other. Neither dog should go to the other dog or its handler.

Test 9: Reaction to distraction

This test demonstrates that the dog is confident at all times when faced with common distracting situations. The evaluator will select and present two distractions. Examples of distractions include dropping a chair, rolling a crate dolly past the dog, having a jogger run in front of the dog, or dropping a crutch or cane. The dog may express natural interest and curiosity and/or may appear slightly startled but should not panic, try to run away, show aggressiveness, or bark. The handler may talk to the dog and encourage or praise it throughout the exercise.

Test 10: Supervised separation

This test demonstrates that a dog can be left with a trusted person, if necessary, and will maintain training and good manners. Evaluators are encouraged to say something like, "Would you like me to watch your dog?" and then take hold of the dog's leash. The owner will go out of sight for three minutes. The dog does not have to stay in position but should not continually bark, whine, or pace unnecessarily, or show anything stronger than mild agitation or nervousness. Evaluators may talk to the dog but should not engage in excessive talking, petting, or management attempts (e.g, "there, there, it's alright").

Equipment

All tests must be performed on leash. Dogs should wear well-fitting buckle or slip collars made of leather, fabric, or chain. Special training collars such as pinch collars, head halters, etc. are not permitted in the CGC test. We recognize that special training collars may be very useful tools for beginning dog trainers, however, we feel that dogs are ready to take the CGC test at the point at which they are transitioned to regular collars.

The evaluator supplies a 20-foot lead for the test. The owner/handler should bring the dog's brush or comb to the test.

Encouragement

Owners/handlers may use praise and encouragement throughout the test. The owner may pet the dog between exercises. Food and treats are not permitted during testing, nor is the use of toys, squeaky toys, etc. to get the dog to do something. We recognize that food and toys may provide valuable reinforcement or encouragement during the training process but these items should not be used during the test.

Failures - Dismissals

Any dog that eliminates during testing must be marked failed. The only exception to this rule is that elimination is allowable in test Item 10, but only when test Item 10 is held outdoors.

Any dog that growls, snaps, bites, attacks, or attempts to attack a person or another dog is not a good citizen and must be dismissed from the test.

well said poodle fan thats exactly how i would describe obedience competition Its the same with agility the work that the top handlers put into their dogs is amazing and inspiring and certainly well beyound the basics taught in pet classes

hey nat dont let crooked sits stop you trialling it will nly cost you a few points i'll have a look at what your doing saturday if you like

yb

YEs helen

Obedience can be so much fun if you have the right attitude we have a ball when we train

Just wantd to clarify a couple of things one all well trained dogs should be able to gain a cd when we are talking about trial work and beingdiffficult i mean to gain high scores consistently and gain high in trials OC etc

A dog that isnt capable of cd is ususally a dog with issues that would affect them even in passing a pet certificate such as the cgc.

Also i think its insulting to say that trial work is just a pattern and is easy it takes a lot away from those who work damn hard week in week out nd are struggiling to get that elusive pass its insulting Its like saying anyone can win a a ballroom dancing competition even if they just took a terms worth of lessons

I'll ;et the peple who worked really hard all year to gain entry into top dog that it wasnt really a big deal anyone can do it and actually their dogs probabaly arent tha well trained and that they arent ideal dog owners because their focus is on competition lol

i cant see why competing cant be enhancing ones relationship why can a trial dog be a family memeber first my dogs go everywhere with us whther it be shopping camping tc and they are always on their best behaviour.

I love it when people say training a trial dog would be so easy but its not for me well if all this pet obedience results in a trial dog then you should be able to just enter a trial and show how easy it is lol.

I will continue to train my dogs with trialling in mind and i will continue to love my dogs for who they are it doesnt matter if they become obedience champion but its nice to have a goal in mind.

i think the thing to remeber here is there is a difference between a club and a school why should clubs change if those that give up their time to run them are happy with what they are doing because you or i said so isnt good enough reason they may not be running to the highest level their techniques may be somewhat backward but its those volunteers that make the club happen so if they are happy with how things are running then so be it its up to members to get involved and make change

The they should join a club thats set up to give them those results there are plenty of fantastic schools that will teach a person to do those things to whatever level they want a club does its best with the knowledge they have and if a person is happy with the structure or results then they should

a get involved and start making the changes or

b go to a club that is designed to take them where they want to go or

c read books watch videos and do it on their own

Ok if you go to ballroom dancing classes would you learn tap or pole dancing if a clubs focus is on trial work then thast what you would expect to learn

If trial work is so easy then why do only 1 percent of dogs achive that level and then only a few make a passing grade at trials I agree that having that level of control away from a pattern is ultimate and i know my dogs can work under very high distraction maintaining a high level

So again i say if thats the type of training a person wants then why would they go to a trial basd club and not one that caters to their needs its like me joining a pet club and complaining they dont have a trial ring set up

thanks sidoney its an old argument that keeps coming up

Im a triller love it love the challenge the training has created such a strong bond between me and my dog something that is we only aimed for pet control we probabaly wouldnt have as hes pretty well a great dog around the house anyway so wouldnt have ben getting all this one on one that trial work creates.

connor loves trial work he loves to hear those words shall we do some work whay accept average when you can have fabulous lol

Well i guess if you want a club that atres for pet dog obedience then you join a club that does so i wish we had clubs that were more foccussed on trial work and not trying to be in the middle after all clubs are clubs not schools so why cant we focus on competition

competition obedience its self demonstarts a persns ability to train a dog to a certain lever with a criteria that can be judged to give you an idea of how well you are doing its challenging and technical and makes me a trainr have to work harder with my dog than if i was just looking to walk up the road with out being pulled

connor was about the same height at five months 11inches so he may shoot up a bit yet

yb

Dont worry sheltis rule connor just had a growth spurt at twelve months he is now a tiny 13 and half inches but its half an inch more than he was

as for maturity i thin somewhere between 18 months and three is when they bcome adults

well i have been assured by a specialist that they dont grow bak as the follicle is destroyed so maybe since you had yours done they have found better techniques different to freezing etc which arent as successful

only ten percent of dogs that have these new technichues ned further surgery and that is only if they had rubbed the lash out before surgery it it hadnt grown through at the time as they can only see those with lashes in them

so the surgery is the best way to go saves a lot of mucking around and risk to the dog a hair cannot grow where there is no follicle for it to grow in simple as that

You guys are unreal suggesting plucking them out if the dog wiggles or she misses some as they are smaller the poor animal can end up with more eye damage that it did in the start pay the 900 get it fixed by a specialist and as for breeders this is something that is being seen more and more its expensive to fix and breeders should addressing it in their breeding stock rathe than making out it isnt an issue

If you sell a pup as a pet and the owner doesnt realise this is an issue a dog could be suffereing for a lng time damaging the eye before it eventually gets seen to

Ive just had the surgery done it was quick no disconfort no scarring and now i can relax and no once done the lashes wont come back as the follicle is destroyed

It makes me mad that things liek this are just brushed off by breeders how many pluck extra lashes and continue to show and breed from the affected dog even though this is an genetic problem

chicken and roast beef any lftover bbq hamburgers etc he gets gssy on sauage or those processed rolls of meat and hotdogs

hehe like trying to train a young male with a bitch in season their brains go all mushy lol

you can also use a verbal marker a word paired with the giving of food then you dont have to worry about misplacig it

sorry was tired last night ok i start with puppies using an old draw upsiide down and lure them onto it maybe just front feet first click and treat as they put their feet on build still the whole body and they are sitting then i step back a little point use whatever wors you are going to use and click for putting feet on then all abody then sit

that usually takes one of two sessions then you build some distance if they dont go straight away just wait it out they want the treat so will figure it our pretty quickly once they are going and sitting on the box from all angles from five feet away i then change over to the ud square but i raiise it so the step over the front then go back to right in front and click for feet in then whole body then sit and again build distance from all angles adding distarction at around five feet lots of rpoofing ten add more distance t

all up if your do three sessions a day and you have a foody may take three days to a week to have a dog that goes to the ud square from five feet with distraction

yb

the other way is to teach a target to a cone or somethig then add distance till you have around five feet then add a sit after the touch and then put the target in the box but with this the dogs focus is on the target so can take longer to transfer the idea to sitting in the box whereas the oter way the dog learns to sit neatly on somthing which isnt far different from in somthing the concepts are the same

no dogs distinguish their clicker very quickly we've never had a problem

id back chain it starting with teaching it on a box then go to a ud square heaps easier

yb

Brilliant news well done guys

yb

Connor will carry the flame onward and continue the tradition of dumbies proudly he may be a little dog but he has a big heart and loves the big collies i think he looks at them and thinks "one day i will get that big coooll!!!"

i'd probably want to kick more than a few asses i mean arses lol.

i wouldnt steal someone elses catch phrase i like bellies that should raise an eyebrow or two though these trial epople are all soo bloody serious these days do you think they still know how to laught lol

Hate to disappoint but after a reminder the other day of why i quit trialling dogs in the first place the interclub can go on without me im hiding in my hole for the rest of this year lol

yb

ohh inspector i like that dumbies can i steal it connor has hi bell bell but thats s two words so wont get away with it i dont think though after last night i think ive had enough trial peronality politics to keep me away for a while