COMPETITIVE OBEDIENCE TRAINING (Part 7) by Sandy Wadhams
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obedienceuk
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02 Aug 2026 15:40
Well here we are in the middle of the season and what a scorcher! I've opted out this weekend - it's far too hot for man and beast!
Tickets have been won by the dedicated and lucky, and lost by the unlucky. Sometimes it seems as if the elusive Ticket will never come your way, when for others it appears effortless and everything falls into place. The ease with which some top handlers collect Tickets - whereas others really struggle. The thrill of competing though!
At the beginning of July off we went to Nottingham Championship Show with out trailer tent. It poured all night long, but was dry on the day. So off we raced to Ruislip Championship Show for the next day. They were all there when we arrived, tents, caravans etc. Had a super evening with Sue Tewkesbury, drinking and reminiscing of the old days at Cheltenham Club. Isn't it odd, one knows when the day is going to be great! Ricky worked early in Ticket and held onto a place - so I was well pleased. What a disaster for Pat Evans in the Bitch class though. Both her Ticket bitches lying first and second and BOTH failed scent.
BUT what happens at Newark and Nottingham the following weekend? Pat wins OPEN and THEN the next day at Winchester wins her first ever Ticket with Montey Magie. What a moment eh! Marvellous, and the days afterwards, ... and didn't the Bristol crowd give Pat a super party on Thursday. Still on cloud nine eh Pat!- great!
So YOU still struggling Ticket holders out there, KEEP GOING, success is just around the corner. You know what it's like. One minute you're down and the next, well you're a WINNER, and it's absolutely GREAT.
Better return to dog training eh! One of the most important exercises is the Novice recall. This month I shall explain this exercise in greater detail as a following on from last month's article. A puppy will readily come if you use an exciting voice. Perry was a super dog, fast yet accurate. I usually do really short recalls to start, running backwards and calling the dog after A FEW paces. As soon as the dog reaches me I throw his toy behind me and make him race on for it. The next time I increase the distance away from the dog, just a little. I continue to do this, each time, gradually increasing the distance between the dog and myself, before I call in. At no time do I make the dog present, this will only inhibit and slow him down. What I'm after is speed and enthusiasm at this stage. Teaching recall in this manner, encourages the dog to come to you in a fast and happy manner. It also teaches speed from the moment the dog moves.
Once I have the speed on the recall THEN I teach the accuracy. Dog on lead in the heel posi-tion. Loose head. A few steps of heelwork then the handler goes into reverse, then zip on the lead, dogs name and come call aids handler moving backwards, taking the slack out of the lead and guiding dog into the present stopping when the dog is straight.
Don't forget to keep your hands centre and STAND STRAIGHT and DON'T bend over your dog or sway your body about when you stop.
The next stage is simply to (on the lead) tell the dog to wait, go to the end of the lead and turn and face. Call the dog, with the aids (remaining still) and you should have an accurate recall. If you follow ALL these stages then the dog should remain fast and accurate. Later, angled presents may be taught.
Going back to being a WINNER - one of my pupils, Jane Pheby; has had a season of disappointments in B. Whereas all her class mates, were winning B's and C's.
Jane finally climbed the mountain and won her first B at Andover, judged by Wally Baker. It's the custom at our local club, Stonehouse, to celebrate members wins with chocolate cake and wine. (what a mixture)! Everyone gives out congratulation cards and equal importance is given to Beginner wins as to C wins.
Well, Brian, my husband wrote on Jane's card - "Look at Ronald Reagan:- he was in B movies for years! AND he made it to the top!"
Well, that's it for this month folks, next stop is Potters Bar Championship Show. I do hear that Derek Martin, my Ticket judge, is in hospital. Now come on Derek, any excuse not to judge us dog lot! Oh well - hope Derek is well on the road to recovery and anyway there is a good bar there!
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Part 8
So we have taught our young dog the basics now we must get down to the nitty gritty - Precision Heelwork. Well this cannot
come without good DEPORTMENT. Good footwork, smooth flowing paces, will enhance any dogs heelwork. To me heelwork is a balancing act between flamboyance and accuracy, rather akin to dressage - always aiming for perfection. To achieve this one must take time and care to build up a relationship where the dog will give willingly, his undivided attention to the handler and enjoy doing so. How many times do I see handlers telling a young dog off, grabbing, coming forward, etc. Eventually of course all of these faults must be cured for absolute perfection, but in the early days, lots of enthusiasm is essential. It will produce the above problems - but without that enthusiasm, you will not later achieve style without precision. So please, please don't nag and inhibit a young dog in heelwork for bouncing, jumping, etc. Eventually, of course, the dog will work in the correct position, ie, head with handlers knee - NOT wrapped round it, and the dogs body in a straight line.
In my first article, I explained how to achieve the attention from the dog in heelwork and to keep encouraging the dog to come to your left leg. To proceed from this we then gradually build up a left hand circle, stopping after a couple of steps to play with the dog and guiding him gently into the heel position. As soon as we have a complete left circle, then we change to a right circle. From here we have a large figure of eight, then a straight line and then the turns. BUT, before the turns, we must learn our footwork. This is normally where it falls apart, why? - primarily because the handler hasn't the undivided attention and trust from the dog on simple circles. You cannot start teaching your dog turns etc, without this attention and confidence from the dog. Usually the handler is worrying about the dog being with them, unsure of their footwork and the two together spell disaster. That is why many handlers don't get on with the footwork, and giveup.
I have found the most successful footwork for me, was that taught by Charlie. Firstly, teach yourself footwork, WITHOUT your dog. When you can automatically use the footwork then start teaching the dog. So, having taught out dog to stay in close to your left leg (ie, circles and straight lines), now start teaching the turns on the spot. The first turn to teach is the right turn, then about, then left and left about. Now we have to really synchronize our aids. BEFORE you start the turn, name of dog, hand, foot and command given simultaneously and then the PRAISE. Once the turns are confidently executed on the spot, then they may be incorporated into the heelwork ie, on the move, using the same aids. Doesn't that sound simple! I can assure you it certainly is not! It can take months and months and the handler must remember to work the dog for short sharp ses-sions, keep playing, div-ing, and keep the dog happy.
Whenever I take a young dog into the ring, for the first time - I don't bother with deportment. My aim is to keep my dog bouncy, happy and attentive and to hell with the precision. Who cares if the dog sits crooked - not me - probably because I haven't even taught him to sit at heel at this stage. I generally like to whizz round the novice ring in the early stages speed and keeness. That's what I want. When the dog and I are confident TOGETHER in the ring - then I slow down and start gradually incorporating the precision in turns. But if I am working a Ticket dog, then that is very smooth and controlled. I spend hours with my Ticket dog on heelwork alone. Let's say one likes watching the ice skating dance pairs - say Torvill and Dean - don't they just make it look so easy and effortless? But the public haven't seen the hours of training and discipline that went into producing that.
People used to laugh at one in my early days with Perry - they said I looked like Charlie Chaplin when I was working Perry. Well, they were right. But it excited my dog and did he love it! Later, this was toned down. In fact becomes opposite to control the dog.
If you take the trouble to learn the deportment, it is another form of communication with the dog. What happens though is the handler, outside the ring, communicates with his dog in English (ie, smooth footwork) - but once in the ring, he communicates to his dog in double dutch (ie forgets deportment) and the work falls apart. Some handlers can only concentrate on one thing at a time ie, just the footwork. They forget the dog completely - no commands, no praise, no lead aid, etc. Wonderful footwork, but NO TEAMWORK, all these aids must be together. So in the early days, don't go into the ring expecting to win. Remember, one step at a time and eventually the jigsaw for both dog and handler will neatly fit into place.