What Is Obedience?
What is Obedience?
In recent years we've gotten an influx of "My dog has great obedience, he just won't [recall, stay, sit, down, heel]."
Then he doesn't have great obedience.
Numerous organizations including AKC, UKC, ASCA, IGP, PSA, and others have attempted to define "obedience." None of them would accept the above as an "obedient dog."
At the Underdog we have several measures for obedience but we also accept the measures put in place by all major institutions.
What is Good Obedience?
At The Underdog we consider a dog to have good obedience when
It can do the following commands:
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Stay
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Come
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Sit
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Down
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Heel
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Leave it
Under the following circumstances:
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On leash or long line
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On a non-electronic collar (flat, martingale, slip, or pinch)
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In a public environment with normal day-to-day distractions
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Without corrections and
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Without high rewards (no food or toys)
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A minimum of 3 consecutive times in 3 different locations
This is about the equivalent of a UKC Pre-Novice or an AKC Beginner Novice Title.
This is a realistic goal for all dogs.
What is Great Obedience?
At The Underdog we consider a dog to have great obedience when
It can do the following commands:
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Stay
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Come
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Sit
-
Down
-
Heel
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Leave it
(Same as Basic Obedience)
Under the following circumstances:
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Completely off-leash
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On a non-electronic collar (flat, martingale, slip, or pinch)
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In a public environment with normal day-to-day distractions
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Without corrections and
-
Without high rewards (no food or toys)
-
A minimum of 3 consecutive times in 3 different locations
This is about the equivalent of a UKC Novice, AKC Companion Dog, or IGP BH-VT Title.
This is a realistic goal for most dogs, but REQUIRES constant work from the dog AND you.
Expert Obedience
Expert obedience is to be done all off-leash.
Commands are the same as good and great obedience with the inclusion of additional complicated tasks. Depending on the test this may include retrieving, jumping, scent detection, tracking, commands in motion, out of sight commands, any combination of the above, or a multitude of any other commands.
Examples of such titles include UKC United Utility Dog, AKC Utility Dog, or IGP OB3 Title.
This is not a realistic goal for most dogs. Folks who want this can expect many hours of work weekly for the lifespan of the dog.
