JanFeb 2018

Obedience & More
Rosalind Hall • Guntersville, Alabama
Relationships
First I want to thank Laura Gibson and the Texas Consortium
for putting on an amazing week of Aussie events. I have
been showing dogs for 40 years, and I have never attended
an event that was so well-planned and executed. As
both an exhibitor and judge, I felt welcomed and well cared for.
The facility staff were helpful and friendly. I especially want to
thank Andrea Torres and her crew who kept Obedience and Rally
running smoothly and the wonderful professional stewards. Having
Obedience and Rally in the separate new pavilion gave us plenty
of room for crating, set up, and practice and a quiet environment
with minimal distractions.
Many of the dog and handler
teams that showed to me were
outstanding, but I was especially
impressed with the relationships between some of the dogs and their
owners. Since they live in my area, I have watched Cindy Franks
and Cheyenne (OTCH4 SPCH PCH WITCH Cutt’N Loose Indian
Princess) throughout Cheyenne’s career. I have seen her perform
well, and I have seen her on her off days, but I have always noticed
the joy she and Cindy seem to have when working together. At 11
years of age with a scrape on her muzzle from being kicked by a
cow doing stock work, Cheyenne won Superdog. To do that she
had to compete in two Open classes, two Utility classes and two
Superdog classes (Open and Utility exercises mixed) and earn
more points than any other team. Even after all of that, Cindy and
Cheyenne were still having fun in the ring when she showed to me
on Friday.
The other team, or I should say teams, that impressed me with
their joy in working together were Paddy Warner and her three dogs
(yes, she showed three dogs in Open and Utility). Winnie (OTCH3
Firewatcher’s Winnie The Pooh UDX RNX) was Highest Scoring
Dog in Open and Utility Combined with 199 in Open B and 198 in
Utility B, but Paddy’s other two were not far behind. In fact, they
took three of the four placements in Open B and two placements in
Utility B. Their performances showed precision, but what I admired
most was the joyous way they worked together.
Watching these teams got me thinking about the relationships
we have with our dogs. The tasks we train our dogs to do in
obedience are not natural for them, and in the higher levels, they are
complex – as is great heeling at any level. How does one develop the
relationship with a dog that causes him to want to please so much
that he will work to this level and do it with joy? I frequently hear
people say that obedience isn’t fun or that they don’t do obedience
because their dogs don’t like it. I find that dogs usually like to do
whatever their people like to do. Could it be these people have not
found a way to develop a relationship that causes their dog to want
to tackle the difficult tasks of obedience? Or could it be that they
have not been willing to invest the time and effort into obedience
that makes their dogs comfortable with the exercises and able to
perform them under stressful conditions?
I think a key to a good relationship with our dogs is good
communication, just as it is in any relationship. Our dogs need to
understand exactly what we want from them. If they give us what
we want, most of us reward with food, toys, or praise, but do we
really show them how much
we appreciate their effort?
How about a game of tug or a
good back scratch? Recently
I was training with a friend whose dog was having a difficult time
with an exercise. She kept breaking it down and helping him until
he finally got it right. She responded with a “good dog” and a treat,
then moved on to the next exercise. I was hoping for a party to let
him know how much she appreciated all of his effort.
I believe part of good communication with our dogs is making
sure there are no shades of gray. Everything should be black or
white. Connie Cleveland says there are two kinds of errors, effort
errors (the dog tries and makes a mistake) and lack of effort errors
(the dog knows what we want but chooses not to do it). Both require
good communication. For an effort error, break the exercise down
into smaller pieces and help the dog get it right. Then celebrate
to let him know how happy you are with his behavior. For a
lack of effort error, we must let the dog know that his behavior
is not acceptable. This requires a correction. A correction is not
necessarily harsh. When Pip makes an error, all I need to do is walk
to him, take him by the collar and lead him to where the mistake
was made and repeat the exercise. He gets the message loudly and
clearly. Connie Cleveland also says that a correction must offend
the dog to be effective, and this type of correction certainly would
not offend Langston. With him I have to be a bit more severe to
get his attention. However, I learned many years ago that however
severe the correction is, the praise that follows must be equal or
greater. If you never win the game why would you keep playing?
When we compete in obedience, we ask our dogs to perform
complex behaviors in unfamiliar locations and among many
distractions. We expect them to trust us that all will be well and
we will be happy if they do as we ask. This kind of trust requires
good communication and a special relationship. I am working on
building that kind of relationship with both of my boys.
. . . key . . . is good communication . . .
AUSSIE TIMES January-February 2018 83