JulesP Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Have you ever decided to stop training your dog for obedience? What were the reasons that made you stop? I'm talking obedience for competitions, not just pet obedience, and the dog doesn't need training for manners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowanbree Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 She didn't enjoy it anymore and as a result was not as competitive as she used to be so was retired. I had other dogs to train and saw little sense in putting all that time and effort into something she hated. It was a tough decision though as she was working Test C and I had dreams of an obedience Champion. Gave up obedience totally soon after this and have been breed showing every since Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogdude Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 (edited) I think that not all dogs make fantastic competition dogs. I once owned a Bull Terrier that just did not have it in him no matter what method I tried. He just ended up going back to doing what he done best (entertainer and lounge lizard) I was a reasonably experienced trainer at the time, and had already trained a trial winning BT. Disapointing, but no use flogging a dead horse and upsetting both of you. There does need to be a certain spark present to be a great comp dog. Half is genetic and the other half is trained.The more of the genetic stuff, the better for comp. Edited February 11, 2008 by dogdude Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I don't do as much training with Diesel anymore. I have a hard time motivating him, and he was getting bored. I wasn't sure I could get him to the point that he would do the exercises with little feedback as needed for competition, I still have to gee him up a lot to get him working well. Having said that, since I don't do it every day anymore, he is more animated when we do train Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PAX Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 My Dobe (she is actually my daughters dog) got her CD title in three trials but IMO is not good enough for Open work. I have tried to improve her but she frustrates me as she trys to always out guess me. She can do eveything to an OK standard and with a kind judge would most likely scrape through but her work is not the standard that I'm happy with. I toss up weekly whether to keep going with her or not, I mostly muck about with her as it would break her heart if I left her at home. She also has a JD ET almost a SPD and AD, i probably will just keep doing agility with her as she loves it and puts up with my bad agility handling and saves my but lots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I keep threatening but the Ness decided to pull her act together and work her little white socks off and now well that idea has gone on hold . Besides Ptolomy keeps threatening me with a whip when I consider retiring her cos she can work absolutely brilliantly when she wants and proved that to me in her first UD trial . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddii Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I've sacked my girl from obedience. She just hates it. We haven't trialled in obedience and she is about 20 months old so may be a little different from your question, but she just gets no joy from it at all. She will actually whinge when we are having a break, not the I want to work whinge, the I hate this S*&* whinge. I know I should be able to cope/manage this, but when she is so good at agility don't see much point in pushing her to do something that we don't enjoy. I don't really enjoy it that much either, but my boy LOVES it so we are going to get back into training when we get back from Canberra (flyball) and get him trialling before too long. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MonElite Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I stopped training Rex for the trials when his breeder threatened me with court over the contract I had with her. The contract stated that she had the rights to exhibit the dog. I always thought that it was showing the dog in conformation but according to the DOGS NSW rules that covers showing, trialing, parading etc. Rex was at the time ready for Novice trials. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ptolomy Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Hmm not stopped but gone from UD back to open and now pick and choose my competitions for her. Why.....when she used to come training all the time and compete often - some days she would get out of the car at a trial and the lights would be on and nobody was home, other days she would be switched on and half way through a round look at me and the switch would go off. This dog was three 185+ passes off her OC and has a 199 under her belt. The dog also has aggression issues so I am very picky as to when I bring her out for trials and also who she is next to in stays - if I have concerns I pull her out no matter what score she is sitting on. Thankfully in WA they are now introducing separate stays for dogs not on a pass. Back in open she is happy, not stressed and as I said only comes out for special occasions. Training is less often and when she does come training she gives 110%. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whatevah Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Josh my flatcoated retriever because he wasn't enjoying he kept lagging, if he is not enjoying himself then neither am I. So I do flyball, gundog retreiving, lure coursing instead. Moses loves obedience and loves heeling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FHRP Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I stopped obedience with my Whippet. I could never teach him to stand (yet he's a show champion that never sat in the show ring) and he frustrates the hell out of me in training. I brought him back when the CCD title came in toying with entering that once we got the stand, but neither of us were enjoying the training. We live much more peacefully if we don't train I have trained my older Vizsla for UD and trialed him a little in it. I am thinking of stopping completely with him though as he just isn't a consistent dog and more often than not does not seem to enjoy himself anymore. He got his CD title in 4 trials but took aver two years to get his CDX with something different nearly every time. However, he seemed to have a good time in the ring, not anymore. When he's on he is fantastic, but that is becoming less and less often and I can't work out why he is on at times and not at others. I enjoy training with him, but not trialing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mystiqview Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Yes. My old dobermann.. He hated it.. He did it because he had to.. but never enjoyed it. I got him through CD, he was not a natural retriever anyway.. so.. well.. He did pet obedience as a pup, protection trained as a young adult, but pretty much left after that.. I started at an obedience club.. they found out I had pedigree dog so pulled him out of "retirement" to train up and compete.. But his early training I think brought the attitude of not liking it.. (He was trained using the old one, two three yank method)... This was standard training method about about 15 years or so ago.. So when I brought him out as a 6 year old.. I can understand his perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Have you ever decided to stop training your dog for obedience? What were the reasons that made you stop? I'm talking obedience for competitions, not just pet obedience, and the dog doesn't need training for manners Obedience trialling bored me, after I became focused on retriever training. Except for our first lab who achieved CDX my labs have loved obedience work. In hindsight I would have washed our initial lab, who was primarily purchased as a duck dog. She was so quiet, low drive, lovely pet and great hunter. Excellent water cheater LOL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Spotted Devil Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 For me it was a bit different...once my dearly departed ACD got her CDX she sacked me as her obedience trainer and focussed my attention on agility instead Dear old girl taught me so much Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lablover Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Dear old girl taught me so much They do.......don't they? Experience is the best teacher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J... Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Kind of, haven't completely sacked her yet. And its the handler who needs sacking rather than the poor dog. I did obedience with Darcy until she was old enough to trial in agility, since then obedience has been put on the backburner. Still did some classes til mid-year but I see no point in putting her through an hour long class. With the hot weather over summer I reverted to doing some obedience work with some pretty nice results, but my nerves are shocking in obedience. I was hoping they'd settle a little with half a years agility trial experience but found that even on a practise run through they are just as bad and my mind goes to mush, my dog picks up on it and that lovely work that I get in the park at home goes to sh*t and she switches off. So even though she can do a lot of the Open work already, I figure that there is no real point when we both enjoy agility so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sayreovi Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 (edited) For us its not the dog that needs work its the owner! I have an awesome little worker but i stuff it up by getting extremely nervous with him in the ring! So we took a leave of absence for awhile to focus on other things, but i am hoping the break did us all good and i will be able to start over Feralpup, that is how i feel exactly about obedience with my older boy. He can do Open work any where but I change in the ring and he picks up on it and plays up. So we went to the sport he knows and does well in....flyball Edited February 11, 2008 by tollersowned Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted February 13, 2008 Author Share Posted February 13, 2008 Thanks everyone. It is a bit hard to explain but I don't get the same feeling working with my 2yo male border that I do from the girls. He is good and would pass CD but any further will be an issue as he doesn't retrieve. He is quite good at agility but I don't think he will have the speed to be competitive or possibly to even pass! What he likes doing is being cuddled and just hanging out. He never looks like 'yeah we are training'. I loved working my older girl as her eyes just glow. Even now at 12yo and rather unsound she will rush out and do lovely work if I ask (including a lovely retrieve, lol). Then I got a puppy to show and did a bit of obedience and it was like OMG. There is this tiny dot of a puppy heeling along staring up at me! She loves it! As I am a bit time poor I am considering not continuing to train the boy but feel bad as he is good, just something is missing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealityBites Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 I didn't so much 'sack' my male dobe, as decided to leave him alone for awhile! LOL I started in on him the second he came through the door at 8 weeks, he was doing 5 min drop stays by 16 weeks! We also did 12 months of schutzhund, but he just doesn't have the drive for that, and he just seemed to get bored with everything. So he is having some 'dog time' now, He's been taught a few tricks which he does quite happily, but apart from that he is not doing anything else. He's nearly two, so I am going to start with him again in another few months and see if some time off to mature has helped. Am experimenting with my new girl, she is nearly 8 months old and has not been touched at all. Not even taught her to sit, or not jump up or anything She's never been told no in her entire time she's been with me, and I don't know if it's that or because she's just completely different lines, but she is so tuned into me, it's like she looks at me when we are out saying 'For dog's sake, teach me SOMETHING!" So have found a training method I am happy with, will start with her really slowly, and by the time she is two and a half, see which way worked best! Then when the NEXT pup comes round, I will have the balance down pat :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bordacollies4me Posted February 13, 2008 Share Posted February 13, 2008 my dog hated it, i was totally bored with it, one of my girls could be awesome at it but i still have no passion for it, so we do Agility/Flyball/Canine Disc and Herding instead Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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