Can Somebody Explain Obedience Trialing To Me Please?

[Bonnie Pup]

Hi

I'm interested in trialing my dog and I've been reading about the different classes in obedience trials.

I'm a little confused about CCD and Sweepstakes and Novice. Which is the first class that I should compete in, and what class comes next?

Thank you for any help you can give me!

[huski]

Hi Bonnie Pup

CCD stands for community companion dog and is the first 'level' of obedience competition, with the least amount of exercises and all exercises minus the recall and stays done on leash.

Novice is the next class up and all exercises are done off leash. To be able to enter a novice comp in QLD you must first pass one novice sweepstake - which is exactly the same as a novice trial, except your points/pass won't count towards your title.

[Bonnie Pup]

Hi huski Thanks for the info.

So it goes CCD, Novice Sweepstakes then Novice, is that right?

Thanks again

Does anyone have any videos of their dogs trialing in the above classes? I'd love to see

[huski]

That's right, although you don't have to compete in CCD before going into novice. You can go straight into novice if you so desire. Each level require you to get three passes under at least two different judges in order to gain your title. Whereabouts in QLD are you? There are obedience trials on all the time and if you are interested in trialling it is worthwhile going to spectate at as many as possible before you enter.

[Bonnie Pup]

Is there any benefit of doing CCD before going into Novice?

I'm in Townsville

[Seita]

Is there any benefit of doing CCD before going into Novice?

I'm in Townsville

Seeing as you are new to trialling it's probably a good idea to do CCD first to get used to being in the ring and getting your dog used to it as well. But if you feel that your dog is capable of going straight into novice then by all means go for it.

From memory, there are a few people involved in trialling at the Townsville obedience club so they should be able to give you plenty of advice and some practice runs in a ring before you enter an official trial. I'm pretty sure that Townsville is also usually the host of judges training days up there so you could ask the club when the next one is and see if you can come along and put your dog through the ring under a trainee judge. All the best!

[RubyStar]

To be able to enter a novice comp in QLD you must first pass one novice sweepstake - which is exactly the same as a novice trial, except your points/pass won't count towards your title.

Really??

[huski]

To be able to enter a novice comp in QLD you must first pass one novice sweepstake - which is exactly the same as a novice trial, except your points/pass won't count towards your title.

Really??

Yep, so you technically have to get four passes to get your novice title here

[ness]

Yep RubyStar - Qld ANKC is a world unto itself .

[RubyStar]

To be able to enter a novice comp in QLD you must first pass one novice sweepstake - which is exactly the same as a novice trial, except your points/pass won't count towards your title.

Really??

Yep, so you technically have to get four passes to get your novice title here

Totally ripped off! How stoopid is that?!

That and I think I read that you are only allowed one Associate dog and then you MUST have a main/limited registered purebred to be able to compete with it, now THAT sucks!

[Seita]

To be able to enter a novice comp in QLD you must first pass one novice sweepstake - which is exactly the same as a novice trial, except your points/pass won't count towards your title.

Really??

Yep, so you technically have to get four passes to get your novice title here ;)

Totally ripped off! How stoopid is that?!

That and I think I read that you are only allowed one Associate dog and then you MUST have a main/limited registered purebred to be able to compete with it, now THAT sucks!

Correct... and don't forget we've only been allowed to register an associate dog for the last 6 or 7 years, before that it was simply not allowed. Yes QLD is a bit behind the times... we might catch up one day!

[MrsD]

You are allowed 2 AR dogs, but they must both be registered on the AR at the same time. I have been told that at the moment there is nothing to stop you from transferring an AR registered dog into the name of someone who has had an AR dog before, but you yourself can't register the dog on the AR, but haven't tried it out myself. I personally don't mind the AR rule itself (& think it's a wonderful improvement on the draconian days under the dog nazi Ray Underwood), but wish they could make an exception in the case of rescue dogs ie you may register subsequent dogs on the AR as long as they come from a recognised rescue organization.

Also, WRT sweepstakes, you only need 150 points or more in a novice sweepstakes to be able to go into novice. The idea originally was to give the trainee judges "real" competitions to judge plus it stopped handlers who had no idea what they were doing & dogs that weren't anywhere ready from clogging up the novice ring at trials. Now we have them all in CCD instead .

[RubyStar]

Now we have them all in CCD instead .

I wonder why they kept sweepstakes when CCD was introduced in that case?

[kathq]

Remembering that CCD is not compulsory there are a lot of people out there who have no realistic idea of what their dog is and is not capable of. And they do not always come to trialling via a club situation where some guidance is available. Also having a CCD title is no guarantee that your dog is at the necessary training level to compete in CD. Wouldnt you much prefer to have your dog next to another that is ready to be there in the groups when you are sitting on a qualie? I know I would.

Personally I have always used sweepstakes as a way to pin point those things I need to fine tune to be competitive in a trial situation. I dont get the whole nerves thing happening with just a ring runout but I do in a sweepstakes.

[ness]

I have seen CD titled dogs who are still unstable and do runners regularly when training in Open so doesn't necessarily mean anything .

[JulesP]

I quite like the Sweepstake idea. A bit of a practice without feeling like you are betting the farm!

[huski]

I stewarded in the CCD ring at a trial recently and I was quite surprised at the level some of the dogs were at - I am hoping to go into novice not long after we get our CCD title (whenever that may be ) - you can tell some of the dogs in CCD don't even really understand what heel is But then again I saw some pretty average dogs in novice too. One of them actually ran out of the ring and wouldn't recall.

[MrsD]

Now we have them all in CCD instead .

I wonder why they kept sweepstakes when CCD was introduced in that case?

Judges training I suspect as they run a sweepstakes exactly like they would a trial & judges training for Open & UD (& UDX now? not sure about that) also judge at sweepstakes so they have practice at juding during their training. I'm guessing that they havent changed it to include CCD because CCD can sometimes be a bit of a train wreck & it's not compulsory.

And kathq & huski are absolutely correct, I have stewarded in CCD before & the standard of some dogs (& handlers for that matter) is absolutely appalling & there is no requirement that anyone entering to have been to an obedience club or even read the rules for that matter. We had handlers in the ring who didn't know that you weren't allowed to talk to your dog or call your dog up when you were heeling, didn't know that you weren't allowed to touch your dog apart from between exercises & we even had one woman who biffed her dog in the side of the head because it wasn't watching her when she was heeling (& she did come from a club!).

It's a jungle out there :D .

ETA - sorry to the OP, we seem to have draged the thread completely off track ;) .

Edited March 15, 2010 by MrsD

[RubyStar]

Wouldnt you much prefer to have your dog next to another that is ready to be there in the groups when you are sitting on a qualie? I know I would.

Of course, even if I'm not on a quallie nobody wants a dog getting in their dogs face, but I can't see how one pass (of at least 150) is guaranteeing anybody that all dogs in Novice upwards are going to be stable.

But I'm not denying it's great for trainee judges!

Edited March 16, 2010 by RubyStar