How Are Show Dogs Trained As Opposed To Normal Obedience/ Pet Dogs?

[ash&elar]

Well i am wondering as the title states the difference? I was under the assumption (i know very bad of me one should never assume) that to be a show dog you would have pretty good training? name reconistion, recall, basic commands for instance????

Recall - not necessarily. Also, a proportion of show breeders believe that obedience training removes show ring "sparkle" so they tend to be light on with obedience training. Certainly nothing other than what is required in the ring, and recall is not required in the ring. I think the view that it removes show ring sparkle is to do with harsher methods that used to be in vogue rather than obedience training per se.

Anyway, forget all that. You have behaviour you don't want, and behaviour you do want. Whether rescue, ex-show or whatever, it's up to you to set your criteria now and then train for it. Her past as a show dog may explain her reluctance to sit, but if you make sitting worth her while she'll soon get it. Recall, you'll have to train. She's a poodle, she is probably ridiculously smart, so you have that to work with. Good luck.

Edited for syntax

Totally agree with all of that and yes she is def smart and testing the waters, which i expected

[ash&elar]

I know of a 12 month old Dobe that at that point barely knew how to walk on a lead as the person "liked a challenge" She was shown after 12 months, gaited okay and stood, but she love ro try and slip her colalr, and was quite successful at it.

Many ex -show dogs do not know things other than exactly what they need to be shown. You will see many jumping up and get loves and cuddles as a reward for working well or maybe placing. Not thinks the average owner likes.I got Lewis at 8 months, he had an excellent recall and walked very well on a lead, had fantastic house manners and stood beautifully. He had never been asked to sit, drop or heel. I clicker train and he had some previous clicker training, so in a really really short period of time he was working beautifully.

Set your boundries now, train her now keeping in mind she may think you are very slightly nuts for a while asking her to do all these things she has never done before. As long as you are consistant and fair in your training she will pick it up in no time. Poodles are sometimes too smart for their own good

yes she LOOOOOVVVVVES to jump up...... not something i would ever teach a dog, not before teaching it the down command and ok/up command, she just thinks whenever you talk to her or she gets excited she is aloud to jump up all over you....

[ash&elar]

In my experience breeders and/or showies that do not participate in any other disciplines other than conformation showing often train their dogs just enough to be managable in and around the home and well behaved to perform as expected in the showring, but still with charisma, spunk and presence.

This is an observation, not a criticism. I do not see anything wrong with this at all.

Hence there is every chance that your SP does not know how to sit, heel or fetch. Many dogs do not fetch without being taught.

Be firm, but fair. Right now she needs boundaries and consistency. Do not expect her to do be able to do any of these things until you train her to. Treat her like a clean slate.

Having owned a SP bitch, they can be quite soft, so the last thing you want to do is make her lose her confidence. I doubt she is naughty, so give her time, guidance and love and you will have an awesome dog before you know it. The work is going to have to come from you. SPs are super smart. They will often only do what they really have to do, so she may be trying you out a bit, but I don't think you need to be hard on her.

They also have an amazing sense of humour, so you may find if you show her yours, you will get more out of her too, as she will enjoy seeing you have a laugh with her.

And keep in mind that she has just been uprooted from her home. She will no doubt be feeling somewhat lost. Make it your job to find out what she likes, and it may not be squeaky toys, food or fetch?Best of luck with her.

Yes she is a softy along with pushing the boundaries, and yes yes i do believe she has a keen sense of humour, seems to love it when i am laughing because of her thanks for your comment

[Tambaqui]

My Min Pin Clancy is both a show dog and also does Obedience as well!

During the warmer month, I heavily did a lot of show and not so much obedience as it was mostly on Sundays, but I have increased his obedience and only showing on Saturday as my dog and I are not a fan of bieng indoors.

It took quite a while to get in the groove of things, but he is now capable of off lead work as well as doing the show work. He now distinguish both and he knows if he sees a purple lead and correction chain, it is obedience work and if he sees any other fancy looking leads, he knows it is showing.

Last week Clancy did his first trial for the Restricted to German Breed, but unfortunately they moved it indoors, Clancy thought he was showing that he kept moving out in front of me, despite being on an obedience lead and correction chain.

But I am not having any issues with training for both fields, it just consistency and reinforcing what is required of them in their work.

I would say both are different, the only common is maybe stand for examination, but Min Pins being a tabled breed, it took my dog longer to be accustomed to having it done on the ground, but he is absolutely brilliant now, and at the start, he was .... not so nice to judges! But now he wags his tails and shows no fear for the judges in both showing and obedience, it took a lot of work and persistent but he has gotten there!

I hope that you'll get there and eventually get the training down pat with your new girl!

[sas]

Many of the dogs in my breed in the show ring do not know how to sit, they know how to behave at home and how to work in the show ring.

Alot of show dogs don't know how to sit and that came from the fear of the dog sitting in the ring.

Times are changing and the dogs will benefit - people have to give dogs more credit - they can understand the difference of show ring obedience and trial ring obedience.

My obedience trained dog has never sat in the show ring - it's not a hard command....

[OSoSwift]

MIne are always obedience and show trained. They wear different collars and I run/stand differently. They have it figured no worries. I have sat my dog in a lovely front in my shade on a hot day whilst the judge was not judging my dog. She was much cooler than many of the others.

[beagie]

Well i am wondering as the title states the difference? I was under the assumption (i know very bad of me one should never assume) that to be a show dog you would have pretty good training? name reconistion, recall, basic commands for instance????

My new girl though i lovely dog doesnt seem to have any basic training other than to walk nicely and constantly paces when on free range in the yard, she is calm at night when she come and sleeps in our room or watches tv with us once the kids are asleep but during the day unless she is on a lead she wont stay still, we are on a farm and the other day i was gardening, went to open the gate to get the wheelbarrow out and she slipped past out of the yard that is fenced for the dogs and out the front near the paddocks so i start calling and she just keeps running circles off in her own lil world, i do believe that she does know sit but chooses not to unless i make her, other than that she doesnt seem to have any training..... i will be doing dog ob with her so i will be training her, i just assumed that a dog that would of had alot of work spent with it for showing (being a standard poodle) would have pretty good training with the basics, esp since i know how highly trainable poodles are, i know this girl is testing me she is trying to sus out whether i am a person who has to be listened to or not.... she will learn the way it is :D

I have sent an email to the breeder but they do not check their emails often, so asking here.

The breeder is a full on show person with 3 dif breeds and well looked after animals as to health and breeding. And had a very genuine reason for rehoming juliet.

I have trained a handful of dogs over the yrs in dog ob so i know i will be able to train her no worries once she works out im serious and not going to give up just cause she is being difficult. And we will have an even greater bond through the training.

Is there a reason that she would not of been trained in general dog ob for showing? I have heard show ppl dont like their dogs automatically sitting when they stop like you are taught at dog ob.

one of my dogs was in the show ring up to two and a half, he was excellent to train in obedience trotted beautifully(trotting is a must in the show ring not pacing)

another thing I found with him he was much better at stays and very calm, think about it a lot of show dogs have to stand in a stacked position for quite

a long time as the Judge goes over the dogs, they are also handled a lot so no problems with stand for inspect. Poodles are very intelligent dogs and learn

very quickly, different breeds require different handling in training, one size does not fit all Beagie

[huski]

To be honest I don't get the whole never-teach-a-show-dog-to-sit thing. Obedience dogs have to have a solid SFE anyway. I know tonnes of people who show and compete in obedience and they don't have any problems either.

[RallyValley]

My breeder said teach him to sit, but don't teach him sit first. So his default behaviour is a stand . My boy will be an obidience/eventually agility and maybe retrieveing dog. His sire and dam have multiple titles including retrieveing a CD and a RN.

[OSoSwift]

Dogs will always go back to what they have been most rewarded for in moments of being unsure, worried or not really listening. If you are showing the more you reinforce the stand the more likely they are to offer it.

That is why most pet dogs default behaviour is sit, (or jump up if they have been taught very little!) as that is what most of them are taught, even if they are not taught anything else.

[Sayreovi]

To be honest I don't get the whole never-teach-a-show-dog-to-sit thing. Obedience dogs have to have a solid SFE anyway. I know tonnes of people who show and compete in obedience and they don't have any problems either.

I agree, though I am not really into showing as much as others. Sometimes my boy will sit in the show ring, mainly when we are in for groups and have been told by the judge to 'rest your dog'

Though at his last show we were finishing going around the ring for the judge and as soon as I stopped he promptly sat and looked at me like "Aren't I a good boy?", he gotten distracted for a second and automatically sat when I stopped....excellent in the obedience ring not so much in the show ring

Judge didn't care as he got up just as quick and stood.

Don't know why some showies don't at least teach the dog basic home manners though

[Staranais]

Don't know why some showies don't at least teach the dog basic home manners though

Me neither. I would also wonder how someone could decide a dog was suitable for breeding without training it? I learn so much about a dog from training them. I wouldn't want to breed (or buy from a breeder who bred) a dog that was thick as two short planks, had low prey drive, didn't want to work at all for praise, etc, even if it had a great career in the conformation ring. & how do you tell these things without actually training the dog?

Perhaps it is different for some breeds, the ones only bred to be companions, not to do any sort of real job.