Obedience Trials

[Arya]

Great topic! Poodlefan, I like your ideas about a written score sheet.

At a recent IPO trial I went to watch, I thought they had some ideas that would work well in ANKC obedience. At the end of the events, the judge called the winners up and spoke about their performances on a microphone - good and bad points. It was really good to listen to, stuff about teamwork in their obedience and the character work too, and even how the handlers conducted themselves towards the judge. Also, in IPO obedience, they seemed to have two dogs on the field at a time, one a good distance from the other. One was doing the stays while the other was doing obedience work, going through group of people, fetching dumbells, running in the 'voraus' etc. It was an interesting day.

I liked the ideas with the stays. I think everyone would agree it is SOOO stressful for our dogs to be sat up next to each other in a line of (generally) unknown dogs and then have their handlers walk away from them. Then, if they so much as lift their bum that's the end of it, no matter how good the dog performs in every other aspect of the trial. So my vote would be to change the way we do the stays to something that is more canine-friendly. Could avoid some of the occasional awful fights too.

[Alpha]

I agree with the comment here and appluade you for making sense of what often are grey areas. I think judges should be currently trialing/training a dog...many are I believe. Stewards, definitely, should be given clear and concise instructions about where to be in the ring. I love it when a judge I'm stewarding for tells me when we reach here on fast pace I want you here for the figure 8. Or I want the articles bought to me up wind/away from the dog. Or they stand one side of an out of sight stay and you stand by the blind watching the judge...there is usually pre commencment instructions on dogs who break, depends on the judge..some say they will retrieve the dog, others want the handler called to retrieve the dog(other dogs may precieve this as an end to the exercise). I thinkit should be mandatory to steward in any ring prior to commencing trailing at that level , its a learning curve, you see things form the other side and for my money; it was like having private tution with a expert with some judges.

I agree about the smaller dogs and how they are approached and the need for a modified pattern and distance, they are taking more steps per metre than a larger dog. The approach needs to be changed to a standard; as in appraoch dog then squat to their level, if bending is required ( not good for the back) they mus not lean over the dog. Something like that.

Written comment s on the score sheet...yes, yes, yes. THe judge should have to dictate them to the steward or onto a tape player for later transcribing. Things to work on, stuff to watch out for...BRILLANT.