Obedience Dogs’ New Tricks

By Amy Fernandez

News of Westminster’s inaugural Masters Obedience Championship received mixed reactions within this classic sport according to veteran competitor Marcia Dawson.

“For years we have tried to get AKC to promote our sport.  They do so much to promote conformation, agility, and rally but they treat obedience like the unwanted stepchild. Initially, when we heard that Westminster was launching this event, we thought we would finally get our day in court.”  However, reactions to the format were somewhat less enthusiastic.

“We were disappointed when we first heard about it. A lot of us thought ‘that’s not real obedience.’ I didn’t mind that the program blended Open and Utility exercises but… six minutes of tricks! Obedience is not about tricks.  We really thought that Westminster let us down,” she said.

Although Marcia has competed with her dogs at the AENC Invitational, she has never attended Westminster. But this she had to see. After a few minutes into the competition last Monday morning her skepticism vanished. She said, “I was surprised. It was phenomenal! We teach our dogs all those things during training to keep them on their toes and ensure their attention, but we don’t do any of that in the ring. We call it doodling. The public never sees that behind the scenes stuff. But those are the fun things that make dogs love this sport.”

Let’s face it; no one can resist cute dog tricks. However, Marcia saw something more profound in that crowd reaction. “The audience got a glimpse of the dog handler/relationship at the foundation of competitive obedience. They got to see the handlers and their dogs having fun and showing off and doing silly things. Playing with our dogs like that is the basis of teamwork,” she said.

She continued, “It was wonderful and hopefully as a result of that people will reevaluate some of their misperceptions about the sport.” She’s got a good point. Terms like fun and exciting don’t get bandied about the obedience ring too often. “Obedience entries are dropping. The economy is partly to blame but also, today’s exhibitors don’t want to devote two years to training before they can show a dog. They don’t want to make that kind of commitment. They want fast, easy results.” This showcase event may lure some new fans to the game.

That’s not all. Marcia said, “Also, it was wonderful to actually see dogs that I only know by reputation.” The conformation crowd takes this aspect of Westminster for granted.

Although Marcia has done obedience with her Miniature and Standard Schnauzers for over 20 years, she considered it a learning experience.  “I was inspired! I can’t wait to get home and teach my dogs some of that stuff.  My goal is to qualify so we can show here next year.”

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Posted by chesliepickett on Feb 22 2016. Filed under Current Articles, Featured. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.