AKC thinking of getting rid of the table?

Silaria said:
Rachel, I agree with you that the dogs should have some level of obedience training. Not necessarily a CD but a CGC, RN, or something that shows they have some level of control. Having a well behaved dog doesn't decrease their drive. If a dog wants to work for you they'll work for you whether it's walking at heel or running an agility course.
Click to expand...

It would take a lot of work to get my dog to earn a CD. She does have CGC and RN (which was not easy), but she's just not an obedience competition dog and neither am I. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate obedience dogs and trainers. I think the skills are great and every dog should know sit, stay, come, loose leash walking, etc, but the competition aspect is too slow and stressful for me.

Despite probably never being able to get a CD, she does have decent start-line stays (hope I didn't jinx that) and does not pull on leash. So, she is not an out of control dog. I wouldn't mind some sort of obedience test to compete in agility, but not as difficult as a CD.

Sharon said:
Most agility clubs that teach agility won't let dogs in until they have some basic obedience and one is a reliable sit stay and a recall.If the dogs dont have either they dont get to play till they do have them.
Click to expand...

Good point. My training club doesn't let you register for beginner agility classes until you complete the beginner 2 obedience class. At the end of beginner 2 obedience, they do the CGC test.
 
Please keep this thread civil and refrain from bickering. This is a great topic that can easily be ruined by rude and snippy comments. Thank you.
 
Regarding the dogs being trained. I have to admit, before agility, Koji was great at sit, down, stay, etc. Once we did agility and he started LOVING to run and jump and fly off that teeter, all that went out the door. Bye-bye obedience training, hello crazy dog.

I had to do a lot of retraining. So, although I passed the intro to agility with flying colors (in the sense of obedience - not much else), a lot of his best training came when I had to train the crazy dog he became and he had to learn he had to do things when in crazy mode.

I remember going to my first big Rally match. Watching all the calm dogs, walking all nicely on their leashes. What a huge difference than agility. Thankfully, I left Koji at home. I would have been so embarrassed. I'm sure he would have been barking at the dogs retrieving the dumbbells. :o

It will be interesting to see what AKC/USDAA do about the table. Actually, it'll be interesting how things change over the next 5 years. Wonder what the rules will be like when I go out there with my second dog. ;)
 
Just reading through some older threads and I found this one fascinating. I wonder have there been any further developments on the table since this was written?

Although the table is still an official obstacle in the UK, I've never seen it in use at any level of competition by any organisation at shows I've been to, or in the very many agility show videos I've watched online. It seems to have gradually dwindled in use over the last 10 years or so from what I can gather. We don't train for it at our club. I also don't belive it is commonly in use in Europe - not seen it in any videos anyway.

Regarding obedience control, it never ceases to amaze me at obedience shows that dogs can do beuatiful competition heelwork yet outside the ring many drag their handlers round at the end of the lead or go round the show backwards constantly tugging. I think some really competition minded handlers focus exclusivly on heelwork and formal exercises but neglect basic training. I would like to see a requirement for dogs to achieve at least a basic Good Citizen award prior to any other title (show or working) being confirmed. I think that would demonstrate owners have commitment to their dogs aside from competition.

But I have to admit that Epic really struggled with stays UNTIL we started doing agility. When he knew staying preceeded being able to run and jump - suddenly a previously tedious and rather stressful exersise had a point. :wink2:
 
seashel said:
...Regarding obedience control, it never ceases to amaze me at obedience shows that dogs can do beuatiful competition heelwork yet outside the ring many drag their handlers round at the end of the lead or go round the show backwards constantly tugging... I would like to see a requirement for dogs to achieve at least a basic Good Citizen award prior to any other title (show or working) being confirmed. I think that would demonstrate owners have commitment to their dogs aside from competition.
Click to expand...

This thread took a bit of an interesting (and unexpected) turn for me. The comments about dogs that work fine in competition but are less responsive outside of competition bring back memories for me. I entered my previous Sheltie in obedience training not because I wanted to enter competitions, but because Demetrious was being a brat like puppies often are. I had taught him most of the commands that I wanted him to learn, but quite frankly, he responded to them when he felt like it, not always when directed. In class, he was near perfect, but at home, it remained a struggle for some time. I did enter a few competitions geared toward "beginners", and he did very well in each.

That said, I would have been less than pleased if I went to a competition and found that the rules were changed because "someone" didn't like the fact that my puppy was a brat outside of competition. I agree that this dichotomy suggests a failing in the level of training the dog is getting (or at least indicates that training is not complete). However, I would not be in favor of changing competition requirements because my dog did not meet someone else's expectations outside of the competition ring.
 
We just went to a position less table here AAC as of Sept 1, I can't say That I am a big Fan of it Storm certainly is though as are numerous others that lacked control over their dogs, still I try and make them go down, Cosmo drops as soon as I give him the signal, storm has always had to think about it for a split second before complying, but at least now the count starts as soon as she jumps on.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top