Teaching dogs to be well behaved

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32661, 17 July 1971, Page 12

Teaching dogs to be well behaved

Every Sunday afternoon, wet or fine, between 80 and 100 dogs, their owners, and sometimes even their families, gather on a property in Lincoln Road for the sole purpose of training their dogs to be better behaved members of society.

The Canterbury Canine Obedience Club has a total number of 360 members—all people who want to have exemplary dogs and who, if they persevere, will probably get them. Classes start at 2 p.m. with

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special beginners and children’s classes, novice and more advanced classes at 3 p.m. and display practises and jumping work at 4 p.m. A distinct hierarchy is set up through these class divisions, and the only way to progress from class to class is by a graduation test, which must be passed before a dog and its handler can win promotion.

Graduation tests Because of the large attendances it has been necessary to split each of the classes into smaller, more manageable groups of about eight. Thus, in the special beginner category, there are four different groups which must be passed through before the handler is eligible to graduate. The more advanced classes, known as Test A, B and C, comprise dogs and handlers who are well versed in the concept of dog obedience, and the dogs are generally very well controlled? By the time a dog graduates out of Test C (the highest class) it should be very near champion standard. As the dogs and their handlers advance through the various classes, the exercises naturally became more demanding and difficult. From simple heeling, coming on command, and sitting in the junior classes, the exercises progress to fetching, lying down, going away at command, standing, staying and finding the owner’s handkerchief from a pile of handkerchiefs belonging to other owners.

Although the club’s grounds

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are fairly extensive, the growing numbers of members are providing problems of space, and at present the driveway into the grounds has to be used for classes.

There is no distinction in the breeds that attend the club, and they vary in size from a St Bernard to a toy terrier, and in value from Afghan hounds to mongrels. Membership fees are $2 for an adult or $3 for a couple and $1 for children, and on top of this an entrance fee of 20c (adults) and 10c (children) is payable. This helps to cover the cost of afternoon teas, club activities and the examination of each dog as it enters the grounds. Display team Other activities carried out by the club are competitions, ribbon trials, social events and a display team. This last activity is the result of an idea which has been germinating for some time among club organisers, and it comprises a team of dogs and handlers, which have yet to be selected, who will demonstrate when invited to by other organisations just how obedient dogs can be. A temporary display team has already been invited to several places to perform, such as St Joseph’s Boys’ Orphanage, a Presbyterian eventide home for the aged and a local shopping centre. The team performs all the exercises that are done every Sunday at the club, as well as one or two individual items, such as one of the dogs that sings for its supper.

Formations of dogs in arrowheads and closed circles are also exhibited. But at the moment the display team is still very much in its formative stages. Once the team members are chosen, and afew more practices have been held, they will be ready to go wherever they are invited. National trial In October, the top dogs at the Obedience Club will form a team and compete at the national assembly, which is being held in Christchurch this year, for the national trophy. At present the trophy is held by the Auckland team. According to Mr Frank Campbell, a head trainer at the club and also president, the purpose of the club is to train dogs to be well behaved on the street and at home.' He claims that none of the dogs who attend the school have ever got into trouble. Time and patience The other head trainers are Mrs Rhona Shirley and Mr Rudi Krauze. All the trainers have or have had ' dogs that have risen to an extremely high standard within the club.

“You can’t teach the dogs too quickly or with cruelty,” . Mrs Shirley said. “They need time, combined with patience * and encouragement"

When the dogs are well trained, they’re not the nuisance that some people seem to think they are,” she said.