Competitive Obedience
To me obedience is really about communication. By working in obedience we learn to communicate what we want and our dogs learn effective and appropriate ways to communicate what they want from us.
I took my first obedience class in 2001 after I cam home from seeing my first Obedience trial at the Maltese Specialty. I was very impressed by what I saw there. I couldn't understand why so few people were doing obedience with their Maltese. I wondered why we would leave all the fun to the Border Collie's and Goldens when we have such a smart and loving breed. Since then, I have been sold; I have taken every one of my Maltese through obedience classes.
What they say about teaching an old dogs new tricks is just a myth. My Cloud, who always tried hard to be obedient and communicate with me long before his obedience classes, started training when he was already 10. He earned his CD title when he was 12. It was like we found a new language that we could share.
With Cadeau, I was thrilled to start right off from Puppy Kindergarten. He is now on his way to building a foundation for competitive obedience. I am hopeful that he will follow in Cloud's paw prints and earn an obedience title of his own. I found this poem years ago, and I love it because it reflects what I believe about the reason we earn titles on our dogs.
What Is A Title Really? |
A Title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honour the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory for about as long as anything in this world can remain. Few humans will do as well or better in that regard. And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a Title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count. A Title says your dog was intelligent, and adaptable, and good-natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed. And a Title says that you loved your dog, that you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog, and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed, and that in the end your faith was justified. A Title proves that your dog inspired you to have the special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a Title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return. And when that dear short life is over, the Title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend, volumes of praise in one small set of initials before or after the name. A Title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received permanently. Author unknown |