# obedience changes over time ...



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

There has been the same gradual change over here... that I could tell - though I think some clubs are different than others.  

For puppy class through novice class - we used LOTS of food and only worked on a regular collar. 

By the time I got to novice class or competition level, the focus was slightly different and more people were using prongs to get that extra bit of polish in their training. I just used my old choke chain. Still do. It just hangs loose around my guy's neck unless I want his attention. What I didn't like about the prong was it was a constant presence around my dog's neck.

I do use food still at this point, but it's more of a jackpot.


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## Maxs Mom (Mar 22, 2008)

Hi Lyssie

I don't have any experience with your question. I am new to obedience, and have spent the last 4 years doing agility (still my primary focus but Gabby is too young). It's just when I read your comment "horses got in the way", I just gave up my horse last fall :no: I didn't have money to show anymore, so I was getting more and more involved in my dogs, and I felt my horse was becoming a 'chore'. There is a lot more to all that but I quit riding.  I don't miss the riding, but boy do I miss my horse. Glad I have my dogs to keep me busy. 

Have fun in your class!


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## GoldenSail (Dec 30, 2008)

Well, the thing about dog training is that there are multiple ways to teach the same thing. People do what they think is best for them and their dog and to get the results they want.

I personally try to avoid using a lot of food. I'll use it at first in the beginning, but I prefer the reward to be interaction with me--whether that is praise, petting, or play. I find with most things given the dog that I have this is not difficult at all. She's naturally more 'up' than most and thinks life is fun. The big exception is heeling--to get the pretty heads up heeling I've found that food helps because of the length of the exercise and the need for teaching a focal point. Once I start hiding the focal point though, the food is going to go away...

Now if I had a different dog who was not into praise or play perhaps I would use food more. But that's not the dog I have, and I do not want food to be a crutch.


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## AmberSunrise (Apr 1, 2009)

Obedience has changed over the years. 

I rarely use a physical correction anymore, and teach and re-inforce using food, toys, play & praise. Here is a video link I took yesterday of my Towhee - I am starting to up the distractions she needs to ignore and so use small amounts of food that will be quickly faded. After I turned on the singing duck, her attention and rear end were much improved by the 3rd go around. The entire session took about 1/4 of a string cheese; and there was more training that was not on camera.

YouTube - ‪Towhee Distraction Training‬‏


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## FlyingQuizini (Oct 24, 2006)

I use a lot of food, praise and play --- sort of all mushed together. ;-) I personally think food is one of the most powerful rewards we have access to -- nobody had to teach a dog to like food. So long as food is used systematically and thoughtfully (so as not to create a dog who won't work when he doesn't think food is available), it can, IMO, be a fantastic training tool. 

Every one of my training sessions are riddled with play, praise and food. I've never not used food at least a little in a training session --- and thankfully I can still go into the ring, without food, and they'll work.


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## GinnyinPA (Oct 31, 2010)

Our basic and intermediate classes used a lot of food, which worked well with our food focused pup. In a class environment, with so many exciting distractions, it really helped keep the focus where it belonged, on us. It was a bit of a problem when we did the CGC though because we had become too dependent on food. You aren't allowed to use food during the test at all. By the last few exercises, Ben was a lot less interested since he knew he wasn't getting rewarded as usual. Even so, he passed. 

As to the collars - in our class a few dogs used prong collars, a few gentle leader type collars and a couple had harnasses. For the CGC we needed to be able to walk Ben with just a flat collar. Because we got Ben as an adult and he pulled really badly, we used a prong on him for the first few months at our trainer's recommendation. The prong was a lifesaver when he started lunging after cars and motorbikes. At 70 lbs, he can (and occasionally does) pull me off my feet. He lunges after cars less now and we've learned to prepare wheneve we hear a noisy engine. One day I noticed a sore on his neck from either the prong or his e-collar so we discontinued both. He had reached a point where he wasn't pulling much on our regular walks, so the transition was easy. And we still give him treats whenever he walks well, which definitely aided the transition.


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## lyssie (Apr 6, 2011)

thanks everyone for all your great input !!!  

sunrise - your dog is so great how her eyes never leave you !!! i love watching dogs work like that !!! i hope little Yogi will be that clever one day. the distraction thing reminds me of my old dog Clydie who i trained .... he was a true retriever !! if you threw him something to find he wouldn't come in until he had it. and he HAD to present you with something ALL the time. every afternoon when i'd come home from school he would have a toy/leaf/stick - whatever he found to present for me. he loved to take in the shopping for you too !!

one day i did a little competion class, it was our only one and we did a 3 minute sit and stay. there was a whole line of us and the dogs and the wind blew a plastic bag in between me and the dogs and clydie left from his sit/stay and got the bag and presented it to me. i just stood there ignoring him and the poor thing was looking at me going ,'but mum - i got this for you. i stopped this rubbish from flying away !!'

he also retrieved an empty juice box in a 'come' that was in his path too. i thought it was sweet, i was only 11 at the time and the instructor who was a grumpy old man told me this was not allowed !!!! and i didn't get first place because of this ... then he turned to Clyde and said to him, 'you ARE NOT MEANT TO FETCH THE STICK !!!' and threw it.... well Clydie broke away from me and fetched the stick !!!! : i couldn't help but laugh !!! Clyde had different thoughts to grumpy instructor person !!! but he was a great dog who looked at me all the time waiting for the next instruction.

Max's Mum - it went from dog obedience, to horse comps, to traveling !!! i miss my horse, and the campsite comradery but not all the competition bs. and looking back now i don't know how i made all that time into preperations/washing/plaiting ... i still love horses so much and would love to ride again one day but not so much compete. so i still groom for my coach and good friend when i can, that way i'm part of the comradery but not competing ... now that traveling is past i thought i'd start w/ dogs again !!! 

here are a couple of pics of Yogi @ his first day at pre school w/ me and listening to the instructor. these photos make him look attentive but there was a lot of 'mum - can i annoy the dog next to me cause i think he wants to play ..... grrrr... yeh he wants to play .... i want to play !!!!!! huh ? food ? ok i'll sit !!!!!'


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## lyssie (Apr 6, 2011)

flyingquizini - i just watched your youtube link and quiz is AMAZING !!!! gotta love that wagging tail and super dooper enthusiasm ... what a dog !


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