# So sad... they don't like this stuff at all.... :(



## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

:smooch:


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

It's funny how different dogs can be on what they like. Of my current dogs, Hunter and Riot love it, Lucy is completely bored with the obedience ring and obviously wants to be somewhere else. Riot my new pup hasn't entered the ring yet, but his obedience work has been wonderful. I fully expect for him to embrace the obedience ring like his great grandpa OTCH Eli. Funny how some dogs take to obedience work as if it were fun, and others as if it were drudgery. Just like humans I guess. Good to know both of your enjoy the heeling work. There is a good reason why 7 of the top 10 OTCH dogs are goldens!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Same back then as now...

@Alaska - each dog is different. Some you have to work harder to make something fun or know what is too much or too little time spent working, how much pressure or how little pressure, how to motivate - particularly dogs who are not food or play driven. Others who are very food driven or very play driven it will be a bit easier to motivate your dog. 

When you have people seeking out dogs from certain pedigrees - generally the more action packed a pedigree, the more likely you will get a dog who naturally has a lot of food/play drive on his own. Doesn't mean it's impossible with the others. Just that it's not always a given depending on the owner that you will have a dog who just naturally does stuff with little to no work from the owner. 

Of all our dogs, only my Jacks was a natural for heeling. He did all the stuff on his own with very little work done by me to motivate. Bertie is a sweetie but heeling was totally a shaping/motivation developed thing. Somebody I'm training with right now especially helped me solve a couple consistency issues I've had with the kiddo - consistency issues which were my fault. Me letting some things go or REWARDING them! Sometimes training with the right people is the key.

The difference between most dogs and the OTCH level as well - is the work put into the dog. Especially in areas where to earn OTCH points, you have to go up and beat the top dogs in the country. Which is why we don't have more OTCH's than we do.


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## Alaska7133 (May 26, 2011)

We have no OTCH dogs in Alaska. We don't have enough utility B dogs competing. Usually 2 or 3 in a trial and maybe the same in utility A, often less. Then we also have so few trials to even enter, that it's hard to get good at trialing. It's not like a lot of parts of the US where there is a trial every weekend. Up here we don't have trials for 60 days sometimes. Which makes it hard to really practice. 

As for Lucy enjoying obedience trials or not, she is food and play driven. But she's all about the birds and it is her complete focus in life. It makes me happy too, but I would enjoy going beyond a CD with her. She has zero field pedigree. Her father has a CDX and her mother a CD. No OTCHs or UDs in her pedigree, just mainly Ch's and a lot of show dog hall of fame dogs.

Riot on the other hand, he's all about the birds, but he's all about obedience too. It's a joy to see a dog be steady on a sit out in the field at 100 yards away by himself, while I walk out, throw a bumper, wait until the bumper is on the ground for a moment, before sending him. Pretty great for a 6 month old pup.


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