26 Říj How to Get into Obedience

Starting to do competitive or advanced obedience with your dog may seem intimidating at first, but—trust me—it’s really not. You can start small and work your way up to certain obedience skills in small steps to see if it’s a journey that you and your dog might enjoy. Almost any dog can be trained to do obedience on some level. So, whether you have a couch potato, a 2-kilogram dog, or a 65-kilogram dog, gather up some courage, and let’s dive into it. 

Knowledge is power

First, you will need a way to get the information necessary for you to train your dog properly. I see this as often being one of the biggest problems for handlers worldwide, and it’s the main reason why I started this blog: to provide you with this much-needed info. You essentially have three options:

1. You can train your dog on your own, but that is typically very hard for a beginner to do. This is not to underestimate you as a dog owner, but generally it’s only experienced handlers that are on their second, third, or even later time training a dog that are usually able to accomplish that successfully. I personally rely on other trainers at least occasionally to help me out as well.
2. You can have someone else train your dog for you. There are boarding services that will take your dog for a couple of months and train him on your behalf. I have to say that I am rather opposed to this type of training, though. It may work for some basic obedience, socialization, and basic house rules, but even then, I doubt that the training will be particularly successful or meaningful in any way once the dog is returned to a handler who doesn’t know how to continue that training properly. 

For advanced obedience—which, in my opinion, is largely based on the relationship between handler and dog—this is pretty much useless. It may be a suitable option if you simply want your dog to acquire a title from a trial. If you don’t have the skills yourself, you can easily pay someone else to train your dog for you, but why deprive yourself of such an exciting adventure? Let me help you be able to do it on your own!

3. The third option is probably optimal for most beginners and that is to find a trainer that will help them on their journey and teach them and their dog simultaneously how to do this amazing sport. 

I have already written an extensive article series on how to find the right trainer for you and your dog, so please use this resource to find the right one for you. You can, of course, try out my online coaching as well I would be happy to guide you on your journey.

Having the correct and best information available when beginning your journey is one of the biggest obstacles in dog training, in my opinion. Once you have a reliable source of information in the form of a trainer, the biggest hurdle you are most likely to face will be overcome. The trainer you choose should provide you with a system for training that you can rely on and that will guide you and your dog successfully on your way. 

Equipment

You need very little equipment when starting to do obedience training. Usually, people will tell you that you need a leash and collar, but you really don’t even need those. Starting with a puppy, all you’ll need is some treats—that’s literally all. 

Teaching the basics—heeling, various positions, recall, etc.—you need nothing more than to reward your dog with some food. Later, more items and rewards will come into play. You will eventually start needing a collar and a leash. You will also need some kind of toy, whether that’s a ball, a tug, or something else along these lines that your dog will enjoy playing with. You may also need a dumbbell to teach your dog the exercise of retrieving. Even later down the road, you may even want your own hurdle or more advanced equipment for training. You will just have to see where your journey takes you, but as for the start? Treats. That’s it.

Logistics

In the beginning, you also don’t need to worry about driving to a training field to train your dog. You can do everything at home, in your garden or yard, or at a quiet meadow or park where you go for walks. You don’t need much space to start training basic exercises. Even your living room will do for a couple of months if need be. 

Later on, you will probably want to have access to a fenced-in training location with a hurdle and other obstacles available. Meeting other handlers to be able to help each other out during training will be a necessity too. To get into obedience though, you literally just need your dog, some treats, your living room, and some accurate and helpful information to know what to do. 

Don’t forget to be mindful!

The most important thing you will need to be doing—if you have read any of my articles or worked with me you will know it’s something I repeat over and over—think about what you are doing, and be mindful. 

Don’t blindly storm into something; think it through, understand it, and apply it. You wont make nearly as many mistakes if you just take the time to do this. This is why I’ve chosen the word “mindful” as the main focus of my particular method. Please make a genuine attempt to be mindful in your training practices, and you and your dog will be just fine.

This article is pretty short on purpose: getting into obedience is not hard. Once you find someone you can rely on for information—and not to brag, but here I am, so there’s that—you are pretty much golden. Take your awesome dog and some treats, be mindful, and apply the information you get. 

You can do this—I believe in you!