Many
small breed owners look for pets or to participate in Conformation activities.
Generally, it is less usual to see small breeds participating in obedience
work... but it doesn’t have to be, and shouldn’t be that way.
First, let me
make a distinction. There is what I would refer to as Informal Basic
Obedience, which essentially helps any owner have a well behaved pet.
Secondly there is Formal Obedience in which the dog and owner learn prescribed
and detailed exercises which must be performed in front of judges in order
to earn titles. (In this case the owner is referred to as the handler and
together the dog and handler are referred to as a team.)
Many small dog
owners don’t feel the need to work even on Informal Basic Obedience.
What does it matter if your dog pulls when he is walked, if you are strong
enough to hold him back? And what if he growls at every dog he meets,
you can always pick him up before he gets hurt. Too bad though, that
he never learned the “drop” or “stay” command when your head was turned
and you saw him dart out of the park and head for the busy roadway.
The goal of Informal
Basic Obedience is to help you have a well behaved, well mannered pet that
you can trust in all situations. This means that you and your pet
can go more places together, without fear or embarrassment. An experienced
handler can train on his or her own, but even the most experienced will
often join local obedience classes (look in the Yellow Pages or the
Dogs
in Canada magazine). The main reason is that for so much of obedience
to be successful, you and your dog need to work with other dogs in close
proximity. A dog who will come when called in your basement, but
not when interested in another dog in the park is not really an obedient
dog. Whichever way you do it, besides having a dog you can trust
to be well mannered and well behaved, you will be amazed at how much working
together enhances the bond between you and your best friend.
There are a whole
host of organized activities that you and your Bichon can participate in.
While not every breed will excel or even be capable of every sport, most
can participate in most activities. For example, trying a Bichon
at sheep herding is a guarantee for disappointment, and lure coursing probably
won’t work, but Bichons have been known to excel at pulling carts.
More popular sports include fly-ball and agility, the latter of which is
well described by Karen Moore in another section of this web site.
Mandy and I, then
later Amy, and I chose Formal Obedience. The exercises, rules, titles,
etc. are set by the Canadian Kennel Club
in Canada, the American Kennel Club in
the United States, and so on. So far, only registered purebred dogs
can compete, and dogs can be registered in more than one country (as all
our Conformation readers know). So it is not unusual for a dog to
have competed and earned titles in Canada, the US, Bermuda, and sometimes
through the United Kennel Club, another award granting organization in
the US.
Dr. Stanley Coren,
in his book "The Intelligence of Dogs" rates Bichons about in the middle,
with Border Collies having the greatest ability and willingness to learn,
and Afghan Hounds at the other end of the spectrum. So, when
we started formal obedience work, it was with a bit of trepidation, being
surrounded by Border Collies, Shelties, Labs, Poodles and the like, mostly
very bright and considerably larger breeds. The key really was love,
positive reinforcement, and lots of patience.
Mandy was able
to earn the first two of what was then three levels of titles (rules and
levels have changed somewhat over the last few years) in Canada and again
in the U.S. When Amy arrived on the scene at almost five years of
age, I was determined to prove that Mandy and her abilities was not a fluke.
Amy went on to earn the first two levels in Canada, and the first level
in the U.S. Both also earned their Canine Good Citizen awards, completing
a series of less formal and exacting tests than in Formal Obedience.
Each August the
Canadian Kennel Club publishes a list of the top five obedience dogs in
each breed. Amy and Mandy were not alone in this list. There
have been other Bichons over the years who have done extremely well, and
I have met some amazing handlers who have worked harder with their Bichons
and achieved more than we have. But sadly, these people and dogs
are exceptions (besides being exceptional). Often there are fewer
than five Bichons listed in Dogs in Canada, sometimes none.
So, remember,
Any
Bichon Can, and think about giving Obedience a try. Your dog
will thank you for it, and you will have a great time and learn amazing
things!
Written for Bichons Across Canada by Daryl Novak. Copyright 2006
Daryl Novak, All Rights Reserved
