Tasmanian Dog Training Club Obedience Trials
For details of how to enter trials see Trialling – General Information.
The club holds a number of Obedience trials throughout the year. They are held at the club’s training grounds – Churchill Park Sports Complex, Invermay.
Note: Other Tasmanian dog training clubs also hold obedience trials – these are advertised in the Dogs Tasmania Gazette.
Obedience trials are made up of a series of exercises in a ring consisting of the things you will have learnt in club training classes.
A judge directs you and your dog through the exercises and you are only allowed to speak to your dog to give commands and to praise him/her at the end of each exercise.
There are 5 trial classes, you need to get 3 passes in each class to get a title. You can start at either CCD or CD level and you must qualify for a title to move up to the next class. The trial classes and titles are as follows:
CCD – Community Companion Dog,
CD (Novice) – Companion Dog,
CDX (Open) – Companion Dog Excellent,
UD (Utility) – Utility Dog,
UDX (Utility Excellent) – Utility Dog Excellent.
There are also Obedience Champion and Obedience Grand Champion titles which require a number of high scoring passes in UD and UDX.
The CCD class includes the following exercises:
1. Heel on Lead – this will include sits, stands and downs, left and right turns, left and right about turns, slow and fast pace, heel around a figure eight. Your dog must be able to sit when you halt without a command.
2. Stand for Examination – on lead
3. Recall (off lead) – at least 12 m distance
4. 1 minute sit stay – handler approx. 5 m away
5. 2 minute down stay – handler approx. 5 m away
As you move up through the classes the exercises increase in difficulty and extra ones are added, some of these are retrieving, distance control, jumping, scent discrimination, seek back, food refusal and speak on command.
Obedience trialling is a very rewarding sport but does require a high level of precision, acquired by regular and consistent training. The club offers a Masters class for those who have completed the club’s basic obedience course, intermediate training (grade 1), advanced training (grades 2/3) and intend to trial.
Detailed descriptions of trial classes are available in the official on ANKC rules.
To enter a trial, your dog must be a minimum of 6 months of age at the trial date and registered with a member body of ANKC.
A few notes before putting in your entries for a trial:
• You should read the official rules if you are going to enter a trial.
• The rules can be downloaded from the ANKC website www.ankc.org.au (or search ANKC Rules)
• Look under – Rules – then Rules for the conduct of Obedience Trials – (effective 1 January 2021, Amendments effective 1 January 2024)
