When I think back over my years competing in AKC obedience, my dog's attitude in competition was the trait that was most noticed, discussed and coveted. In the AKC Obedience Regulations there is a very important sentence, "The Judge must carry a mental picture of the theoretically perfect performance in each exercise and score each dog and handler against this visualized standard which shall combine the utmost in willingness, enjoyment and precision on the part of the dog, and naturalness, gentleness, and smoothness in handling." That has always been my goal when training my dogs. In one of Judy Howard's articles in the publication, Front and Finish, she spoke of two of my dogs, Flash and Blaze. She wrote, "A.K.C. should make a video of either of the dogs and run it for judges as The Perfect Example of "willingness and enjoyment." I have seen other dogs which were fast and precise; but both these dogs are having SUCH A GOOD TIME!"

Focused attention, speed, precision, confidence, and sheer joy throughout the performance is want I wanted to see in my dogs when they competed. There are people who do not believe dogs of all breeds can achieve this. It is true that the style will be different but you can always see willingness and enjoyment in a dog of any breed if it is there!

So why is a good attitude important? Some trainers will say that it is not. Although a poor attitude should be scored, judges are often reluctant to deduct points. So why should you worry about it? Actually, there are many reasons. If a dog likes what he is doing, it is easier to teach him new exercises and maintain the old ones. He tries harder in competition because he actually enjoys his work. Most trainers prefer training a willing partner than an adversary. Besides, I do believe that judges will make an effort to give the happier dog the edge, everything else being equal.

In addition, there were some personal reasons I wanted my dogs to have a good attitude. I observed other trainers looking very serious and not appearing to be having a good time. Their dogs looked uninspired as well. So I decided it was time for some soul-searching. Of course I wanted to win, but it was equally important to enjoy the journey whether I won or not. Furthermore, I wanted my dogs to have a good time since they were my friends first and my training partners second. The next question was whether or not that is possible. The answer is absolutely, if you know how!

In order to have a competitive obedience dog with a super attitude, you must be fair, consistent and have a sense of humor. You will also need knowledge of training techniques, time, motivation, energy and skill. Your dog should be physically and mentally sound and be able to be positively motivated, preferably in a variety of ways.

All new lessons should be taught positively. Corrections should only be used after you are sure your dog understands what you want. Once your dog fully understands a command, it can be enforced consistently with the minimum force necessary. Motivational techniques should be used during all stages of training, teaching new behaviors as well as maintaining the old ones. I also believe that respect and a genuine love of your dog is the final key to success!

A dog with a spirited working attitude is a pleasure to train and show. It is attainable by anyone with almost any dog. An enthusiastic attitude combined with precision and consistency is what makes a truly exceptional competition dog. If you decide to make this your objective, you will never regret it!


Copyright © 2000 by Karen Price -- All Rights Reserved. No portion may be reproduced without permission.

thanks so much for the e-mail karen
read your article and i agree that attitude and enthusiasm is what makes or breaks you in the ring. the clicker has absolutely changed my entire way of dealing with dogs, and in every aspect of training and showing. from obedience,and agility to conformation. i can pull out the clicker and the dogs immediately get excited and attentive. it has become a routine now when we have guests over to give them a 'show'. they always want to see the dogs run through the agility course(fortunately i have all the equipment in my backyard), and then onto a basic obedience course. then to top it off, we ask them to decide something that they want cutter to do, and we time him to see how long it takes him to do it. his enthusiasm is limitless, and as expected very impressive. in fact, two of my friends daughters have bought clickers in an attempt to train their cats.
we are just about done landscaping the back yard, and i'm ready to begin obedience with whitney and push onward with cutter. let me know what times are available.i'd like to start in two weeks. remember, i need to be back in simi valley by --pm to pick up my kids from school. see ya soon! sue r.

Thank you for bringing my attention to such an articulate and wonderfully written describtion of what dog training should be. If your intentions were to inspire, then you accomplished your goal.Now , if I can just come up with the ways and means to gather more knowledge from you,then maybe ,just possibly, I could experience that elusive goal of perfection. Where there's a will , there's a way. We'll just have to find the way!
You've got yourself a very impressive site there Karen. You should be PROUD!! Thanks for sharing

Hi Karen

Way to go. Your article was great. You are right, until judges start "scoring" for attitude-some things will never change. I guess I don't necessarily mean all dogs will be animated and bouncing all over - a beautifully smooth working dog can be just as happy and have just as much attitude as a bouncy "up" one.

Again, great job.
Sue Brusso