Dogs competing in dog sports, such as flyball, agility or Schutzhund, must be trusted in an open field, off leash and surrounded by other people, dogs, hot dogs, and flying discs. This requires more focused attention on the owner and a better recall than that found in most household companion dogs, and more advanced training than that required for formal obedience.
Bandogs Bay dogs Bichons Bulldogs Catch dogs Companion dogs Coonhounds Crossbreed dogs Curs Dogos Eskimo dogs Feists Feral dogs Fighting dogs Guard dogs Gun dogs Pointers Retrievers Setters Water dogs Hairless dogs Herding dogs Hounds Scenthounds Sighthounds Laika Lap dogs Livestock guardian dogs Mastiffs Mongrels Mountain dogs Molossers Meat dogs Pastoral dogs Pinschers Pit bulls Purebred dogs Sled dogs Schnauzers Spaniels Spitz Street dogs Terriers Toy dogs Turnspit dogs Village dogs Wild dogs Wolfdogs
To join a DTC you don’t have to register your dog with the Kennel Club, nor to enter Exemption Shows. However, when you compete in Club Matches with other KC registered clubs or enter Limit or Open Shows, your dog has to be registered (even rescue dogs, and crossbreeds have to be registered in their case, under the Obedience and Working Trials register).
The clicker is a small hand-held device that makes a distinct, short sound to mark a desired behavior. (See clicker training for a more detailed discussion of this methodology.) It has gained popularity in recent years as being a means of training that does not involve physically correcting the dog, though it may be used in conjunction with these methods.
No breed is impossible to obedience train, but novice owners might find training some breeds quite difficult. The capacity to learn basic obedience—and even complicated behavior—is inherent in all dogs. Some breeds may require more patience or creativity in training than others. Individual dogs that exhibit fearful or anxious behaviors should also be handled with greater care, and especially not trained using harsh corrective methods, as this training can be psychologically harmful to the dog and result in further behavioral issues.[3][4]
