The difference between practicing obedience skills with your Chihuahua at home or as part of a class and competing in formal obedience trials may be subtle to some owners, while quite significant to others. Your perspective may largely depend on both your own personality and the general temperament of your dog. A Chihuahua should be extremely friendly if involved with formal obedience. Many dogs can be socialized, of course, but a natural affinity for people is a major advantage.
Larger Chihuahuas also seem to fare better in obedience than smaller ones, since jumping many inches will be necessary. Your dog should have a sound structure with no major faults of the front or rear assembly. This will significantly lessen the likelihood of injury.
Once you decide to begin obedience training for your Chihuahua, one of your most important decisions will be your selection of a trainer. Ideally, you want someone whom both you and your dog like. Ask as many questions as possible before committing to a training schedule.
Listen to your instincts, and pay attention to your dog’s reactions to this person, as well. Obedience training should be fun—not stressful for either you or your Chihuahua.
Since larger dogs who are also still in the process of training can inadvertently hurt your toy dog, it is best to seek a class specifically designed for smaller breeds. This will help your Chihuahua gain the confidence necessary to participate in this activity. If you constantly feel you need to pick your dog up or protect him in another similar way, your dog will not likely develop the confidence necessary for this activity.
Additionally, many of the methods that work best for training large dogs are simply not transferable to toy breeds. Your dog needs a trainer familiar with an animal of his size and stature.
The first class you will compete in is the novice class, also called the Companion Dog (CD) class. In this beginning level, your dog is required to demonstrate the skills of a good canine companion – heeling both on and off the leash at different speeds coming when called, and staying for fixed periods of time while also remaining still and quiet with a group of other dogs. Your dog will also be required to stand for a basic physical examination by the judges.
Next comes the open class. This sophomore level is also called the Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) class. In this tier your dog will need to repeat many of the same exercises from the novice level, only off his leash and for longer periods of time. Jumping and retrieving tasks are also added in this phase.
The utility level, providing your Chihuahua with a utility dog (UD) title, is for dogs considered the best of the best. In this phase your dog will be required to perform more difficult exercises complete with hand signals, as well as scent discrimination tasks. If your dog gets this far, he can then go on to seek the highest possible titles of Obedience Trial Champion (OTCh) and Utility Dog Excellent (UDX). These are very prestigious titles and not easily nor quickly achieved.
As a Chihuahua owner, you may have to work a little harder with your dog than other handlers to make strides in the ring. No concessions are made for the Chihuahua’s smaller size, so your dog must be comfortable in the expansive environment that may at first seem extremely large and intimidating.
It may well be worth the extra effort, though. Not only is obedience fun and rewarding on its own, but many dog owners also consider obedience the foundation upon which all other canine activities are based.
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