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Competitive Obedience Training for the Small Dog
Book Reviews
Media Hound, Front and Finish: March 1995
- by Heather Nadelman
Competitive Obedience Training for the Small
Dog, Book Review by Lynda B.M. Ellis
NOTES FROM THE OBEDIENCE CHAIR - Jane K.
Larsen
by Heather Nadelman
Before I begin my review, I'd like to take a moment to clarify some
statements that I made in my previous column. "Gremlins" columnist
Janet Lewis has informed me that, although there was indeed some public
discussion about jackpotting on obed-l, her series of jackpot columns more
properly was inspired by private Internet correspondence among herself, Marion
Crain, and Laura Romanik. And Helen Phillips, a Macophile for more than a decade
(as usual with "The Minority Point of View") has agreed to forgo a
class-action suit against me if I retract my sharp words against Macintosh
computers. My sincerest apologies to both of them for any inadvertent
embarrassment that I might have caused.
I had intended to devote my entire column this month to Barbara Cecil and
Gerianne Darnell's new book Competitive Obedience Training for the Small Dog
(available directly from T9E Publishing, RR #1, Box 176, 11092 240th Street,
Council Bluffs, IA 51503--$20 U.S, $22 in Canada). Yet I decided in addition to
use this column as an excuse to read British trainer R. A. Foreman's Small Dog
Obedience Training, published in 1987 (by Nimrod Press Ltd and available from
Direct Books). Since the authors of both books work with papillons, and since
(to the best of my knowledge) these are the only two works currently available
specifically devoted to the challenges of small dogs, comparison is inevitable.
The two books are separated by seven years and the Atlantic Ocean, which helps
to explain the rather different training philosophy that each espouses.
R. A. Foreman's Small Dog Obedience Training is a collection of and
amplification upon articles published in British dog magazines over the last
twenty years. Although "tit-bits," as she calls them, are occasionally
used, most of her training consists of physical positioning with collar and
hands, coupled with lots of praise (actually, the comparative lack of food might
be just as well: Foreman tells us that when she uses food she boils the cheapest
heart that she can find, cools it, and cuts it into tiny pieces to use. Blech!
But hey--human beings eat kidneys for breakfast over there!). I do not want to
imply that her methods are rough in any way; they aren't. Yet the simple fact is
that food and toys (the staples of the motivational training which has developed
over the last ten years) play only a minor part in her training plan.
Foreman, for example, teaches the finish by gently guiding the dog into place
and then praising. (Incidentally, Foreman explains that the finish to the left
is known as the "Continental Method" and that the right finish is the
"English Method." The things you learn!). The retrieve is taught by
gently placing the dumbbell in the dog's mouth and praising and waiting
patiently until the dog initiates a take on its own. Foreman introduces heeling
(or "heel-work") with her papillons on a choke collar. She does not
jerk the dog but stops the instant the collar tightens, soothes the frightened
animals, and offers a treat. She (and she confesses that she HATES teaching
heel-work more than anything else) repeats this process until the dog figures
out that, so long as they stay close, the choke chain will never tighten.
Foreman urges her readers to understand that the choke collar must never tighten
for more than a split second; it is for stopping the dog rather than for choking
him. In the wrong hands, she claims, a choke collar is an instrument of cruelty
for a toy dog, but used correctly it can be an excellent tool. Foreman uses food
as a reward rather than a lure as more formal training in heeling progresses;
the food tends to be offered at halts, after the dog sits.
Small Dog Obedience Training is more than a book about competitive obedience;
chapters also include tracking, agility, tricks, and a wry look at some
embarrassing moments. Foreman clearly enjoys working with her small dogs in
obedience competition, but she just as clearly does not believe that one can be
genuinely competitive with a toy: "Obedience is great fun, but if you want
to win in Competitive Obedience then do not get a Toy! But if, like us, you
already have a Toy Breed then do not be put off by his size" (21). Although
the pictures of the papillons in the books are charming, and although the book
is well written, it would not be the most useful addition to the library of the
competitive trainer of small dogs--particularly with the availability of Cecil
and Darnell's new book.
So we must return to the land of the free and the home of the brave in order
to consider Competitive Obedience Training for the Small Dog. (And both Barbara
Cecil and Gerianne Darnell seem very free and very brave!). They, quite simply,
have written the book they say they wished they had on their own shelves when
they began training their first papillons. Unlike Foreman, Cecil and Darnell do
believe that a small dog can be competitive--and they have records to back it up
(Darnell has two and Cecil one of the very few Ch-OTCH-TDX dogs that exist in
any breed). They list the advantages of the small dog early in the book: small
dogs are fun, easy keepers, have long life spans, you get more credit for your
success than you would with a more typical "obedience breed," and
there are few enough small dogs in competition that there are still records to
be broken. Although they also judiciously list the disadvantages--small dogs can
take longer to train, training options are more limited since anything more
severe than a gentle collar correction is not an option, finding an instructor
capable of advising on the training of a small dog can be difficult, the AKC
regulations were not written with the small dog in mind, and many breeders of
toy dogs view obedience work with distrust--their own enthusiasm is obvious.
One of the best aspects of the book is the sidebar anecdotes sprinkled
liberally throughout. It's there that we learn that Gerianne's feet point out at
a twenty degree angle, that someone once spilled a whole bag of popcorn on
Barbara's Reina from a balcony while the two were heeling in Open B (and this
well-proofed bitch did indeed manage to ignore her favorite food!), that Reina
was once smushed by a judge who lost his balance while examining her on the
moving stand, that Gerianne's Zack once retrieved a piece of horse manure rather
than his glove, and other details that make the training tips come alive. The
sidebars also highlight the differences between Barbara and Gerianne when they
happen to disagree on certain small points--for example, whether one should give
a jump or a retrieve command on the retrieve over high jump.
Competitive Obedience Training for the Small Dog is organized according to
the way the authors believe that exercises ought to be taught rather than by the
arbitrary divisions of AKC obedience trials. They devise the following
categories: heeling, stays, recalls and go-outs, retrieving, jumping, and scent
work, and they urge that trainers follow these basic divisions when training a
dog through Utility, rather than insisting on the tradition Novice, Open, and
Utility demarcations. Like many "inducive" obedience trainers,
Gerianne and Barbara use a pragmatic combination of inducive and compulsive
methods, in which correct responses are positively reinforced and incorrect ones
are intercepted and redirected. Puppy training is not stressed; since both
authors also track and exhibit in conformation, they prefer to concentrate on
these activities while the puppy grows up and turn their attention to serious
obedience only when the puppy is well into adolescence.
Separate chapters are devoted to training the handler and training the dog to
heel (the authors claim that a full seventy percent of the responsibility for
effective heeling with the small dog, lies with the handler, and that we might
use this lopsided ratio either to our advantage or our disadvantage). Heeling is
taught using food as a lure and utilizing both the solid lead and the heeling
dowel for correct positioning. Heads-up, attentive heeling is not consciously
taught: "First, let's dispel a myth: Heeling does require attention but
(here's the myth part) it does not require the dog to watch your face
continuously! Depending on your height and the size of your dog, you are going
to have a hard time if you want to emulate the big dog style of watch and wrap.
A small dog simply doesn't have enough body to wrap!" (46). The authors
believe that most small dogs will find their own focal point, and that the most
important thing is that your dog watches you, rather than where his eyes are
focused.
Barbara Cecil and Gerianne Darnell sometimes differ in specific techniques
(the book offers both of their methods for teaching go-outs and articles, for
example), but both believe in making obedience work fun for both dog and
handler. Their book is well written and the illustrations by Randy Cecil (mostly
line drawings) are charming. Barbara and Gerianne published the book themselves
(T9E Publishing--get it?) and really did a very nice job from the standpoint of
book production and design: the cover is both elegant and dramatic, the
typesetting is clean, and the layout is attractive. Commercial publishers like
Howell and (particularly) TFH ought to take a few notes in how it ought to be
done! They've certainly produced a book that belongs on the shelf of everyone
working competitively with a small dog in obedience, and it wouldn't be amiss
for even non-toy folk who are interested in a solid training manual grounded in
motivational methods to invest in a copy.
by Barbara Cecil and Gerianne Darnell
T9E Publishing, R.R. #1 Box 176, 11092 240th St., Council Bluffs, IA 51503
1994, 192 pages, 3 Appendices, paper.
$20 by mail from publisher, including shipping and handling.
Book Review by Lynda B.M. Ellis
Appeared in the April, 1995 Issue of Dog Post: Newsletter of the Twin Cities
Obedience Training Club, Inc., 2101 Broadway Ave NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413.
Editor Janey Shaddrick (612) 328-4191
The small dog owner is in the minority. Not necessarily in total numbers
(small dogs are increasing in popularity every year), but certainly at TCOTC and
most obedience clubs, in classes and as members of the training staff. And while
the training staff prides itself on being adaptable to dogs of any size and
personality, they do tend to forget the problems at the smaller end of the
spectrum, whether it be the puppy in a recent Puppy Socialization class who can
run through the holes in the baby gates (and did so four times), or the advice
in Beginners I to test the sit-stay by putting ten pounds of tension on the
leash. (Don't do this if you have a dog weighing 10 lbs or less!) In addition,
as is also found with children, the larger dog who is "acting out" can
receive a disproportionate amount of a teacher's attention, and the small,
perhaps shy, dog and its owner, less disruptive, are occasionally ignored.
What to do, fellow small dog owner? Buy and read this book!
The authors have had between them over 30 years in competitive obedience and
conformation. Here they write a book to help others succeed in AKC obedience
competitions. They do emphasize competition, thus some of their hints are not as
useful to the owner who only wants a good house pet or therapy dog. But every
small dog owner can benefit from their advice to REALLY look at things from your
dog's point of view. With your eyes 15 inches or less from the floor, can YOU
see over the broad jump?
Anecdotes from their decades in dogs alone are worth the price:
While judging a match, I watched a middle-aged man plod through the Heel On
Leash. His Corgi simply couldn't move that slowly, and kept bouncing around in
heel position. . . . I tried to think of a quick fix to help the man before
the Heel Off Leash. . . . "You know, it might be better if you moved
faster," I offered. The man brightened. "That would get it over with
quicker, wouldn't it?" he replied.
They also understand the special problems found with small dogs, including
their frequent, well-founded fear of getting too close to their fumble-footed
owners. They encourage use of special heeling dowels and other equipment, and
teaching a special "close" command, to be used for wide heeling or
sitting too far away on the recall. The nineteen chapters include all the AKC
competitive obedience exercises, including two chapters on heeling (one for the
handler alone and the other for the handler and dog). Each is full of both
general inducive obedience instruction familiar to TCOTC members and ways to
apply them to the small dog. For example, Chapter 8 on Recall, Front and Finish
begins with a warning: ". . . the smaller and less hairy the dog, the more
difficult it is to achieve a perfect front and finish. . . . . (Every perfect
front and finish performed by a Miniature Pinscher deserves a standing
ovation!)" Drawings by Randy Cecil include a very graphic illustration of
that. One difference with TCOTC recommendations occurs in the footwork for the
Figure Eight. The authors do NOT recommend "single-track" footwork
around the posts, feeling that the swing out of the left foot can encourage a
small dog to go wide or lag to avoid it.
The authors, in a rare "do what I say, not what I did" mode,
suggest that the owner of the small dog study their book and train
independently, only attending "finishing" classes containing
well-trained dogs when preparing for shows. While the book is complete enough to
be used for independent training, in this reviewer's opinion an owner of a small
dog with no previous experience in dog training would benefit from beginner
classes, even with the undoubted risk of physical or emotional injury to a small
dog in the presence of large, untrained dogs and other inexperienced owners.
The book concludes with three Appendices: [AKC] Jump Heights and Distances,
Sources of Obedience Equipment for Small Dogs, and Recommended Readings. It has
a Table of Contents but lacks an index. It is not presently available in stores,
but can be ordered by sending $20 to Gerianne Darnell at the address at the top
of this review. The price includes shipping by priority mail.
Jane K. Larsen
I was pleased and touched by the notes of appreciation from people who took
the time to write me about the article in last June's DCA Newsletter on my
experience with the Stand. That kind of feed-back really does mean a lot!
This issue I am going to highlight the works of a couple of trainers,
Gerianne Darnell and Barbara Cecil, who have written a book entitled COMPETITIVE
OBEDIENCE TRAINING FOR THE SMALL DOG. Published in 1994, Linda Sullivan wrote
the following review of this excellent little book and I think it deserves a
re-run here:
Anyone who has trained one of our long, low, lovable Dachshunds in obedience
knows that there is a tremendous difference between the methods used for those
with legs and those that view the world from a more cluttered perspective! Help
has arrived! Gerianne Darnell and Barbara Cecil have written a wonderful book
entitled COMPETITIVE OBEDIENCE TRAINING FOR THE SMALL DOG.
The authors state in their preface, this is the book they wish they had read
before they started training their first Papillions 10 years ago. What they have
done with their Papillions is nothing short of awesome! Gerianne has trained
Basset Hounds (one to a UDTX), a Border Collie and Papillions. She is presently
the proud partner of an intelligent little guy named AM/CAN CH & AM/CAN OTCH
Loteki Sudden Impulse, UDXTDX, MX, Can UDT (Zack). She also trained the first
CH/OTCH/TDX toy dog (Zipper) in the history of the American Kennel Club. Barbara
Cecil's credentials are also very impressive with Golden Retrievers, a Border
Collie and Papillions.
The book thoroughly discussed the selection of a puppy, pre-training,
equipment (to include clothes, vehicles, and friends!), the fine points of
novice, open, and utility training for the dog and handler, and a discussion on
handling that includes psychological as well as physical realities. Each author
has her own perspective on several subjects and they integrate them very nicely.
They stress that one method does not fit all and they give their readers logical
options to try. In addition to completely covering obedience, they have included
thought provoking excerpts from books and periodicals that bring the challenge
of obedience into perspective for the handler. The Dachshund already has the
entire topic in perfect perspective!
Anyone seriously considering entering the obedience ring with a Dachshund
owes it to themselves and their dog to take the time to absorb this highly
readable and enjoyable book. The authors cover points that most obedience
instructors do not consider when a "super short" individual enrolls
their handler in an obedience class. -- Linda Sullivan with the Editorial
Assistance of Zorro and Lexie
In addition to the above-mentioned book, these talented trainers now have
three video tapes out (novice, open, utility) which illustrate their techniques.
All are extremely valuable to the trainer who wishes to really fine tune his/her
ring performance. If you are a "visual" person like me, you may find
it invaluable to actually see the training method under discussion, illustrated
in motion by the handler as she applies it to the dog. The use of the heeling
dowel, for example, is easy to understand when you can actually see its
application on video tape. This training device is especially useful in molding
a dog's body position during heeling, correcting the dog who tends to crab or
swing wide out of position during the exercise--we all know how much length
Dachshunds have to swing! Footwork during turns and changes of pace is also
shown in close detail. Since crooked fronts and finishes are especially visible
when executed by a small dog--again, Dachshunds have even more length with which
to commit these errors--considerable attention is given to preventing loss of
points in these areas. Exercises are shown being built, step by step, until you
have the whole performance as you wish it to appear. If it has been carefully
and correctly assembled, the result should be very satisfying to behold!
Likewise, if problems occur, the offending portion of an exercise can be
effectively treated without wrecking the remainder. Both the book and the video
tapes are now available from J and J Dog Supply in Galesburg, IL. For those who
have not already discovered this superb source of training supplies, their phone
number is 1-800-642-2050, weekdays from 8:30AM-4:30PM Central Time.
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