Formal obedience trials are one of the oldest dog sports in the
world. Obedience is the ultimate demonstration of precision
training. Obedience has progressive
levels of competition, each with specified exercises which have a written
standard of perfection as to how they are to be performed. Rally Obedience
is one of the newest additions to AKC competitive events, and was introduced in
the early 2000s. Rally is a pre-set course of "stations," each
station specifying a different exercise that must be performed. Dog and
handler go from station to station, completing the requirements as efficiently, precisely,
and smoothly as possible. Rally is like Obedience in that there are
specified exercises and exacting standards that they must be performed to, but
it is different in that the atmosphere is much more relaxed and that the handler
can verbally communicate with the dog while in the ring (a no-no for formal
obedience).
Though it is very possible for Pharaohs to succeed in competitive
formal obedience, it is definitely not their forte! Many Pharaohs actually do quite well, however, they will never be quite the same as the traditional obedience breeds (i.e. shelties, border collies, labs, etc.) which were bred from the beginnings of time to work at Man's side. In ancient times, Pharaohs were bred to go off on their own and think for themselves in hunting, producing the independently able, sometimes
stubborn hound that we know today. Thus, the Pharaoh Hound is not the best candidate if you're looking for an obedience dog that you can train up quickly and painlessly, and go in the ring and win All-Breed High in Trials with. But, if you want a little bit of a fun challenge, have lots of patience, and are willing to throw aside those old military compulsion training techniques and use 100% "playtraining," then the Pharaoh just might be your obedience dog.
In my personal experience, clicker training, a type of operant conditioning that caught on big-time in the mid-to-late 1990s, has worked the best for training the Pharaohs in everything from obedience to conformation.
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How Obedience Works In AKC Obedience, there are three classes; Novice, Open, and Utility, each progressively more difficult. Each dog, regardless of level or class, walks into the ring with a perfect score of 200 points. As mistakes are made, points are deducted from the total score. A qualifying score is 85%, or 170. In AKC Obedience, there are five titles to be earned. Check out the What Titles Mean page for more info on the Obedience titles and how they are earned.
There are three classes in AKC Rally Obedience; Novice, Advanced, and Excellent. Each dog, regardless of level or class, walks into the ring with a perfect score of 100 points. As mistakes are made, points are deducted from the total score. A qualifying score is 70. Check out the What Titles Mean page for more info on the Rally titles and how they are earned. |
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