We have over 75 Instructors at CATC, some with over 40 years of experience in dog training!!

What is AKC Obedience?

Demonstrating the usefulness of a dog as a companion to humankind, AKC Obedience is a sport with rules, regulations, judges, conditioning, training, placements and prizes.

Dog and handler teams are judged on how closely they match the judge’s mental picture of a theoretically perfect performance as they execute a series of specified exercises.
Accuracy and precision are essential, but the natural movement of the handler and the willingness and enjoyment of the dog are very important.

Helen Whitehouse Walker devised the first obedience “test” in Mt. Kisco, New York in 1933 to show the intelligence of her poodles.

The first AKC licensed obedience trial was held in 1936 with approximately 200 entries in 18 trials.

Each level of obedience competition – novice, open, and utility – requires mastering a specific skill set, which increase in difficulty, before advancing to the next level.

• The Novice Class demonstrates good canine companion skills such as heeling, both with and without a leash, coming when called, standing for a simple physical examination, and staying in both a sit and a down position with a group of dogs. In the Novice Class, dogs earn an AKC Companion Dog (CD) title after receiving three qualifying scores under two different judges.
  
• The Open Class is more challenging as more exercises are done off leash and retrieving and jumping challenges are added. In the Open Class, dogs earn an AKC Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title after receiving three qualifying scores under two different judges.
  
  
• The Utility Class, which includes scent discrimination, directed retrieves, jumping and silent signal exercises, is the most challenging class. In the Utility Class, dogs earn an AKC Utility Dog (UD) title after receiving three qualifying scores from two different judges.
  

Upon completion of the UD title, dogs may earn the Utility Dog Excellent (UDX) by receiving 10 passing scores in both Open B and Utility B at the same show.

In October of 2004, numeric designations were added to the UDX.  The highest UDX title to date is a UDX71, OTCH Jo’s Xpensif Hobi O’Redfield UDX71 MX MXJ.  The Obedience Trial Championship (OTCH) title is often referred to as the “PhD” for dogs, is the highest obedience honor a dog can receive. To obtain an OTCH title, a dog and handler team must receive 100 points by placing first, second, third or fourth in the Open B or Utility B classes and a first place in Utility B and/or Open B three times. To compete in the AKC National Obedience Invitational dogs must be the top OTCH and OTCH-pointed dogs in each breed. The AKC National Obedience Championship title (NOC) is awarded to one dog each year. Only dogs winning the AKC National Obedience Championship are permitted to have the prestigious NOC letters precede its name in AKC records. There are 14 NOCs in the seventeen-year history of this event 3 dogs having won the award twice.

Did you know that as of April 2010, mixed breed dogs can be shown in AKC performance events!!!!!

WE CAN SHOW YOU HOW!

​​Columbus All-Breed Training Club​