I wrote this for one of the clubs I belong to, for them to put into their newsletter.
I'll paste it here also in case anyone is interested:
The Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme Special Pre-Beginner Obedience StakesIn 2005 the Kennel Club introduced a new competition aimed to encourage people who had gained the Kennel Club Good Citizen Dog Scheme (KCGCDS) Bronze award into competitive obedience.
Heats were held throughout the country and the best border collie/working sheepdog/or cross breed resembling a collie, and the best ‘anything but a collie’ went throught to the finals. If the dog from either category was already qualified then the qualifier was passed on to the next highest placed dog from the respective category. Heats usually have 45-59 entries/dogs in them.
Due to the number of dogs that qualified for the final last year a new step was introduced. Again, the best BC/WSD and the best ABC from each heat went through, but this time there was a semi-final that these qualified dogs needed to attend. For heats held in the north the semi-final was held at the Working and Pastoral breeds championship breed show in Edingburgh, and dogs that qualified in the south went to the semi-final at Discover Dogs in London.
At each semi-final there were 10 qualifying places up for grabs. The 5 best BC/WSD and the five best ABC would qualify for the finals to be held at Crufts 2007. In this way there will be a total of 20 dogs in the final at Crufts, 10 BC/WSD and 10 ABC.
The exercises included in the test are a combination of the KCGCDS Bronze award and an open obedience pre-beginner round. No food or toys are allowed in an obedience test (except for during the play exercise of this particular class) The exercises are performed in the order predecided by the judge.
To compete in the class a dog and hander must be eligible to compete at Pre-Beginner level at open shows (i.e. they havent won anything), and the dog must hold it’s KCGCDS Bronze award.
Play with and motivate the dogA toy may be used for this exercise!
GateThe hander should leave the dog in the sit, down or stand. They then open the gate and walk through. The dog is then called through under control, and placed in either the sit, down or stand. The handler should then close the gate.
Heel on leadThe judge sets out a heelwork pattern that all teams must follow. It may include circles, right, left and about turns, straight lines and halts. The judge is looking for the dog to maintain a consistent position with it’s shoulder level with and close to the handlers left leg, and for the dog to sit quickly at the handlers side when the handler halts.
RecallThe novice recall involves the dog being left in the sit or down. The hander (on the stewards commands) walks away from the dog, turns and faces the dog, and calls it. The dog should come quickly and in a straight line to end up sitting in front of the handler. The dog should then ‘finish’ moving either behind the handler, or in a tight circle to the left of the handler, to end up sitting next to the handler’s left leg.
ExaminationThe handler should show the judge that they can perform a thorough examination of the dog without the dog resisting or showing aggression.
StayAll the dogs perform this exercise at the same time. The dogs can be left in any position (either the sit, down or stand). The handlers leave the dogs and walk into the centre of the ring. They remain in sight of their dogs, and the exercise lasts for 1 minute. After a minute they return to their dogs, and when the steward announces that the exercise is finished the handlers can release their dogs. The dogs should remain in the position they were left in, and handlers are not allowed to give any extra commands to their dogs (verbally or physically) one the test has started.
If your dog holds his/her KCGCDS Bronze award and you are interested in competitive obedience then this class is definitely worth entering. It’s a great introduction to competition work, and you may even get the chance to compete at Discover Dogs or even at Crufts!
There was one cocker (show-type) in the finals last year; and this year two cockers qualified for the semi-final (both in the south). One was working-type, and the other show-type. The show-type qualified through to the final. It would be great to see more cockers having a go at the heats, and hopefully going through to the semi-final and final
When I get a list of the qualifying heats for 2007 I'll paste them up here if anyone is interested.