About Obedience Titles
Nowhere will you find better dog trainers than those obedience trainers who are successful at the upper level titles. They train a complex set of skills that not only ask the dog to give a lot but also serve to demonstrate the dog's intelligence, biddability, and drives.
Originally printed in the obedience competitors' magazine, Front and Finish, Sandra Mowry's essay, entitled “What Is an Obedience Title, Really?,” represents the spirit of dedication to obedience and training that is still alive and well in dog shows every weekend all across America.
“Not just a brag, not just a stepping stone to a higher title, not just an adjunct to competitive scores; a title is a tribute to the dog that bears it, a way to honor the dog, an ultimate memorial. It will remain in the record and in the memory, for about as long as anything in this world can remain.
And though the dog himself doesn't know or care that his achievements have been noted, a title says many things in the world of humans, where such things count.
A title says your dog was intelligent, adaptable, and good natured. It says that your dog loved you enough to do the things that please you, however crazy they may have sometimes seemed.
In addition, a title says that you love your dog. That you loved to spend time with him because he was a good dog and that you believed in him enough to give him yet another chance when he failed and in the end your faith was justified.
A title proves that your dog inspired you to that special relationship enjoyed by so few; that in a world of disposable creatures, this dog with a title was greatly loved, and loved greatly in return.
And when that dear short life is over, the title remains as a memorial of the finest kind, the best you can give to a deserving friend. Volumes of praise in one small set of initials after the name.
An obedience title is nothing less than love and respect, given and received and recorded permanently.”
Getting an obedience title on a boxer puts that boxer among the most elite of the breed. It is truly an achievement to be proud of. Substitute the name of your boxer for “dog” in the essay, and see if you are not moved to want to demonstrate to the world your love for him and your pride in him.
Almost every weekend of the year, you can find trials occurring in all kinds of places in all fifty states. Many all-breed kennel clubs offer trials with their conformation point shows. There are also obedience-only clubs that offer trials only. Some boxer clubs offer trials with their annual or semiannual specialties, while other breed clubs may offer all-breed trials with their annual specialty and trial. That means trials can occur in many different venues, all of which can offer legs toward a title.
In addition to the AKC trials, the United Kennel Club offers shows and trials around the country, but their obedience exercises are slightly different. The Australian Shepherd Club of America also gives obedience trials and titles to other breeds than Australian shepherds. If you get bitten by the trialing bug, you have other options.
