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AKC Companion Dog Title
If you enjoy training with your dog you should definitely think about seeking a title. The AKC offers several obedience titles, one being the CD or companion dog title. To earn this title your dog must qualify under 3 different judges, scoring at least 170 points in each trial. I entered Blitz (Heavy) for his CD, and describe the testing below along with things to watch and train for prior to entering the shows.
The figure eight is done with the dog on leash. You are asked to stop twice during the heeling exercise.
After the figure eight you give your leash to a steward and stand your dog for exam. You'll have more success in this if before leaving your dog you make sure he is standing in a comfortable stance. You walk about 6 ft. from your dog and wait while the judge goes over your dog. He/she will touch his head, shoulder and back, then tell you to return to your dog. You are to return passing behind the dog and back around to the heeling position.
After your recall you do the same heeling pattern off leash.
Then as a group your dogs must do a 1 minute sit. This for me was one of the hardest exercises to teach Blitz. He had to sit next to other intact males without making eye contact or sniffing. One clue to help your dog is to teach him that when you put your leash behind him, he is to do a sit and not a recall. In this group we had eleven dogs, 9 intact males!
Next is the long down. You never realize how long 3 minutes is until you have to stand waiting for the time to be up. When you leave the dog on the long down it helps if you keep your arms crossed, this way he will not think it is a recall. As you can see, Blitz did well. We earned our CD in 3 shows with scores of 185, 190.5, and 192.
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Jagerstadt Kennels
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