02 History
Description
This article is from the Obedience Trials, by Cindy Tittle Moore with numerous contributions by others.
02 History
In the United States, AKC obedience started in the late 1930s. It was
promoted by several people and groups around the country. Blanche
Saunders toured the country in a travel trailer with her black
standard poodles giving obedience exhibitions and introducing
obedience to the American public and the nascent conformation
community. Her books on Novice, Open, and Utility are still in print.
The person who was instrumental in bringing obedience to the USA,
however, was Mrs. Whitehouse Walker.
Following World War II obedience only clubs were organized and become
member or sanctioned clubs of the AKC. Up to the middle to late 70s
all obedience training tended to be of the punishment avoidance type
(generally called "jerk and pull") which discouraged some people and
did not work well with some breeds. The introduction of independent
obedience tournaments such as Gaines in 1980 has done more to
revolutionize AKC obedience than anything. Once these tournaments
started the level of performance competition increased dramatically.
The standards were raised causing people to search for training
techniques which would produce an exacting 'happy' performance.
Positive motivation techniques began to appear. Around that same time
private obedience schools became more numerous and obedience seminars
become more popular. Today it seems as if most competitive obedience
people train at private schools where before most of the training was
done by kennel or obedience clubs.
In 1993 there were 10,973 obedience titles awarded by the AKC. In 1992
11,397 were awarded. 84 Obedience Trial Championships were awarded in
'93 and 92. In Europe, one of the most enduring names in obedience,
Arthur Newman, got his start in 1941 and learned to handle Border
Collies with sheep (but failed his first competitive trial in 1943).
Later he began competition with Shepherds and Rottweilers in the
British working trials, which are more like the Schutzhund sport
without the need to do the protection phase in each class. The British
trials are much more demanding in regard to control, food refusal,
speak on command and recall from a running decoy. Absolute control is
the vital element.
While serving in the British Airborne for 25 years, Mr. Newman was
able to travel to the Far East, Africa, and Europe where he always
searched out the local obedience clubs and learned from them. Upon
emigrating to Canada in 1970, he was shocked and surprised to see the
standard, simple tests and proliferation of titles; but he went on to
put 15 dogs through CD six to CDX and two to OTCH as well as working
some Schutzund and tracking.
He introduced Agility to Canada in the late 1970's and founded the now
Agility Association of Canada with 40 clubs across the country. All of
his working Shepherds and Rottweilers have been shown in conformation
to prove that a 'pretty' dog can also have brains.
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