The sport of obedience showcases a dog and handler team's ability to perform standardized exercises at different skill levels. While formal judging is based on how precisely each exercise is performed, obedience work should always reflect joy and energy between the dog and handler. Obedience enthusiasts enjoy building a relationship with their dogs through time spent training and exhibiting, and with today's motivational training techniques, the "jerk and yank" school of obedience training is fast becoming extinct.

The foundation exercises for competition obedience are an extension of the basic obedience commands many people teach their pets, and include heeling, stays, recalls, retrieves and jumping. All the exercises in the upper-level competition classes (Open and Utility) are variants of these skills. All breeds of dogs can participate in the sport, which welcomes handlers of all ages. Puppies can begin to learn obedience exercises through informal training while they mature both physically and mentally, and all dogs will benefit from the mental stimulation and interaction with their owners obedience training provides.

Written by Melinda Wichmann