American Kennel Club (AKC) Obedience

AKC Novice

Note: This is a requirement for the Professional Trainer Course. The test is the same as AKC Novice Trials, which includes the following exercises:

1. Heel on Leash including a Figure Eight (also on leash).

2. Command your dog to stand and leave approximately six feet away while the judge examines the dog.

3. Repeat of item number one, heeling but this time without a leash. Does not include the figure-eight exercise.

4. Leave your dog on a sit-stay and go away approximately thirty paces and call your dog to come to you and sit squarely in front of you. Following the sit-front you must command your dog to go the heel position at your left side.

5. One-minute stay with a group of sitting dogs while the handler stands approximately thirty feet away.

6. Similar to 5 above except this time your dog is placed in a down position and you must remain away for a period of three minutes.

AKC Open

Note: This is a requirement for the Professional Trainer Course.
The test is the same as AKC “Open” (or Open 1) Trials, which includes the following exercises:

1. Heel off leash & Figure Eight.

2. Leave your dog on a sit stay and go approximately 30 feet away and call your dog, but this time the dog also gets commanded to stop and lie down on its way to you. Then the handler calls the dog again and the dog must come and sit squarely in front of the handler and then move to heel position when commanded.

3. Retrieve a dumbbell thrown approximately 15 feet, return with the dumbbell and sit directly in front of the handler and release the dumbbell on command and then move to heel position when commanded.

4. Retrieve a dumbbell over High Jump, return and sit in front of the handler, release the dumbbell on command and then move to heel position when commanded.

5. The handler leaves their dog on a sit-stay in front of a broad jump. The handler then moves beside the broad jump and commands the dog the jump, and after jumping the dog must return and sit directly in front of the handler and then move to heel position when commanded.

6. Long Sit: The handler leaves their dog sitting and goes out of sight for three minutes.

7. Long Down: The handler leaves their dog in a down position and goes out of sight for five minutes.

AKC Utility

Note: This is a requirement for the Master Trainer Course. The test is the same as AKC Utility Trials, which includes the following exercises:

1. Signal Exercise — In this exercise the handler performs off-leash heeling exercises with only hand commands (no verbal commands). After heeling the handler stands their dog and leaves the dog on a stay and goes a distance in front of the dog. From this standing position the dog must go down then sit, then come to the handler, sit squarely in front, then move to heel position. All conducted-hand commands only.

2. Scent Discrimination — The handler provides both metal and leather dumbbells to the judge, who places all but two of them on the floor at a distance in front of the dog. The judge then gives the two remaining to the handler to touch them (adding their scent). The handler then sends their dog from heel position to search out and retrieve only the article the handler touched, return to the sit front position, release the dumbbell on command and then go to heel position on command. This is done twice, once with a metal dumbbell and once with a leather one.

3. Directed Retrieve — The judge places three gloves thirty paces away in the ring, while the handler with dog in heel faces away. The judge then tells the handler and dog to turn and the handler sends the dog to retrieve a specific glove. The dog must return with the glove, sit in front of the handler, then go to heel position when commanded.

4. Moving Stand and Examination — The handler stands their dog while moving. The dog must stay while the judge examines it. The judge tells the handler to return to the dog after the exam.

5. Directed Jumping — The showing ring contains two jumps, a solid jump and a bar jump. From the heel position the judge commands the handler to send their dog between the jumps to the other side of the ring. The handler commands the dog to sit, and then the judge tells the handler to recall the dog over a particular jump. The dog comes to the front position and then when told by the judge the dog moves to heel.

Schutzhund/IPO Titles

BH

The BH is the entry-level test for FCI trials, and is a requirement for the Professional Trainer Course. The handler with his dog must perform a heeling display on an outside show ground the size of a football field. The team performs a predetermined pattern while judged. The exercises consist of on and off leash heeling, sit from heeling, down from heeling with a recall, and a long down stay under distraction.

SchHI / IPO1

This isn't a requirement for any course, but it is taught. The following exercises comprise the IPO I obedience. As with the BH it is demonstrated outdoors, on a large show ground:

1. Off-Leash heeling (moving with the handler on their left side) demonstrating a predetermined pattern.

2. Stop sit and stay while handler continues walking approximately thirty paces away. Down on command while heeling with the handler, followed by a recall.

3. Retrieve of a thrown object on the field.

4. Retrieve of a dumbbell, approved by the judge, over a hurdle.

5. Retrieve of a dumbbell over a scaling wall (approximately six-feet tall).

6. Send-away from the handler approximately 60 feet from heeling followed by a down on command.

7. Long-down stay (approximately five minutes) with handler 30 feet away, while another dog completes their performance.

SchHII / IPO2

This is a requirement for the Professional Trainer Course. The IPO 2 obedience exercise also takes place on an outside arena officiated by a judge. The IPO is very similar to the IPO 1 except it includes a stop and stand when commanded during heeling. Again the handler goes 15 paces before returning to his standing dog.

SchHIII / IPO3​

This is a requirement for the Master Trainer Course. IPO 3 obedience is slightly different than IPO 2, but requires retrieving a heavier dumbbell, and a stop, stand and stay from heeling.

Protection Sport Association (PSA)

PSA Obedience

This isn't a requirement to pass any course, but it is taught.

PSA is a unique sport that separates itself from other dog sports by having suited decoys on the field during obedience routines in the competition levels of PSA 1 thorough PSA 3.

PSA 1 — A decoy in a bite suit sits in a chair during the majority of the routine. During a recall from a down position, he will toss some distractions past the dog in a down before the handler recalls the dog to heel position.

PSA 2 — Multiple decoys will walk/jog around the dog/handler team and interact with the handler verbally, as well as provide food refusal and distraction during position changes, retrieves, and jumping exercises . The pattern of the obedience in both PSA 1 and PSA 2 is known to the handler.

PSA 3 — The obedience routine is drawn up by the judge as a surprise scenario. Skills such as heeling, retrieves, jumping exercises, climbing exercises, food refusal, position changes are known to the handler, but the order of the routine is unknown to the handler until the day of the trial. Heeling is judged strictly even under these distractions. The decoys on the field run and agitate while the dog is heeling, staying, and doing motion exercises .