Competitive obedience dog breeds and breeders in the UK

About competitive obedience dog breeds and breeders in the uk

Competitive obedience UK style is a precision sport: handler and dog work through set exercises in front of a judge and lose marks for every imperfection. This page explains how Kennel Club obedience works under what is now The Royal Kennel Club, who trains obedience dogs, which obedience dog breeds do well and what to ask a breeder.

What this work involves

Competitive obedience runs in seven classes: Introductory, Pre-Beginners, Beginners, Novice, Class A, Class B and Class C, the highest. The exercises stay broadly the same while the standard rises:

• Heelwork at every level, from straight lines and turns in the early classes to changes of pace in Class B and circles, weaves and multiple turns in Class C.
• Recall, first to a sit in front of the handler, then from Class A to the heel position while the handler keeps walking.
• Retrieve of whatever article the handler provides in Beginners, a dumbbell in Novice and Class A, and an article provided by the judge in Classes B and C.
• Sendaway, where the dog is sent to a marked area, drops on command and waits to be called back to heel.
• Scent discrimination from Class A: finding the handler’s scented cloth among blank cloths, then with a decoy scent added in Class B, and in Class C the judge’s scent.
• Distant control in Class C only: the dog changes between sit, stand and down on command with the handler 10 to 20 paces away.

Stay exercises are no longer part of Royal Kennel Club obedience. The winner is the dog that loses the fewest points. Dogs move up the classes on wins or, since 2022, on progression points, and a dog that gains 100 progression points at championship, premier or open shows, including set minimums in Novice and Classes A, B and C, earns the Obedience Warrant (OW). Dogs can compete from six months of age.

Who trains and supplies these dogs in the UK

Obedience dogs are trained by the owners who compete with them, usually at an obedience training club. The Royal Kennel Club recommends starting at one of its registered training clubs or listed status clubs, and its Find a Club search lists clubs by area. Canine Breeder does not supply, train or certify obedience dogs.

The Royal Kennel Club licenses obedience shows, writes the regulations and awards the titles. Dogs must be on its Breed Register or, for crossbreeds and pedigrees not eligible for the Breed Register, its Activity Register, so crossbreeds compete on equal terms. Obedience has been part of Crufts since the 1950s. Today Crufts hosts an inter-regional obedience team competition and separate Obedience Championships for dogs and bitches, open to dogs that have won a Royal Kennel Club Obedience Certificate during the qualifying period. Obedience Certificates are won in Class C at championship shows and count towards the Obedience Champion (Ob Ch) title.

Breeds and lines

Any breed or crossbreed can compete, but a few breeds are especially well represented in the top classes:

• Border Collie: the breed most associated with top-level obedience, with the focus and precision that championship heelwork demands.
• Working Sheepdog: collies bred from working farm lines, with the same attentiveness and speed of learning.
• Golden Retriever: biddable, a natural retriever and good at scent work.
• German Shepherd Dog: a long-established obedience breed with a close bond to its handler.

The traits that matter are biddability, sustained attention, calm focus in a busy ring and a good nose. Lines bred by handlers who compete tend to be selected for those traits over looks. Ask for hip and elbow scores and eye results under the BVA/Royal Kennel Club schemes, and the DNA tests relevant to the breed.

What to ask a breeder

1. Do you compete in obedience, and in which class do the parents work?
2. Have the parents won Obedience Certificates or earned an Obedience Warrant?
3. How do the parents behave around other dogs in a busy ring, and with strangers?
4. What are the parents’ hip, elbow and eye results, and which DNA tests have they had?
5. Is this a working, show or sport line, and how much drive should I expect?
6. What socialisation and early handling do the puppies get before they leave?

Frequently asked questions

What are the best obedience dog breeds?

Border Collies are the breed most associated with top-level obedience, and several recent Crufts Obedience Champions have been Border Collies. Working Sheepdogs, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds and many other breeds and crossbreeds also compete successfully.

How do I find an obedience training club?

Use the Royal Kennel Club’s Find a Club search and look for registered or listed status clubs. Watch a class first and ask whether the club trains for competition as well as everyday manners.

How old does my dog need to be for Kennel Club obedience?

Six months, and the dog must be on the Royal Kennel Club Breed Register or Activity Register. Newcomers start in the Introductory class, where limited rewards are allowed in a set reward area between exercises.

If your dogs compete in obedience, or you breed collies, retrievers or shepherds from lines that do, add your listing to Canine Breeder and reach handlers looking for their next obedience prospect.