This is Duke after earning his ASCA CD title in obedience. Duke has also earned his UKC CD title as well. Nice work!
I think obedience is much harder to accomplish than most dog sports. You and your dog have to be very precise and you can only use so many words and body signals in the ring. You have to teach your dog to be motivated and attentive without much verbal encouragement. Entles tend to get bored with this sport since they like to be more active and love more uplifting and verbal sports. This is why it is so rewarding to achieve an obedience title with this breed. It's not easy!
I have learned certain tricks to keep this sport very upbeat in order for my dog to stay motivated and attentive. Each dog is different and you have to figure out what things will illicit a certain behavior from your dog.
If you want to get into obedience, but you're looking to have more verbal freedom in the ring, you will definitely want to try a sport called Rally Obedience (also called Rally-O for short.) I have not competed in Rally-O yet, but I've tried it in several fun matches and it's a whole lot of fun!
The only place so far that I can see where Entlebuchers can compete in Rally-O is at APDT.
GOOOOOD STAY!
HEY! That's not fair!
Do I get extra points for distractions?
These other dogs in this picture are from my second obedience instructor who I thank very much for all her encouragement and dedication to helping us become who we are today.
When I first went into obedience training, it became very discouraging at our lack of progress. I finally figured out that the techniques that were being trained with our first instructor were not working. I researched a new instructor that had very positive techniques and made use of treats and toys and lots of play. It was night and day after we switched to our new instructor. We just blossomed ever since!
So, if you are ever in a situation where your gut tells you something is not right, go with it and don't be afraid to try a new instructor. Do your research, observe classes, talk to people and how they train their dogs and go with what you are comfortable with. It's worth it!
If you think you are ready to try competiting in obedience but are a little intimidated to try the off leash part of it, I suggest doing sub-novice. It's all on leash and it's very low key and the judges are very supportive at this level.
Don't worry about making mistakes in the show ring. It's a learning experience and you can take what you've learned back to the practice field and work on making yourself more successful.
Never show your disappointment around your dog! Your dog's behavior is a reflection of your training!