An obedience trial is a dog sport in which a dog must perfectly execute a predefined set of tasks when directed to do so by his handler.
The basic objective of obedience trials, however, is to recognize dogs that have been trained to behave in the home, in public places, and in the presence of other dogs, in a manner that will reflect credit on the sport of obedience at all times and under all conditions.
Training a dog to participate in obedience trials increases a dog’s understanding and reliability in responding to commands such as “sit”, “down”, “stay”, “come”, and “heel.” At a trial, the dog and handler will perform various predefined obedience exercises, which will be evaluated and scored by a judge.
The Jamaica Kennel Club breaks down the dog and handler teams into novice, intermediate, and advanced classes.
Depending on the level of the class a dog and handler may be expected to perform as few as five specific exercises or may be required to perform several of the exercises determined at random by the judge on the day of competition.
The titles awarded by the Jamaica Kennel Club are
- CD Companion Dog
- CDX Companion Dog Excellent
- UD Utility Dog
- UDX Utility Dog Excellent
