In 6 days time, Fergal will be 18 months old, and today, he competed in his first ever Obedience Trial, hosted by the Croydon & District Obedience Dog Club, and endorsed by the Victorian Canine Association.

And he did us proud!

In the world of competitive Dog Obedience, there are five levels of competition.  When a dog successfully completes each level, he receives a new title.  The first level, and title, is Community Companion Dog.

To earn this title, and hence, complete this level, a dog must achieve three ‘passes’.  A ‘pass’ is achieved when you score a minimum of 85 points (out of a possible 100 points). In other words, the dog needs to compete in (at least) three separate competitions (different days, different judges) and earn at least 85 points each time.

Understandably, this usually takes a little while to achieve, particular with a dog who’s just starting out.

But, Fergi is definitely working on it!  Today, he scored 74 points: just 11 points short of target!  Not bad for his first outing!  Watch the video here!

The Community Campion Dog class contains five exercises.  Fergal and Georgina earned 24 points (out of 30) for Heeling On Lead; 20 points (out of 20) for Stand for Examination; 15 points (out of 15) for 1-minute Sit Stay; and 15 points (out of 15) for 2-minute Down-Stay.  Unfortunately, we … err … kinda flunked-out on the Recall exercise!  Fergal hesitated at the off, and was corrected, and then he recalled in an arc, rather than a straight line, causing Georgina to give a second command to ensure he didn’t accidentally cross the line at the edge of the ring.  Ooops!  Never mind… better next time!

A total of 31 dogs competed in this class, and the winner scored a stunning 96 points.  So, Ferg…I guess it’s back to practising!!!

Checkout our YouTube video to catch the action in detail!