Italian
   Greyhound Club
     of Canada

IGs are excellent prospects for obedience trialing. They have a spectacular prancing heel gait (which is natural for our breed), are eager to learn, and very lively in their performance. We have had several Obedience Trial Champions in our breed place well individually, and earn a stop in the top 10 for the toy group (5). We have never had an IG in the top ten all breed standings yet – that exciting event is still to come! CKC has added some transition classes (PCD, CDI) to Obedience trialing that make it much easier to start young or inexperienced IGs.  

Transition classes are optional to the regular Novice (CD), Open (CDX) and Utility (UD) classes. Pre- Novice (PCD) is mostly all on leash and only requires a 30second sit stay. This is nice for IGs because the long down stay can be one of the more difficult exercises for the fidgety IG; whereas, for other breeds it is an easy one. For Novice Intermediate (CDI) the long down stay is part of an honour exercise (one dog stays while another dog does a heel pattern) and the CDI retrieve  is just partial. Some IGs learn fetching a dumbbell easily but others need more stage by stage instruction, so the CDI option allows the IG to stay in the ring while polishing the Open performance. We also have a graduate Novice class which can be a fun warm up for a dog at higher levels, or a way for retired CD IGs to stay in the ring for some fun.

 

CKC Rally Obedience is also another important development for IGs in Obedience. Rally is on leash entirely for Rally Novice (RN) but by Rally Advanced (RA) & Rally Excellent (RE), it is all off lead. In Rally, the dog and handler go around a course with signs at various points indicating the exercise to be performed at each station. In Rally, the rules are more relaxed than regular obedience trails - you can use multiple commands and talk to and encourage the dog. If a station is failed, you can even try it again. You will lose marks of course, but still can pass. Beginner IGs (and beginner Handlers) will find Rally Obedience a great fun way to start Obedience competition. Rally Obedience and traditional Obedience Trials are sometimes held at the same location, so you can do classes from each.