USEFUL INFORMATION
2025 Future Class Dates*:January 9th - February 13th
March 6th - April 10th
May 1st - June 5th
August 28th - October 2nd
October 23rd - December 4th
Puppy and Beginner Classes are offered every session
*Starting dates are subject to change based on weather conditions.
Obedience Director Email Address: obedience@lccoc.org
Pet Therapy Contact Email Address: pettherapy@lccoc.org
Registration Guidelines for Obedience Classes
Obedience Class Registration Form - PAY ONLINE via PAYPAL HERE!
AKC Title Descriptions
All obedience, CGC, and rally classes are 6 weeks and the cost is $150 for all those who are not members of LCCOC. For CGC, there is an additional testing fee of $25. Acceptable forms of payment include cash, check, or money order.
Rescue dogs with proof of adoption receive a discounted rate of $125.
Per the Registration Guidelines, the Beginners' Obedience Class and the Puppy Kindergarten Class may be repeated one time per dog at no additional charge.
Obedience, CGC, and rally classes are held in the front right or rear left the parking lot of the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Complex off of Bluebonnet Blvd. on Thursday nights from 7:00 pm - 8:00 p.m. Visitors are also welcome to observe a session before enrolling.
Please arrive 30 minutes prior to the start of the class to register and pay for the class in advance. After the first session, arrive 15 minutes early for all session to settle your dog. Always bring water for your dog and materials to clean up after your dog.
Please read the LCCOC handout on Obedience/Rally competitions.
Please click the "SHOW PREMIUMS" link in the menu bar for information on dates and locations of obedience trials.
CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
OBEDIENCE CLASSES
Puppy Kindergarten- Qualifications: puppies 4 months to 6 months in age
- Objective: Education of the owner and beginning socialization for the puppy.
- Content: Information on basic commands, grooming, house training, veterinarian care, nutrition, safe toys, and socialization activities.
- Equipment Needed: Buckle collar, 6-foot leash, treats, treat pouch, poop bags.
- Qualifications: Open to all dogs. Puppy class not required to enter.
- Objective: Introductory education of the owner and dog through training and socialization.
- Content: Basic handling techniques for the owner. The dog learns walking on a leash and commands of heel, sit, down, stay, and come.
- Equipment Needed: Same as Puppy class. Other equipment such as a slip chain, martingale, or prong collar may be suggested by the instructor.
Intermediate Beginners' Obedience Class
- Qualifications: Open to all dogs who have completed beginner training. Dogs and owners coming from other programs will be assessed by the instructor.
- Objective: Continued Education of the owner and dog through training and socialization.
- Content: Development of more advanced handling skills, such as luring, with a focus on preparing the dog for learning advanced skills needed to compete in performance sports.
- Equipment Needed: Same as Beginner Class. Other equipment may be suggested by the instructor.
Advanced Beginners' Obedience Class
- Qualifications: Open to all dogs who have completed beginner training. Dogs and owners coming from other programs will be assessed by the instructor.
- Objective: Continued Education of the owner and dog through training and socialization.
- Content: Further development of basic commands and handling techniques for competition preparation
- Equipment Needed: Same as Beginner Class. Other equipment may be suggested by the instructor.
RALLY CLASSES
RallyRally is a perfect follow up to Puppy Kindergarten or Beginners Obedience. The class is ideal for children as well as adults wishing to continue practicing their obedience skills. This fast-paced activity keeps everyone on their toes and moving through a set of instructional signs that can improve any obedience team's performance. Rally stimulates the mind of both the dog and its owner and is becoming a popular dog sport. Rally is also an AKC-titled event. Rally training will be held at the same time and location as the other obedience classes if there is sufficient enrollment. The class level will be based on the skills of the
participants.
- Qualifications: Open to all dogs who have completed a beginners' obedience class. Dogs and owners coming from other programs will be assessed by the instructor.
- Objective: Introduction or continued education in the sport of Rally
- Content: Learning the meanings of Rally signs, basic rules of the sport, navigation of a Rally class
- Equipment Needed: Buckle or martingale collar and a 6-foot leash
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN (CGC)
The Canine Good Citizen Program, which the club promotes, is a test of a dog's manners and training. It is not a competition anddoes not require the owner of the dog to perform with precision. These 6-week classes and testing are usually held in the early Spring and Fall.
Class enrollment is not required to test. You can also click here to learn more about the program and the components of the
test on the AKC website.
For further information on the CGC classand/or test, please email us at obedience@lccoc.org
FAQ's
OBEDIENCE/RALLY
In Obedience competition, what is a leg?A leg is one qualifying score under an official judge at an official AKC Obedience Trial.
How many legs does my dog need for an obedience title?
Three
Can I show my dog under the same judge over and over again?
Yes, but to earn titles you will need to show under different judges (two in Rally and three in Obedience).
What is a Fun Match?
A fun match is an informal dog event that is not sanctioned by the AKC. These events are commonly held by clubs that are not on the records of the AKC as being eligible to conduct sanctioned matches, or by sanctioned clubs (like ours) that want to give teams an opportunity to have fun and/or practice for sanctioned events. Generally, corrections may be made and food may be
allowed in the ring.
What is a Sanctioned Match?
A dog club approved to hold a licensed or member dog show, agility or obedience /rally trial is eligible to hold sanctioned matches. There are many types of sanctioned matches. For example, Obedience matches, agility matches, rally matches, etc. Each type has its regulations. Please visit the AKC web site for AKC Match Regulations. Generally, sanctioned matches are similar tutorials, where food and corrections are not allowed in the ring.
What is an Obedience Trial?
An Obedience Trial is an AKC event put on by a club approved to hold a licensed obedience trail. There are many rules and regulations that apply to a trial. Please visit the AKC web site to read the current AKC Obedience Regulations.
Can I enter the day of the Obedience Trial?
No, not an official trial. However, some trials also hold matches on the same weekend, and you may enter a match at the trial on the same day. Read the Premium to see what the rules are for each trial.
What are the levels of Obedience Competition?
Novice - CD-Companion Dog
Open - CDX - Companion Dog Excellent
Utility - UD Utility Dog
UDX - UtilityDog Excellent (requires obtaining a qualifying score in both Open and Utility on the same day, and you have to do that 10 times in order to get the title).
OTCH Obedience Trial Champion, based on points obtained by high scores. Champion titles (Ch, OTCH, MACH, etc) go before the dog's name.
There are several people in our club with multiple UDXs on multiple dogs & OTCHs on at least 1 dog.
Rally: What is Rally?
Rally is a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course that has been designed by the rally judge. Rally provides a link from the Canine Good Citizen® (CGC) program to obedience or agility competition, both for dogs and handlers. In addition, rally promotes fun and enjoyment for dogs at all levels of competition. Please visit the AKC web site for more information on AKC Rally Regulations.
Rally: What are the Rally levels and what are the differences?
Novice, Advanced and Excellent. Each level has signs and exercises of increasing difficulty. Rally is a relatively new area of Obedience competition, testing principally the handler and dog's attentiveness to the handler and their synchronous behavior in healing maneuvers. Please visit the AKC web site for the latest rules and regulations for Rally.
What is “Wild Card”?
The designated classes follow the Obedience Regulations and requirements for each class level: Novice, Open, and Utility. The difference is that, when checking in for the class, the handler will identify one of the required exercises in that class as their wild card. The handler may choose to perform or not to perform the exercise, but in any case, the dog and handler will receive a perfect score for this one exercise. If the handler chooses to perform the exercise, they must comply with the regulations in their performance. The wild card exercise is not meant to be a training opportunity for the dog and handler.
Do I have to train my own dog?
Yes. Obedience training involves training the owner as much as the dog.
Why do advanced dog trainers, with lots of experience, sometimes show up in Beginners level classes?
Some of our members acquire several dogs over the years and with each one they train, they start them at the beginners level.
Why doesn’t LCCOC give out certificates for completing the beginner class?
An official certificate from LCCOC saying that a dog has completed the beginner class would imply a level of obedience that might not be present and might lead to litigation against our club.
Do the obedience instructors get paid?
No, our instructors are all volunteers. They have put at least one official AKC obedience title on a dog. Many of the instructors have multiple titles on multiple dogs and may have been training dogs for many years.
Why does LCCOC train obedience in a parking lot?
LCCOC does not have a building nor does it own land. The parking lot is graciously donated to us by Blue Cross and it is well-lit for night-time training and has ample parking.
Do I have to join LCCOC to take obedience classes?
No. However, you will only be able to take Puppy, Beginner, and Advanced Beginner classes, which can be repeated over and over to good advantage. Every instructor offers new skills. We offer our Advanced level classes only to LCCOC club members.
Does my dog have to be registered with the AKC to take obedience classes with LCCOC?
No. All dogs are welcome and become better citizens with obedience training, which is part of our club's mission.
Are individual members and/or groups of students allowed to use the facilities to practice, without a designated instructor at a scheduled class and at no charge?
We have no "obedience facilities", only some equipment which we keep in storage. We only have access to the Blue Cross parking lot on Thursday night when we are holding LCCOC Obedience classes. LCCOC members can come and practice in the area at that time as long as scheduled classes are not using the space.
CANINE GOOD CITIZEN
What is a CGC?Canine Good Citizen certification
Do I have to have a CGC title to do Pet Therapy with LCCOC?
Yes. Having passed the CGC gives you and other pet therapy dog owners the confidence that your dog can behave in difficult situations.
When is the “How to Pass the CGC Test” Class held?
Usually in Spring and Fall
When is the CGC test given?
Usually around April and October
How often do LCCOC teams do Pet Therapy?
We currently visit nine locations a month mostly on Saturdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Qualifications: Open to all dogs with proof of vaccinations who have completed beginner training. Dogs and owners coming from other programs will be assessed by the instructor.
