Show & Obedience training -do they mix?

I've only shown in a sheepdog class once and a couple of pet classes under non-Kc rules so maybe it's a stupid question.....but..... I'm getting a Border Collie puppy in a few weeks and intend to show under KC rules.

I've been told that doing obedience training with her could reduce her chances in the showring since she would be looking at me instead of running in the natural way and might sit in front of me instead of standing. Is that likely?

What should I teach, or not teach, until I can take her to the ringcraft classes beginners course when it starts.

Moderators.......please move this thread if it should be somewhere else.

Thanks

Complete twaddle, there are Field Trial Champions, WT Champions and Obedience Champions that have been shown at a high level.

I never had any problem showing my dogs who compete in Schutzhund and Working Trials etc.

You just teach the dog a different cue for showing and this, combined with a different collar/lead does the job.

So for example when I show my LHW I use a leather slip lead and I use the cue "trot", and when I stack her I give the cue "stand"; when I compete in Trials she does not wear a collar or lead and I say heel......

You can teach your dog anything you like whenever you like, just use different words for different behaviours! Simples!

wot she said.

I do showing and gcs obedience with my lot. I even ring trained my JRT, just for practice for myself really. People underestimate the cleverness of dogs sometimes. They can learn lots of things, for example, when I walk mine on a belt I expect them to walk in front of me, but when I'm holding the lead they must walk beside me. None have gotten confused about that at all.

I should think a border collie will be more than smart enough to do both
and prob HWtM, agility, and flyball as well without being confused

you on the other hand might get confused with the number of commands they can learn - i made a spreadsheet for my dogs

a different collar can make it more obvious for the dog but you can train them anything you are able to train them

Thanks for your answers. I think that clears it up but it's interesting to hear what you do with your dogs as well so any more replies will be read with interest.

Something you have all said is to use a different collar and lead, yes, and different cues/commands makes sense too.

Smokeybear
I had a Sprollie who did obedience and flyball and she loved to harass a big heavy ball around the village green. She had a command "this way" before she ran out of space to get her to go behind the ball and chase it back up the green. I found when she was swimming I could use "this way" to get her to turn round and swim back to me.

Loki's Mum
Indeed many dogs have a huge capacity for learning and a good memory which sometimes goes underestimated. I think we ended up with what we know as dogs after their proto-dog ancestors learned there were benefits to hanging around near humans.

Ben Mcfuzzylugs
You are a better trainer than me, a spreadsheet for your dogs, I couldn't teach any of mine to read Being serious again, yes, I hope I can keep up with remembering all the different commands.

I love hearing what other people's dogs can do.

I've always trained all of my dogs for breed & obedience. I do the breed first & usually by 6 months the puppy is fully trained for the show ring. I always teach a stand command first & I never ever "stack"my dogs even though this is the current fashion in just about all breeds. I even managed to get a BPIS with Keewee without any show training at all !!!

I then start Obedience training more seriously

My Beardies, BCs & GSDs used to both at the same shows sometimes & I have had several Championship breed show winning dogs that were also C only in Obedience.

I have a dog that has shown, competed in agility and obedience and done a bit of schutzhund. We decided to concentrate on agility, but then entered her in a show this summer, after two years with no ringcraft. She hadn't forgotten a thing and won her class

My 15 week old pup will train for both showing and agility.

There is an old Chinese proverb:

The man who says is cannot be done, should not interrupt the person doing it.

The same dog I titled in Working Trials was titled in Schutzhund tracking, won KC licensed Agility competitions, gained a Working Gundog Certificate, won in the breed ring at Championship level, was a PAT dog, and is currently pursuing blood tracking.

The way Mia looks at some books I am pretty sure she can read
I also think she can drive from the avid way she has watched my feet when I had her in the front of the car
Thank doG she dosent have opposable thumbs!

The puppy I have picked is not 5 weeks old yet but that's the way I was thinking of going; basic training, train for the show ring, then Obedience proper. Part why I'm thinking ahead is that my partner hasn't had a dog since he was a kiddie so he's got to learn all the cues and commands from scratch.

Well done Keewee and you.

btw I'm originally from God's own county.