Obedience and working disciplines
The closest thing to artistic gymnastics in the dog world: the same exercises for everyone, scored to the decimal, where millimetres and the dog's attitude make the difference.
About the discipline
Obedience is the discipline where obedience stops being a means and becomes the goal. The team performs a fixed series of exercises in front of a judge, and each one is scored.
It is not only about whether the command worked, but how it worked: how straight the position is, how quickly the dog takes it, whether the handler gave a hint with the shoulder, whether the animal works happily or merely complies.
That is why Obedience reveals the quality of the relationship better than anything else. A dog that performs correctly but with its tail tucked loses points - and rightly so.
How it works in practice
The exercises differ between classes, but the core is much the same everywhere.
A full round lasts a few minutes. Behind them are months of work on separate components.
It asks little physically, so it also suits less athletic dogs. It does demand a great deal of patience from the handler.
From the FCI regulations
The FCI regulations (Rules and Guidelines for Obedience Trials, valid from 1 January 2025) define three classes, 1, 2 and 3, and recommend a national beginners' class. Class 3 is the only one used at international competitions with CACIOB and at FCI world championships.
Each country sets the minimum age, but it cannot be under 10 months for Class 1 and 15 months for Class 3. To compete in the next class the dog must have earned an "excellent" (1st prize) in the current one; moving up and down is regulated by the national organisation, in Romania the A.Ch.R.
| Exercise | Class 1 | Class 2 | Class 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sitting in a group (handlers in sight / out of sight) | 1 min, in sight · 30 | - | 2 min, out of sight · 20 |
| Lying in a group | - | 2 min, handlers out of sight · 30 | 1 min + recall · 20 |
| Heelwork | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Positions under march (stand / sit / down) | one · 30 | one · 30 | all three · 30 |
| Recall | 40 | with stand · 30 | with stand / sit / down · 30 |
| Send away into a square and down | 40 | with directing, down and recall · 40 | with directing, down and recall · 40 |
| Directed retrieve | - | 30 | 30 |
| Scent discrimination and retrieve | - | 30 | 30 |
| Distance control | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| Send round a group of cones | and return · 40 | stop and jump · 30 | stop, retrieve and jump · 40 |
| Retrieve and jump over a hurdle | 40 | - | - |
| General impression | 20 | 20 | - |
| Total | 320 | 320 | 320 |
Source: FCI, Rules and Guidelines for Obedience Trials 2025, chapter III "Classes, exercises and coefficients". Each exercise has a coefficient (2-4); the judge's mark (0, 5-10) multiplied by the coefficient gives the points. The coefficients add up to 32 in every class, hence the maximum of 320.
The judge marks each exercise 0 or 5 to 10 in half-point steps; the mark is multiplied by the exercise coefficient. The sum gives the final result out of 320. An exercise marked 0 is failed but the dog continues; below 192 points the trial is "not qualified". In Class 3 cards are used: yellow is a warning and minus 10 points, a second yellow or a red card means disqualification.
| Grade | Share | Points out of 320 |
|---|---|---|
| Excellent (1st prize) | ≥ 80% | 256-320 |
| Very good (2nd prize) | ≥ 70% | 224-255 |
| Good (3rd prize) | ≥ 60% | 192-223 |
| Not qualified | below 60% | below 192 |
Frequently asked questions
Basic training aims for a dog you can manage in everyday life. Obedience aims for the perfect execution of standardised exercises, scored by a judge. In practice, basic training is the alphabet and Obedience is the calligraphy.
No. Belgian shepherds, border collies and retrievers appear most often because they learn fast and enjoy repetition, but the discipline is open to any healthy, motivated dog.
The components can be built from the first months, as a game. Competing, however, requires a mature dog, both physically and in terms of concentration.
The rule figures on this page come from FCI - Obedience, regulamentul claselor 1, 2 și 3. Rules change and federations differ - always check the rulebook of the competition you are entering.
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This page is informational. We work in mantrailing, search and rescue and preparation for the TSAC and BH exams - but if you want an honest opinion on what would suit your dog, write to us anytime.