Fred Whitacre
Instructor
In 1977 I joined ABOTC with a German shepherd. My training started with Evelyn Green who was the beginner instructor. At the time, I was using the book that she recommended for training, and in a month or so was promoted to Billy’s advanced class. (At the time there were only two classes).
I mention the book because I recommend that students use some reference other than just direction from the instructor. There is more than one way to train a dog and other ideas will come in handy during training or later.
I moved out of town and left ABOTC after training with them for six or eight months. But as the years passed and I lost my first dog, I did get and train two other dogs
on my own. I retired in 2010 and a few years later my wife gave me a German shepherd for my birthday. I joined ABOTC and started training again. Bill Martin and I decided to show our dogs obedience. We trained at Hund House with Bill Chilotte where my dog Sofie and I received our novice, open and utility titles. My second dog Rennie and I trained with Terry Thornton at What A Great Dog and also received novice, open and utility titles. I had to stop showing both dogs because of injuries.
The advanced class should be more about polishing your dog. Your dog’s hearing is much better than yours, so you should only have to tell him once. If he doesn’t respond it’s because he is confused or chooses not to. I look for straight sits, heeling in the right position, and a quick response to a command. Other more advanced exercises may be added depending on the student’s desire.
