Working towards a BH?

AgilityPup

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#1
So today I went to see Simi's breeder about some inner pack issues and such we've been having, and just to have a general visit and talk about Simi and how's she's progressing, and her breeder is strongly encouraging me to work towards a BH with her. I still have to do some research about a BH and what it entails, but I know a few dogs here have at least that so was hoping someone could share some input about what it is, how hard it is to train towards it, etc..

Thanks! :)
 
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#2
How hard is it? Depends on what you're comparing it to :)

I don't think it's terribly difficult, it's work, but not hard. It's a basic heeling pattern, some right turns, left turns, about turn, change of speeds, figure 8 thru a group, sit and down in motion and recall. Then there's a basic temperament test with a biker, jogger and vehicle and the handler goes out of sight while your dog is on a tie out with another dog being walked by.

That's pretty much it. There's a pattern of heeling drawn out somewhere on the interent i'm sure, where? That i'm not sure of :) Oh, and the OB part used to be done on and offleash, but I heard rumblings of that changing. Not sure if it has or not for this year.
 

AgilityPup

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#3
She likely won't be ready to do it this year, anyway, so hopefully it changes the on and off leash thing next year. LOL! I just went and read what it's about... I think it'll take some work, but I am hoping we can work towards it!
 
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#4
Still on and off leash. Some changes in the sit and down, it is now only 15 paces after the sit in motion. BH has a required stop for exercises out of motion, but you will not fail if you don't do it.

Here is the basic heeling pattern-

 
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#6
I don't know exactly how long, i've done it with some dogs mine, some not, some I trained, some just polished. I usually don't do a Bh until i"m ready to move right into the schutzhund titles, so they're past ready when I do it. Consequently i've never had to do it more than once either. But thanks, now I just jinxed myself. I'm destined to have another "my dog has never done that before" moment at my next BH :) I'm blaming this thread.

anyway, I'd think if you were halfway serious about it, if your dog is of the age requirement (16 months i think? I don't know dont' quote me) I think over a summer you should have no problem getting one done.
 

AgilityPup

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#7
She's 17 months now, so should be okay for age. I'm not sure if I'll even attempt it this year, but we'll see how all of her training goes. I just know I am happy to have something to work towards with her. Agility is kind of on the back burner for her right now, so I am glad to have a path to start on now. I also really feel like some of the issues that are holding us back from agility will be helped by working towards and getting, eventually, her BH.
 

stardogs

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#8
Kes got his BH a year ago, so after about a year of attending club training. Aeri got hers this fall at 2yo - she was allllmost ready at our spring trial but I decided to wait until fall just to clean up a few things, so probably about 18 months of attending club training but only about a year of training for it.

Depending on the judge, the scoring can be suuuper lenient, or fairly sticky.
 
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#9
I actually hated trialing for the BH because the heeling routine is sooo long and you are out on the field for what seems like forever. It took Aiden about a year and a few months to prepare. I probably could've cleaned it up a little bit, but I didn't. With Carma, I am planning on having her ready to trial for at least the IPO1 before I go for the BH.
 

FG167

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#10
Kastle has been training for his BH since I got him. He'll be 2 in May and I'm not planning on trialing until we're close to ready for our IPO I. I looooovvveeee teaching the micro moves in Schutzhund heeling. Cannot wait to do it all over again with NewPup. Obedience is my favorite phase of IPO...although we've barely started protection and I track dogs for a living so that might be why haha
 

AgilityPup

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#11
Honestly, I don't know that I will ever do any more of the IPO titles beyond trying for her BH, so I don't think I'll be one of those to wait for her to be ready for the next title. I don't know if we'll carry on to do the rest after her BH (besides maybe some tracking) or not, it really depends. I think it'll still take Simi quite some time to be ready for her BH. The heeling pattern will not be our issue. Our issue will likely be the long down, and then the bikers, joggers, etc..
 

stardogs

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#12
tbh I don't really get why someone would *just* get a BH - it's an entry level obedience test that is generally hard to fail and isn't even scored other than pass/fail. If you want a good way to trial your obedience skills, just enter AKC, UKC, or CDSP obedience!
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#16
Backup failed. <SOB>

lol I did however push him to trial before he was socially mature and I lost him in a really extreme group (jogging in place with exercise video high knee kicks).

He also does better in BH than CD though because we can stretch out and gain distance from environmental stresses. I did a bit better as far as ring nerves, not waiting for a command to be called prevented a bit of the stumbling and tearful panic that I was turning the wrong way when someone said right turn. Plus you can whisper to your dog more easily in a BH because the judge is rarely on your heels with ears perked for double command point deductions.

On the flip side some people have more trouble with the distance, it's easier to lose a lower drive/more environmentally stimulated dog, it's also frustrating for some to have to count their steps and remember them. Also the recall is longer which for some can be better and for some be worse.

The benefit is you don't have a stand for exam but there is a down in motion and long down is longer and more distracting.

For me the training isn't the hard part nor the defining aspect of difference, for me and my dog it's the environment for better or worse.

We'll go again for our BH this summer and I am pretty sure we're ready. We have all of the technical aspects down pat but the stress of being judged wears on me and my dog is extremely susceptible to that, he's overcome a lot of his quirky distrust with strangers and ignores them primarily but who knows? He'd never, ever even flicked an ear in a long down before his BH and although he didn't break he crawled several feet to investigate a sexy doberbitches scent spot.

Sloan passed on the first try without an issue, she trudged through it though and I assume with age she could have been flashier. She's not a super flashy dog but she was pretty flat and bored. She'll ideally go for her 1 at the end of the year if we can ever get blinds and an AFrame for practice.

FWIW I can totally understand using a BH as a measuring stick without plans for going further. For one gal we train with she can't do UKC not AKC with an intact unregisterable breed so a BH is a great way to test their obedience without making sacrifices.
 

Flyinsbt

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#17
no, CGC basically means your dog is breathing and hasn't bitten anyone. A BH is considerably more than any CGC i've ever seen done
I agree that the BH sounds like considerably more than a CGC, but a CGC is considerably more than "breathing and hasn't bitten anyone". (and the 2nd part isn't necessarily true. A dog could bite someone, and still get a CGC, they just can't have bitten someone during the CGC.)
 

AdrianneIsabel

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#18
BH is longer than the CD, additionally.

You enter, the dog must allow being tattoo checked or microchip checked (which, for no-touch dogs is an exercise in obedience).

It then must greet the judge in heel, without reaction side by side with another handler and dog team.

It then begins a long down while the other dog does its obed routine, or vice versa, and this can be as short as 7 minutes or as long as 20. The dog is downed and you must walk away and turn your back. The other dog then begins the routine. It heels out and back 50 with speed changes on the way back, fast, slow, normal. Then a right turn for 7 and a right turn for 15, about turn and 7 in with a pause and auto sit, 7 back then into the group. The dog must heel around 4 strangers "milling" around and this can be from barely swaying to jumping up and down (that was the extreme we got). Then the dog and handler repeat the heeling off leash starting with the group.

Then the dog does its heel out 15, sit in motion, handler goes out, returns and picks up the dog. Out again 15, down in motion, 30 out, turn and recall to front before finish.

Then the two dogs switch spots and one is in a long down while the other heels.

After this they do the traffic test, dog must handle a large crowd passing and pressuring space, then they must loose walk past a bike ringing its bell.

I think that was it, super loosely.

A bit more than a CGC. :)
 

stardogs

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#20
Oh Kes failed his first time too - handler error due to nerves sealed the fail after he broke the long down (I touched him). His BHs were both easy compared to some I've seen and heard about: group was standing still and silent, traffic portion was literally one pass by the car, dog-dog assessed in the traffic portion with handler present, etc. Aeri passed on her first try with a much harder judge (followed rules to a T, though the group was still calm), but NQ'd in AKC obedience because her stand stay isn't solid yet.
 

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