Hi, my name is Hailey Rau and I am sixteen years old. My dog, Sid, and I, recently received are CD title in Novice Obedience. Sid is a Chihuahua that, for fun, I started obedience training six years ago, when he was three years old. Most Chihuahua's don't do obedience, but I encourage everyone that any dog can do it, all it takes is some determination and enthusiasm. As a junior handler showing in AKC, dog shows are a blast and the more you do it the more it grows on you. Although, one thing that everyone has to face while doing dog shows is not getting disappointed, usually you'll have a perfect dog at home but once you get to the show, your dog forgets what the word 'sit' even means! But don't get discouraged, this has happened to everyone at least once. Even though in the moment you might be embarrassed and even a little angry, don't worry, with persistence you'll reap the rewards.

When I first started participating in AKC events Sid kept getting up on his long down in obedience, but after going home and working diligently on the issue we finally got it down. Even though it took three dog shows to finally get him once again lying down, afterwards, things started to fall into place and we began to get some qualifying scores! Before going to an AKC show, I highly encourage kids to join their local 4-B club, it's a blast to be around kids that have a passion for the same thing as you, and not only this, but the leaders there can get you started with training your dog. This is how I started with Sid and before long; you can have the enjoyment of participating in an AKC dog show too.