WC Wisconsin News

A 4-year-old Eau Claire golden retriever, who according to his owner loves to be in shows, has been crowned the “Most Obedient” in the Novice class of the 8th American Kennel Club (AKC) Obedience Classic in Orlando, Florida.

Kasper, owned by Karen Thompson of Eau Claire, was top dog in a competition that was hosted by the American Kennel Club on Dec. 18-19, 2021, classic results said.

The American Kennel Club, which promotes “the sport of purebred dogs and breeding for type and function,” hosts the classic to display dogs “trained to behave in the home, in public places and in the presence of other dogs,” the Classic Catalog 2021 said.

“You’ll always have the people that train the dogs, ‘You have to do this,’ but then that comes through in the show ring too,” Thompson told WEAU-13 News. “Where they’re just like 'Oh okay, I’m doing it because I must.' He’s doing it because he loves it.”

Thompson began 20 years ago training and showing dogs and has trained several dogs to the “highest level of obedience show competition,” WEAU-13 News said.

The recent AKC Obedience Classic had 248 teams that performed “with handlers from 33 states showing 58 breeds,” the Classic Catalog said.

“Competitive obedience encourages owners to develop deeper relationships with their dogs through a series of exercises, from the basic ‘sit’ and ‘come’ to more challenging tasks of retrieving and jumping on command,” the Classic Catalog said. “Accuracy and precision are essential, but the natural movement of the handler and the willingness and happiness of the dog make for a winning combination.”