A dog show, hosted by the Texas Tech Activities Board, took place Tuesday in the Student Union Building Courtyard to show students more about obedience training for their dogs.
Sections of the courtyard were blocked off by gates. Each gate had a list of tips on what makes an obedient dog.
Philip Marshall, chairman of the Department of Political Science, trains dogs for show. Marshall began the dog show by talking about his representation with the South Plains Obedience Club. He said he wanted students to know more about dog training and the classes offered through the club.
"We don't train the dogs," Marshall said. "We train you (to train the dogs)." Marshall went through different tricks with his Golden Retriever, Swan. He said Swan began her training when she was born, and she was trained to watch him and follow him no matter the pace. She performed obedience tricks like heeling, retrieving and jumping over hurdles.
"When we train our dogs, it's all about precision," Marshall said.
Marshall also showed how dogs respond to hand signals and how they learn to stay. He said that when training dogs, an owner should teach them to stay and not move at all.
"The real reason to be here today was to show people what they can do and to thank the Student Union for letting us come once a year," he said.
Students should think twice before buying a dog while in college, Marshall said, especially a large dog like a Labrador Retriever, because students do not have the time to devote to the dog's training.
He said if students get a dog, they need to make sure to take care of the dog's health and to teach the dog obedience.
"You have to do some training with the dog no matter what, and it takes work," he said.
There are certain principles when it comes to dog training, Marshall said, including consistency, showing the dog what is wanted from it, rewarding the dog if it does something right, correcting the dog if it does something wrong and challenging the dog.
He said challenges would include training the dog in different places and having the dog learn how to fetch different objects.
Jana Vise, assistant director for the SUB and TAB adviser, said the activities board hosts this event at least once a year, usually in the fall, and TAB plans on hosting it again in the spring this year.
"It's just a fun, free, daytime event for students to enjoy and to learn more about dog obedience," she said.
Professors always participate in the event to help show more about dogs and training, Vise said.
"It's fun for students to see the professors in a different light," she said.
The dog show lasted about 20 minutes. Afterward, students were invited to see Swan and to ask Marshall more questions about dog training.
Marshall said anyone who is interested in dog obedience training classes with the South Plains Obedience Club should visit the Web site, www.spotc.org.
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