The MKA 60th Obedience Trial

The long awaited 60th MKA Obedience Trial was held on 28th May at South City Plaza. With a total of over 40 entries this time, all trialers are anticipating a very competitive and interesting trial ahead. The judge for this trial is Mr. Yap Hon Choong – MKA’s very own licensed judge with about 50 years of training experience under his belt.

The beautiful Sunday started off with early birds arriving as early as 7.30am to check in and warm up their dogs. Thanks to the team effort of MKA trainers who set up the ring a day earlier, barriers were neatly arranged, forming a very impressive looking ring which spanned across a generously spacious area. As time went by, increasingly more trialers arrived at the scene with their canine partners - some were seen busy warming up their dogs with quick revisions. Some simply set up crates upon arrival, ensuring their dogs have a good rest prior to entering the competition ring.

Entering obedience trials is not merely for the sake of competing to decide who’s best. It’s not about winning medals, certificates or dog foods either. For first-time trialers, it is the opportunity to personally experience the thrill of entering the ring, working with their dog(s) and enjoy the sweet rewards of having an obedient dog after all the long hours of training (thus getting hooked to this sport eventually!). It is the opportunity to meet new friends, share training tips and enjoy the passion of keeping dogs. For experienced trialers, it is the opportunity to meet up training buddies from other states (such as Penang and Ipoh) – it’s very similar to a family reunion, as most often training kakis from different states only get to meet each other during obedience trials!

The trial started off with Pre-Novice level. Considering many trialers for the Pre-Novice level were newcomers of the sport, it was no surprise that many questions about the competition rules were asked during the briefing session. Nevertheless, all questions were answered and all doubts were cleared by Mr Yap before the trial officially begins. There were a total of 26 entries for Pre-Novice level. Many trialers were seemingly nervous upon entering the ring – a very normal condition for all first-time trialers. Overall, the entries for pre-novice level are well prepared and the standard is satisfactory, with a total of 19 passes. Mr. Low Kian Wee, a regular face at obedience trials have once again bagged 1st placing with his Doberman Alagu’s Spriter Boy. 2nd placing was won by Ms Wong Wai Kuan’s Yorkshire Terrier and 3rd placing won by Mr. Lee Kong Hong’s Chi Hua Hua. During the announcement of results, many trialers were beaming with joy as they receive their certificate. Let’s hope that this joyful experience will drive them to enter future MKA Obedience Trials!

For Novice level, there were a total of 13 entries and 8 passes. It was no surprise that 1st placing was once again awarded to Mr. Low Kian Wee’s Doberman – which impressed everyone by beautifully executing all of the required exercises. 2nd place was won by Mr. Tan Chin Loong’s golden retriever who came all the way from Penang. 3rd place was awarded to Mr. James Khoo’s Shih Tzu. Once again, the overall standard has improved compared to previous obedience trial – looks like everyone has been working rather hard lately.
There were no entries for open level this time, hence intermediate level was the highest level of the day. Though the all three trialers – Ms. Thong Li Ping, Mr. Francis Lau and Mr. James Khoo realized that their dogs did not manage to pass some of the intermediate level exercises, this did not deter them from completing the rest of the routine as all three dogs were put through the sit/down stay out of sight exercises at full five minutes. Though there were no passes for this level, no one was disappointed as all trialers for this level vowed to work harder and try again the next trial.

It is important to highlight that there were a number of non-pedigree dogs which entered the trial and performed brilliantly. This proves that:

1. All dogs, be it pedigree/non-pedigree can be trained.
2. Contrary to common misassumptions, MKA welcomes all pedigree/non-pedigree dogs to attend our obedience training classes at a same fee.

The 60th MKA Obedience Trial wrapped up at about 5pm. Thanks to the support of members, it was a great success. The increasing number of entries for this obedience trial is a good indication that dog owners are increasingly conscious about training their dogs these days. With that said, hopefully the increase of interest in this sport will springboard the Malaysia dog obedience training standards to a higher level in future.

To find out more about our obedience classes and trials, please contact MKA more enquiries.