It's not a dog show,” dog trainer Shiv Kaushal clears the air the minute we step in. “You first have to understand the difference between a show and a obedience trial. Dog shows are all about flaunting well groomed breeds whereas obedience trials are about the performance, that too in a group,” Kaushal lets his boys walk in the winning dogs one by one at his grooming and training studio, Dogsplay in Sector 7 Chandigarh. A spanking 18-month-old Spaniel called Brandy, 11-month-old cotton ball of a Shih Tzu named Pom Pom, 18-months-old Bull the smashing American Staffordshire Terrier and Charles, a six-month-old very my-lord British Bulldog - the handsome four have won laurels at the Indian Kennel League, a competition based on obedience trials held annually in Delhi for 18 years now. “Only this club does this competition - the All-Breed Championship & Obedience Dog Show. And unlike the show, the age or the breed of the dog is secondary,” says the award-winning Limca Book of record-holder who’s won 77 of the 78 obedience trials his dogs have participated in. This time, Shiv’s four dogs bagged a total of nine awards, including two Best Puppy, Best of Breed and seventh Best in Show - thus ruling the competition from the word start. While Brandy bagged two prizes in the obedience trials, the Bull, Charles and were adjudged the best pups in their categories.

Winning is one thing, preparing them to win is a totally different bone game. “For the obedience trial is like an obstacle course, it’s a whole syllabus which you have to teach the dogs in a classroom format,” Shiv used to begin his trainings at 4 am sharp, and adds that had it not been for the owners keen interest, inclination and encouragement, none of it would’ve been possible in the first place. “Once the owner understands that his pet has the personality and the IQ, and is ready to give you the required time, money, attention, and access, the training process gets streamlined,” he says. But again, it’s an obstacle course, and the dogs, when caught in a crowd, run amock. “You have things like handler in sight, out of sight, and if they don’t see their owner or handler, they freeze, some even show signs of stress!” Shiv elaborates on the military drill full of commands. “Heel, stay, move, come here....they even check the posture, how he kneels, walks to the side...it’s a task,” he adds. For a year, it was school time for the four dogs. Shiv’s van would pick them up, and their training would begin, except for a very pampered Brandy, who made sure Shiv makes her sleep on the bed! “The tantrums of stars!” he laughs, still holding the leash tight. How does he manage to spot a star, and he says “dogs are like humans. If they are fussy, shy and cowards, they’ll never rise, and if they are friendly, greedy as in ambitious and open minded, they are winners.” Guess he spotted them all!