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Example of a Upper Hutt Dog Club Inc. - Obedience decorative badge. Gold coloured metal. The badge is circular in shape with a depiction of a dog collar and tag around the bottom half. Around the edge is a red panel with "UPPER HUTT DOG CLUB INC." and across the middle is a white panel with "OBEDIENCE". The original pin is missing. A large unprotected spike pin has been added to the back.
'Whether it be for the house, the show-ring, the field or water, or the farm, or many other uses, the dog is capable of being put to and excelling in, careful and expert training in obedience – to the word of command – is essential.'
Stan Rastall, Year Book of the N.Z. Kennel Club, 1941
In the 1950s, dog owners picked up on Stan Rastall’s wise words in greater numbers, and a number of regional dog obedience training clubs were established. In 1958 an Obedience Association was formed within the New Zealand Kennel Club framework, and in 1960 the National Dog Show included an obedience test for the first time. It was won with great aplomb by Maurice Shaw’s Welsh Corgi, Cymric the Colonel. As with most dog competitions, the category was only open to pedigree dogs. Queen Elizabeth II was then the world’s best-known Pembroke Welsh Corgis owner and the breed was one of the ten most popular breeds during the 1950s and 1960s.
In 1966, after much heated debate, the Kennel Club finally opened up the obedience category to non-pedigree dogs, stating in the Kennel Gazette: ‘After all, one of the main objects of Obedience is to ensure that there are as many well-behaved dogs about as possible – it has always been hard in these modern times to justify limiting the benefits of a full obedience training to the lucky ones who happen to be able to prove their blood is "blue".’