Yes, first of all a full proof recall is a must. And a long distance down is great. And of course a stay & wait. I can think of a few more but these are great. All very much needed at one time or another. One time my husband was obedience trialing his GSD & a dog got up from its down stay right next to his dog. It took off across this open field -- in a few seconds totally out of site. The handler did a recall but it didn't return. Now you talk about embarrassing at an obedience trial. I felt sorry for the handler he was so devastated. Kathy Partch ----- Original Message ----- From: "Diane Brantley" <texasgsds@xxxxxxxxx> To: <showgsd-l@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Saturday, June 19, 2010 3:22 PM Subject: [ SHOWGSD-L ] Essential behavors for any dog? What three obedience commands/behaviors do you think are essential for any dog, conformation, performance or companion? My picks are a foolproof recall, a long distance down and a wait command. Diane BISS Ch. Echo-Cham's River Phoenix OFA H&E AKA "River" Ch. Da-Jo's Crestview Ironman AKA "Tony" Candia's Hard Rock Candy v Tejas AKA "Rocky" ============================================================================ POST is Copyrighted 2010. All material remains the property of the original author and of GSD Communication, Inc. NO REPRODUCTIONS or FORWARDS of any kind are permitted without prior permission of the original author AND of the Showgsd-l Management. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ALL PERSONS ARE ON NOTICE THAT THE FORWARDING, REPRODUCTION OR USE IN ANY MANNER OF ANY MATERIAL WHICH APPEARS ON SHOWGSD-L WITHOUT THE EXPRESS PERMISSION OF ALL PARTIES TO THE POST AND THE LIST MANAGEMENT IS EXPRESSLY FORBIDDEN, AND IS A VIOLATION OF LAW. VIOLATORS OF THIS PROHIBITION WILL BE PROSECUTED. For assistance, please contact the List Management at admin@xxxxxxxxxxx VISIT OUR WEBSITE - http://showgsd.org NATIONAL BLOG - http://gsdnational.blogspot.com/ ============================================================================