GameCheats&space Movie

+--------------------------------+ NINTENDOGS
DACHSHUND AND FRIENDS CHIHUAHUA AND FRIENDS LABRADOR AND FRIENDS
Contests FAQ+--------------------------------+
FAQ version 2.15Last Updated 10 April 2006
Copyright: 2005 Jasmine SngWritten By: Jasmine Sng
Hi and thank you for looking at my first FAQ. This is a guide on how to gothrough the 3 competitions in Nintendogs. I only own the Lab and the Dachshundversions, but from what I observed, the competitions for all 3 versions shouldbe the same.
--------------UPDATE NEWS!!!--------------(10 Apr 06)Added some stuff in the Agility Contests section, about dogs that run so quicklypeople cannot control them. :)Also updated some hosting information.
(04 Apr 06)Small update this time. Not many things to add I think, thanks to everyone whocontributed so far. :)
For those who love dogs, take a look at my blog:http://dogdogco.blogspot.com
(11 Feb 2006)As the prize money table is already complete, please DO NOT send me any moreinformation regarding that. I would however, welcome any contributionsregarding items, trick and strategies etc.
For everyone who's been sending information and reading this FAQ, here is a bigthank you. :)
Also, as I check the mailbox even less regularly now, please don't expect anINSTANT ANSWER to questions you have sent me. If you want an instant answer, dowhat the Questions section says: go ask the kind people in the forums.Also, I got many questions that are non-contest related. I don't mind answeringthem for you but please try the walkthrough FAQs or the forum first. Or elsesend me an email and don't complain if I reply late.
========================================================================== Contents+------------------------------------------------------------------------+
1. Introduction A. In Brief ... B. About Competitions C. When You First Start ...
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2. Disc Competition A. Description B. Preparing for the contest C. The Contest Proper D. Strategies for the Championship
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3. Agility Competition A. Description B. Preparing for the contest C. The Contest Proper D. Strategies for the Championship ** Additional Notes: Puppies That Run Too Quickly
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4. Obedience Competition A. Description B. Preparing for the contest i. Basic Tricks ii. Advanced Tricks iii. Intonation and Recording Your Voice C. The Contest Proper i. Contest Structure ii. Contest Strategies (Beginner Class to Master Class) D. Strategies for the Championship
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5. Additional Notes A. Prize Money B. Maintaining Your Winning Streak C. Re-doing a Competition D. Other General Competition Tips
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6. FAQ
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7. Information/Contact/End Credits
+------------------------------------------------------------------------+==========================================================================
===========================================================================1. INTRODUCTION===========================================================================
A. In Brief ...===============
Well, if you don't know already, Nintendogs is a game that allows players tokeep and interact with virtual puppies on your Nintendo DS. Of course part ofthe game, as most games go, is to earn (and possibly squirrel away), money.This guide will go in depth into how as to go about this: placing incompetitions.
Each competition will be covered in 4 sections:- Description: A detailed description of what the contest is like, what toexpect when you take part in it, and how the point system works.
- Preparing for the contest: Every contest needs some preparation, be it inreal life or not. This section goes into depth on how to train your puppy toprepare for the competitions. All the important obstacles/tricks required inthe competition are listed and described here.
-The Competition Proper: What takes place during the contest, what to expect,more in-depth of point/score-counting. Strategies and aims/agendas of thecontest, also the different parts (if any) in a contest.
- Strategies for the Championship: Every last stage has its challenges, andthis part tackles just that. Strategies and tips on how to place in the laststage and reap in the profits.
B. About Competitions=====================
There are 3 competitions available for your puppy to take part in Nintendogs,namely the Disc Competition, the Agility Competition and the ObedienceCompetition. The prize money differs for all 3 contests in the later (moreadvanced) stages, with the Disc Competitions earning the least and theObedience Competition earning the most.
The contests can be entered anytime of the day, but every dog can only takepart in contests 3 times in a day. However, this is not restricted to which ofeach type of contest your dog can enter (ie. your dog can enter any combinationof contests, as long as it does not exceed 3 times).
To go take part in the contests, tap the "Go Out" button on the Home menu (thatis the screen you start with when you begin the game), and in the Go Out menu,tap the "Contests" button. This will bring you to a screen that is dividedprimarily into three spaces, namely the Disc, Agility and Obedience contests.Just tap on the contest that you want to take part in. If you have more thanone dog, select the dog that you want to bring into the contest in the nextscreen.
Contests are divided into several stages or Classes in Nintendogs, and your dogis only allowed to progress to the next stage/Class if he/she places either1st, 2nd or 3rd in the contest. The stages for all the contests follow the sameorder:
- Beginner Class- Open Class- Expert Class- Master Class- Championship
C. When You First Start ...===========================
There is a reason why the prize money for the later stages of the competitionsare so different between categories. In general, the Disc Competition is theeasiest to train your puppy for, followed by the Agility and finally theObedience contests. Personally, I thought that both the Disc and Agilitycontests are relatively easy, while obedience might take a longer time, sinceyour dog performs better one it gets more attached to you. Thus, I recommendthat you try the Disc or Agility contest preparations first, taking your dog tothe park/Gymnasium on walks while teaching your dog tricks during the 1/2 hour"rest break" in between walks to prepare for the Obedience contest.
============================================================================2. Disc Competition============================================================================
A. Description:===============
In the Disc Competition, the main goal is to score as many points as possiblewithin the given time frame of 60 seconds by throwing a disc (frisbee) andgetting your dog to catch it in one of the several colored zones on thecompetition field. The more points you score, the higher your chance of winningthe contest.
B. Preparing for the contest:=============================
Before even preparing for this contest, it s essential that you buy or get adisc (frisbee). If not, you cannot even enter the contest! To find a frisbeefor free, take your dog on walks and try to pass as many "?" squares on the mapas possible, some of them may hold a gift, and it might be a frisbee. Alsowatch for presents on the street, if you spot one, just tug on the leash andyour puppy will pick it up. To get the frisbee the easy way, simply go to thePet Supplies store in the Go Out menu or the Discount Store when on walks.There are always 2 discs for sale, a red one and a blue one.
It would be a good idea to first let your new puppy go to the park beforeattempting the Disc contest. To go to the park, take your puppy for a walk anddraw your intended path to one of the large green patches in your map, that isthe local park. Each map (there are different ones for each version) has 2parks. You would notice in our map that typically one park would have either 1or 2 little dog icons in it while the other one is empty. To train your puppyfor the Disc competition, take it to the empty park so that other dogs will notdistract it.
Practice throwing the disc first at the park, to do this, simply hold on to itwith the stylus and then throw it with a quick flick of your wrist. Your stylusshould leave (take off) from the surface of the touch screen at about 3/4 ofthe screen. Try throwing shorter distances first, since your dog is not born anexpert, and as it is able to catch the throws, throw the disc further. Thedistance thrown depends on how quickly you do the wrist-flick thing. Try tohold the stylus in a comfortable position or experiment with different methodsof throwing if you are experiencing problems. The ideal throw should bestraight and fairly low, so as to allow your dog to catch the disc easier.
C. The Contest Proper=====================
After skipping or going through the dialogue that takes place before thecontest, the main aim as mentioned is to get your dog to catch your furthestthrows, and as a result, earn more points.
There are several colors on the contest field, and they are as follows:- Light Green (score 0 points)- Dark Green (score 1 - 2 points)- Yellow (score 3 - 4 points)- Orange (score 5 - 6 points)- Red (score 7 - 8 points)- Blue (score 9 - 10 points)
Besides doing good wrist flicks and getting your dog to catch the disc, yourdog would also have to bring the disc back to you, and most of the time,inexperienced or untrained dogs simply take the frisbee to a corner of thefield to play with it, not knowing the importance of the crucial time duringthe competition! To remedy this during the contest, tap on the screen to getyour dog's attention and tap another time if necessary to get it to rum towardsyou and bring you that frisbee: fast.
To get your dog to run back to you with the disc "automatically", be sure totap the screen whenever it run off with the disc when training at the park.When it does bring back the disc by itself, try petting it so that itassociates being a good dog with bringing you the frisbee after a throw.
D. Strategies for the Championship==================================
The points required to maintain (ie. not being downgraded to Master Class) theChampionship position would be about 40 points and up.
To place first in the Championship, try to get more than 50 points, since the"rival" dogs sometimes score 50 points (never seen them score more than that),but the usual range would be about 45 to 49 points. This would mean trying theaverage a 10 point throw every 10 seconds or less (that figures to about 60points and give or take some points when you are delayed or throw too close).Depending on your dog, if it is not able to catch many 10 point throws, youmight want to throw some 8 pointers and average the time out.
============================================================================3. Agility Competition============================================================================
A. Description:===============
The Agility contest is actually a field filled with several obstacles and itsmain aim is to get your dog to go through all these obstacles successfullywithin the shortest possible time. It must be noted that the point system forthe agility competition is very different from the other 2 contests. Every timeyour puppy fails to successfully pass an obstacle, it get a "fault" of 5points. In this case, more points scored is a BAD thing, and what you areessentially aiming for would be a perfect score of 0.00 points and the shortesttiming possible to complete the entire course.
B. Preparing for the contest:=============================
You cannot enter an agility contest unless you have already visited theGymnasium during one of your walks. The Gymnasium is the large brown buildingon your map with the icon of a dog on it. If you have yet to visit it, takeyour dog there during a walk and you will find upon entry, that there areseveral obstacles placed in a fixed position (it never changes as long as youare still in that same class). The obstacles are as follows:
- HURDLES: Your dog will have to jump over these. Hurdles come in single andlater on, double versions. It basically looks like a frame with a stick on it(or two sticks) and if your dog jumps over it unsuccessfully or incompletely,then you get a fault for that obstacle. To get your dog to jump over a hurdle,drag the arrow to the hurdle so that your dog is standing right in front of it.Then drag the arrow over the hurdle to guide your dog over it. Every time yourdog jumps incompletely (sideways) or when a stick from the hurdle frame drops,you get a fault of 5 points.
- TUNNELS: You will these right from the start, along with the single hurdles.To get your dog to go through the tunnel, drag or tap the arrow so that yourdog is right at the entrance (either side in the Gym, it does not matter) ofthe tunnel and drag the arrow along the length of the tunnel so that your dogfollows the arrow through the tunnel. Your dog might be afraid the first fewtimes and get stuck in the middle of the tunnel, simply get the arrow back towhere (you estimate) your dog is and repeat the process. You would know if yourdog is following as the screen moves if it does.
- SEESAWS: The seesaws come in a later Class (Expert Class and above) and whatyou need to do in this one would be to get your dog to run up the seesaw to theother end of it (from the side that is already on the floor, no double sides onthis one), allow your dog to stop and wait for the seesaw to descend COMPLETELYto the ground, before going off the seesaw and on to the next obstacle. To dothis, simply guide your dog with the arrow up the seesaw from the side of theseesaw that is already down on the ground, and drag the arrow up the length ofthe seesaw. Your dog might be afraid of the height in the first couple oftimes, but it will get used to it after a few tries. When your puppy reachesthe other end of the seesaw, tap behind your puppy to signal it to stop and notjump off the seesaw, wait for the seesaw to descend COMPLETELY to the ground(takes a second or two) and then tap or drag the arrow somewhere away from theseesaw to complete the whole process.
- SLALOM POLES: These are a line of red and white striped poles in the agilitycontest field/the gym and are the last variation of obstacles that your wouldencounter as you progress through the ranks. The aim here is to get your dog togo through, in a zig-zag manner, through all the poles. To do this, tap thearrow cursor on the first slalom pole and wait or your dog to run to it. Thenholding down onto the arrow cursor, use it to guide your dog in and out of theslalom poles.
** All the obstacles and how to tackle them are also shown in the AgilityContest book in the Care Section. If you need a visual picture of how its done,take a look at the pictures in the book.
C. The Contest Proper=====================
To successfully place in one of the first 3 positions in the agility contest,it would be essential to keep faults to a minimum and go through the entirecourse as quickly as you can. There is time limit stated during the start ofeach contest, during the time when Archie and Ted the announcers, are talking,so be sure to read that. If you exceed the time limit, fault points are issued.Faults will also be issued if:
- you did not complete the obstacle properly- you made a stick fall from the hurdle (bad jump)- you exceeded the time limit (as explained above)- you went through the obstacles in the wrong order
The order of the obstacles that you have to follow are seen on the top screenon your DS, and the numbers are marked clearly so that you can follow them. Allthe stages right up to Master Class have relatively smooth, flowing orders inthe course of the obstacles, but in Championship its a different story.
D. Strategies for the Championship==================================
The Championship stage for the Agility contest has 3 different "maps" orcourses that are generated at random during the start of the game:
- Two seesaws placed parallel to each other. The first HURDLE is on the right.
- Two seesaws placed far away from each other. The first 3 obstacles areHURDLES. You start from the right.
- Two seesaws placed perpendicular to each other (at an almost right angle atleast). Your first HURDLE is on the left. You have to go through the SLALOMPOLES TWICE in this course.
The last one is the most difficult because your dog might have a tendency tojump (in the wrong order of course) one of the hurdles on the right or left ofit on the way to the first round of Slalom Poles. Also, going through theSlalom Poles twice would mean a disaster to your time if your dogs still needguidance through the poles. The best way to tackle this course without cheatingwould be to practice at the Gymnasium until your dog can go through all theobstacles and especially the Slalom Poles by itself with you just tapping theobstacle. Going through the Slalom by itself saves you and your puppy lots oftime. Also, try to avoid tapping the hurdles and instead guide your dogs over,since hurdles are placed very close to each other and the course in theChampionship goes in and out in a rather unorganized manner, so tapping yourarrow at close distances from your dog so as to avoid doing the wrong obstaclesis also crucial.
If you want to go through the Agility contest (or the last course at least) bysomewhat cheating, simply save before you enter the contest and then do yourbest in the obstacles. If you think that your puppy and your performance isunsatisfactory, simply turn off the DS. Note that you need to do this beforethey announce the results and give you the prize money.
The time limit varies greatly for the Championship courses, and I have observedon the average, that the last course (the 2 Slalom Pole course) has the longesttime limit of as much as 69 seconds. But most times, all courses on averagerequire that you compete the course within 60 - 62 seconds maximum. Since weare now already in the Championship, it would be best not to get fault points.In fact, getting a fault point (even if its just 1 obstacle done wrong) mightnot guarantee a win even if you have a great timing. The point system is basedon FAULT POINTS scored first (the lesser the better, of course) before timingis considered. Which means for example:
- DOG A has 5 points and a timing of 45 seconds, but DOG B has a score of Opoints (no faults) and a timing of 50 seconds, then the dog with no faults, DOGB, would take the first prize.
Timing only comes into consideration when, for example:- DOG C has a score of 0 points and a timing of 55 seconds, while DOG D has ascore of 0 points (same score) and a timing of 60 seconds, then in this casethe faster dog, DOG C would win.
To place first in the Agility Championships, it would be ideal to get no faultsat all and a timing of 50 seconds or less. If your dog does constant practice,and performs well at the Disc Competition as well you may notice that your dogruns very quickly through the whole course. It may take some time to adjust toa little (or huge) dynamo running on the twisting and turning Championshipcourse, but getting timings like 37 seconds with no faults through trainingguarantees a win. If you do not want your dog to run through the whole coursetoo quickly for fear of not being able to control it, take it for fewer discpractices and contests.
** Additional Note: Puppies That Run Too Quickly------------------------------------------------
I notice that many people have given feedback on the fact that their puppies runTOO FAST and they are not able to keep up with that little dynamo on the agilitycontest. If that happens, it was likely that you trained your pup in the disccontest too well. Dogs better at catching discs would mean that they can runfaster, and this applies to the agility contest as well. If that has alreadyhappened to you, my best idea is to go practice, practice, practice at theGymnasium until YOU are trained enough to keep up with the pup. Or else, planyour training strategies carefully and make sure that you are able to handle aquick dog in the agility contest after you ace those Frisbee contests.
============================================================================4. Obedience Competition============================================================================
A. Description==============
In the Obedience Competition, the judges would want to know, of course, howobedient your puppy is! (As if you did not know already.) In order to provethis, the judges would choose at random, the commands that your puppy has toperform. This would then be followed by a Free Performance time. Each set oftricks/request by the judges, as well as the Free Performance, are in blocks of30 seconds each. It is essential that your puppy can complete all or at least,most of the commands successfully during the course of the contest to earnpoints. Also displaying advanced tricks during the Free Performance time wouldsignificantly increase your points scored. In the Obedience contest, morepoints scored is a good things, and points are given by each individual judgewith a decimal (ie. 7.5) and later the average by all 3 judges are averaged to2 decimal places(ie. 8.02). Sorry I'm not a math person, please forgive if Idid not describe the decimal places properly.
B. Preparing for the contest============================
The first trick that is required in the contest would be taught to your puppy(at least your first puppy) the first time you get it. Right, that is the SITDOWN trick. You must however, teach your puppy the other required tricks byyourself.
There are several basic tricks that are required in competitions, and will becalled out by the judges (see the next section for details). Teaching your dogthe basic tricks can be found in the Dog Training book that is in the Caresection of your "Supplies List".
To teach your puppy a trick, first get your puppy to perform a trick. If it isa trick that your dog has yet to master, then a light bulb icon will appear onthe TOP RIGHT CORNER of the screen. Tap on the icon and speak the commandclearly into the DS' mic.
i. Basic Tricks:----------------
The following list shows you how to teach your dog the basic tricks, along withsome tips and troubleshooting here and there (if you are looking for theAdvanced Tricks or have already got your dog to master all the basic tricks,then skip this part):
- SIT DOWN: This trick would be taught as part of the informal tutorial whenyou first get a new puppy. However, with subsequent puppies, you'll have toteach them SIT DOWN yourself. Start first by getting your puppy to payattention to you. Then, slide the stylus from its head, along its side down toits paws.
- LIE DOWN: Get your dog to first learn SIT DOWN, then from a SIT DOWNposition, once again, slide the stylus down the length of its front legs fromits head to its paws.
- SHAKE: Get your dog in a SIT DOWN position, and then lift your dog's paw(either one, it does not matter) up about halfway the length of its other frontleg. Let go and quickly tap the light bulb icon to record your command.
- SPIN: We will get your dog to chase its tail here. Get your dog to facesideways or away from you, so that its tail is within the reach of your stylus.Then using your stylus, grab your dog's trail and bring it gently towards itsface. Hold it there and after a while your puppy should chase after it.
- ROLL OVER: Get your dog either in a SIT DOWN or a LIE DOWN position wouldmake things much easier. Slide the stylus across horizontally, so that your doglies on either side. Then slowly slide the stylus upwards (several times ifneed be, but slowly) along its back legs, and it will lie on its back. Finally,slide the stylus up from the floor into the air along its middle tummy area tomake it roll over.
- JUMP: You might notice that your dog does a cute action sometimes: stickingits rear into the air and wagging its tail. It might look comical, but youpuppy actually wants to play with you. This is the position that you would wantyour dog to be in to teach it JUMP. When you see your puppy displaying theI-want-to-play action, tap into the air above your puppy's head and it willlook up and jump. If it does not work the first time, try again, or try tappingtwice or more.
- BEG: This trick is pretty hard to do, especially if your puppy is not veryattached to you yet (ie. you got it not too long ago). It would be a good ideato get your puppy to learn all the above tricks (maybe excluding JUMP sincethat might take slightly longer) before attempting BEG. To do BEG, get your dogto face you in a standing (normal, no trick) position, and then slide thestylus up from between its front legs to its nose (ie. up the belly). If yourdog gets up halfway (two front feet off the ground), then you are somewhere onthe right track. Just continue trying this, slide the stylus several times asif in some sort of petting movement and soon your puppy will get it.
** To see how the tricks look like when performed for all the Basic TricksONLY, you can refer to the pictures in the Dog Training book in the "Care"section.
ii. Advanced Tricks:--------------------
Advanced tricks give you a better score in the Free Performance section of theObedience contest. I've not did too many of these, but here are just some ofthe many tricks that your dog can do:
- SNEEZE: You can teach your dog to sneeze on command. This trick is especiallyuseful in the beginning levels of the contest since you do not require anypre-learned tricks to teach this one. You puppy can be in any position(sitting, standing or lying down. Simply touch your puppy's nose and itsneezes. Quickly tap on the light bulb icon to record the command for thistrick. Puppies usually repeat this trick quite a few times during the contest,meaning you can get a few tricks (and thus scores) in the Free Performancesection when your puppy has yet to learn the more complicated tricks.
** Note: Advanced tricks listed below are combination tricks comprising of 2 ofthe Basic Ticks done in the specific order, so make sure that your dog learnedthe Basic Tricks REQUIRED for the Advanced Trick that you are attempting:
- BREAKDANCE: Your dog will perform a spin while lying on its back on thefloor. To do this, first tell your dog to ROLL OVER, it will lie on its back onthe floor. DO NOT PET IT, as it will think that the trick is over. Next, ask itto SPIN. Your dog should perform that trick. If not, try again!
- STAND UP: You dog will stand up on its 2 hind legs. First get your dog toBEG. Then carefully hold onto one of its paws and lift its paw upwards so thatit finally stands on both hind legs only. While its doing STAND UP, tap thelight bulb to record your command.
- RECOVER: Your dog will be lying on its back and then jump into a standingposition. Ask your dog to ROLL OVER. It will be lying on its back, 4 feet inthe air. As usual, DO NOT PET it, as it will think the trick is over. Now askyour dog to JUMP. It will do the BACKFLIP trick.
- HOWL: To teach your dog to howl on command, observe your dog constantly. Whenother dogs in the background noise (presumably from the neighborhood) howl orbark, your dog might howl, quickly tap on the light bulb icon to record thetrick. Your dog will also howl when a police car (sirens) pass by.
- DANCE: Before attempting to teach your puppy to dance, first make sure itknows BEG and SPIN. Then, get your puppy to BEG and then, do not pet it, andask it to do SPIN. Your puppy should spin while in the BEG position.
- HANDSTAND: Your dog will have to learn both LIE DOWN and BEG for this trick.First get your puppy to LIE DOWN, then immediately ask it to do BEG. Your puppyshould now do a HANDSTAND trick.
- BACKFLIP: Your puppy should already know the SIT and JUMP commands. First,get your puppy to SIT, and without petting it, immediately tell it to JUMP.Your puppy should do a backlip from a sitting position.
Final notes:
The more times you get your dog to perform the trick by speaking into the mic,the longer your dog can hold the trick (ie. do it continually). This isessential for completing the "hold X trick for Y seconds" requirement in theObedience contest, so keep practicing!
iii. Intonation and Recording Your Voice----------------------------------------
As the voice recognition system in Nintendogs is extremely sensitive, it doesnot recognize your voice sometimes (ie. you dog cannot perform the trick thatyou asked it to do). This might be because of two main reasons:
a. Like Words:
Like words mean words that have very similar pronunciations. Although SIT andSHAKE would not sound very similar to you and I, by Nintendogs standards theyare. Thus it would be a good idea to avoid using such similar soundingcommands. Using longer words, such as SIT DOWN, would be helpful. Also, itwould be good to make a rough mental plan of what each trick should be namedbefore actually recording your voice, so as to avoid similar sounding nameslike SIT, SHAKE, SPIN. (eg. you might want to change it to SIT DOWN, LIE DOWNand CHASE)
b. Intonation:
I hate this one. Intonation refers to the rise and fall of your voice when youspeak, for example a harsh sounding "NO!" is very different from a wailing "No~~~~!" like those in romantic soap operas and the like. So be careful whenrecording your voice commands. Pay attention to your intonation especially whenyou record your voice for that particular command the first time.
It would be ideal to use monotone, but if you think that using intonationssounds more natural than speaking to a robot, then make sure that you payattention to how you say it. Alternatively, use words that are less easy tohave too many variations in intonation and yet still sound natural, like "One,Monday, February, etc." to make it easier for yourself and your puppy tounderstand you.
c. Deleting Tricks/ Recovering Intonations
If you ever forget the intonation or decide on another name for the trick andwant to start over again, simply get your dog to forget the trick. To do this,simply go to the "Home" screen, and tap the "?" icon under your puppy'sportrait, to bring up your puppy's personal information page. Tap on the TrickList button, and select the trick you want to delete by tapping on therespective box. Then confirm to delete the trick when the game asks you to. Nowyou can re-teach your dog. Young dogs DO learn OLD tricks!
**Note:If you delete a trick, you dog *completely* forgets it, and that includes howmany times it has done the trick before. That means that you have to get yourdog to practice it all over again in order for it to successfully perform the"hold X trick for Y seconds" section in the Obedience contest.
If you forgot the intonation you used before your dog has learned that trick,or do not want to go through the whole process of teaching your dog over again(which might take some time, even days), then what you need is really one word:patience! Simply get your dog to pay attention to you (its harder with moredogs in the room, so you might want to put those in question in the hotelfirst). Then try different intonations until your dog performs the trick.

C. The Contest Proper=====================
i. Contest Structure--------------------
The Obedience contest is divided into 2 parts, the first part being assignedcommands that your dog must perform in order, and the second being a FreePerformance time when you can get your dog to do any trick.
Tricks in the Obedience Contests are classified, into 3 categories"
- Tricks in sequence: Tricks assigned by the judges at random, to be performedin the stated order. Doing the fist and second (if 3 tricks) will get a "Good"score, while completing all tricks in the correct sequence will get an"Excellent" score. Doing the wrong tricks or tricks in the incorrect order willget a "Miss" message.
- "Hold" Tricks: Also assigned by the judges, chosen at random. Your puppy isrequired to hold, or continue doing, the trick for the stated amount of time.
- Free/(Advanced) Tricks: These are any tricks that can be performed during theFree Performance time, and advanced tricks not required of in the contest canbe used here to get "Excellent" score messages.
The basic tricks that your dog needs to know for each Class/level in theObedience contest are as follows:
1. Beginner Class: Sit, Shake, Lie Down, Free Performance
2. Open Class: Sit, Shake, Lie Down, Roll Over, Spin, Free Performance
3. Expert Class and Above: Sit, Shake, Lie Down, Roll Over, Spin, Jump, Beg,Free Performance
Advanced tricks (tricks other than those listed above and usually consisting of2 simple tricks in one) can be performed during the Free Performance time toearn more points. Usually, these advanced tricks get an "Excellent" scoremessage.
ii. Contest Strategies (Beginner Class to Master Class)-------------------------------------------------------
Placing in the Obedience contest is perhaps the most time consuming of all the3 contests, and maybe that's why they pay you more when you reach the higherclasses. The following are some strategies that would help:
TAKE A BATH:Before even going to an Obedience contest, take note that the judges will judgeyour dog not only on how well it obeys your command and do the required tricks,but also how clean you keep your dog. So, it would be a wise thing to give yourdog a bath and brush its fur first.
READ THE REQUIREMENTS:Make sure that your dog knows all the required tricks for each class beforeproceeding to the contest. You would not want to go to a contest right afterplacing in the previous one, only to find that your dog does not know the newtricks that are required for the higher level of the contest. The list oftricks are found above this section in this FAQ as well as the ObedienceCompetition Book that is in the "Care" section of the "Supplies List" menu.
PRACTICE:One of the most aspects of the Obedience contests are the "Hold" Tricks, inwhich your puppy will be required to continue doing a certain trick (asdetermined by the judges) for a certain amount of time. This would not bedifficult in the earlier classes, since it is only a matter of 3 seconds or 5seconds, but it will be later when your puppy is required, for example to holdthe trick "Beg" for 15 seconds. The only way to get your puppy to be able tohold tricks will be to practice them over and over again. The more times youepuppy does a particular trick, the longer it can continue doing, or "hold" atrick. So practicing before competitions is essential if you want to go to thenext level.
IMPRESS THE JUDGES:The free performance time at the end of every Obedience trial is the time toshow the judges what fancy moves your puppy can do. The judges are notinterested in anything except for the standard Basic Tricks during the othersections of the Obedience contests, but in Free Performance, you can show themall the Advanced Tricks to impress them and gain more points in the process. Itwould be wise to learn at least one Advanced Trick by the time you completeOpen Class. Advanced Tricks will earn you an "Excellent" score message that isgoing to up your points. All the other Basic Tricks earn a "Good" score messageexcept for the Basic Trick "Beg" which scores "Excellent". So to impress thejudges, do at least 1 or 2 advanced tricks and try to fill in the rest of thetime with as many other "Good" tricks as you can manage to. Don't worry if yourdog does the wrong trick at the lower Class contests, since every successfultrick counts.
D. Strategies for the Championship==================================
To even maintain your standing in the Obedience Championships, you must scoreat the minimum, and average of 9.00 points to safely make sure you come back tothe Championships the next round and not be demoted to the Master Class. Soyes, standards are high and to place first, getting above 9.60 points would benecessary to win.
Structure of the Obedience Championship:----------------------------------------
1. 3 tricks to be performed in order. (eg. Sit/Beg/Spin) (20 seconds time limit)
2. Hold 1 trick for 15 seconds. (eg. Hold "Spin" for 15 Seconds) (30 seconds)
3. 3 tricks to be performed in order. (20 seconds time limit)
4. Hold 1 trick for 20 seconds. (eg. Hold "Sit" for 20 Seconds) (30 seconds)
5. Free Performance (20 seconds time limit)
(end of the contest)
The following addresses each aspect of the Obedience Championships:-------------------------------------------------------------------
"HOLD" TRICKS:Even if you were practicing hard and your dog is able to hold a trick for the20 seconds that is required in the Championships, you still have only 30seconds to complete the task. This means that to get your dog to "Sit"continually for 20 seconds, for example, you would have to get your puppy tostart performing the trick within the first 10 seconds or you will not be ableto pull the trick off. If your puppy needs time before it does the trick, orkeeps doing the wrong tricks thus leading to a timeout, you might want to lookinto more practice in terms of your pronunciation of the command. A differentintonation or change in pronunciation might have been the cause of your puppyperforming the wrong tricks or it having trouble figuring out what you want itto do. For more information on pronunciation and intonation, take a look at thecontents page and you will find the relevant section listed there.
FREE PERFORMANCE:It would be suicide if you are still getting your puppy to perform just one ortwo "Excellent" tricks while the rest are "Good". Make sure that you haveenough Advanced Tricks to cover the 20-second Free Performance section and getas many "Excellent"s as you can. It would be a good idea to actually plan astring of tricks that can be done in as little time as possible to score. Forexample, start with BREAKDANCE,and after your puppy has spun 360 degrees and isstill in the ROLL OVER position, get it to do a BACKFLIP, perhaps then proceedto doing BEG and then DANCE, then later STAND UP as all the later 3 are relatedto BEG as a base for the trick.
RESPONSE TIME:Your dog would most probably be really attached to you by the time you get tothe Obedience Championship, so save time by NOT calling your dog's name beforeyou ask it to do a trick. Simply go over the trick names until your puppy doesthe intended trick, changing your intonation or pronunciation as necessary ifyour puppy has trouble understanding. Also, the score that the judges give yourpuppy is based on how QUICKLY you get the tricks (in order/or hold) done. Doingthe wrong tricks would result in a "Miss" message and you would want as littleof that as possible. Ideally, you should, by the Championship stage, be able totrain your puppy (and your own intonation) such that once you speak thecommand, your puppy is able to follow and perform the trick immediately. Doingtricks (especially those in a specific sequence/order as decided by the judges)in the least possible time would earn you those extra 0.1 points you need to upyour score to near perfect to place first in the Championships.
============================================================================5. Additional Notes============================================================================
In this section, I'll list some extra information that is related tocompetitions, but are not essential information that you need to know in orderto prepare for or win competitions.
A. Prize Money--------------
These are the prize money amounts I know of so far:
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Disc Competition 1ST 2ND 3RD +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Beginner Class $100 $50 $30 Open Class $200 $100 $60 Expert Class $300 $150 $90 Master Class $400 $200 $120 Championship $600 $300 $150 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Agility Competition 1ST 2ND 3RD +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Beginner Class $100 $50 $30 Open Class $200 $100 $60 Expert Class $300 $150 $90 Master Class $600 $300 $150 Championship $1000 $500 $270 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
+-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Obedience Competition 1ST 2ND 3RD +-----------------------------------------------------------------+ Beginner Class $100 $50 $30 Open Class $200 $100 $60 Expert Class $600 $300 $150 Master Class $1000 $500 $270 Championship $2000 $1000 $600 +-----------------------------------------------------------------+
* Note: If you have the information for the prize money of the other classes,please let me know. I'll give you credit in the End Credits section.
B. Maintaining Your Winning Streak-----------------------------------
If you get 1st in the Championship competition, your dog's Contest Scoresscreen will mark it as so, and if you continue to win 1st in the Championships,a small yellow banner will appear showing the number of times your dog has wonthe title. However, this banner will disappear when you get below 1st, thusre-setting the winning streak record. But on your puppy's scorecard, the 1st inChampionship still remains; just the banner will be gone.
C. Re-doing a Competition-------------------------
You can re-do the competition if you are not satisfied with your performance.save first before entering a contest, and then, if you are not satisfied,simply cut the power and turn on the DS to try again. You must however, turnoff the DS before the results are announced for 3rd, 2nd and 1st place.
D. Other General Competition Tips---------------------------------
Your dog listens to you better when all its needs are taken care of and it isin tip-top condition. So aside from looking after your puppies well, it wouldbe a good idea to feed them Additive Free Food (available at the Pet Supply andDiscount Store after 10, 000 Trainer Points) as often as you can, or as closelybefore you enter a contest, to raise its mood. Also it would be a good idea toget your puppy's coat to "Beautiful" when taking it to any competition, since apuppy that is clean and comfortable will be more likely to listen to you, andthis could be a crucial factor especially in the voice command orientedObedience Competition.
E. Contest Item List--------------------
This section lists the items that are related to the contests:
Disc Competition Frisbees:
- Flying Disc (Red/Blue/Yellow)- Camo Disc (Khaki/Blue)- Aerodisc (Pink/white)- Sponsor Disc (Green/Yellow)- Shower Cap (exclusive to Dachshund and Friends)- Life Ring (excusive to Lab and Friends)- Mario Kart (increases speed of your dog)- Broken Clock (exclusive to Chihuahua and Friends)
*these are all I can think of for now, if you have any other items (versionexclusive or not, it does not matter) that I have yet to list here, please letme know.
============================================================================6. FAQ============================================================================
Here are some questions I can think of and have the answers to:
Q. What do I do if I max out my 3 chances of competitions for the day?A. Wait for the next day. You should be able to enter contests again atmidnight (12 am).
Q. How can I re-do the competitions without wasting my chance?A. Save first before entering the contest, and if you are not satisfied withthe performance, then turn off your DS before the results are announced.
Q. I cannot seem to pass the Seesaw obstacle!A. You have to wait for the seesaw to completely rest of the floor on theopposite side before your dog can hop off it. To make the seesaw fall faster,get your dog to stand in the white area of the seesaw at the opposite end.
Q. How do I get my dogs to do the obstacles automatically?A. Practice at the gym! The more you practice, and the more attached your dogis to you, the better it performs.
Q. My dog is running a little slowly.A. Try practicing running with the disc (throw-catch) at the park, or use theMario Kart and have your dog chase after it. I've noticed that one of my dogsthat excels at the Disc Competition runs faster (little dynamo) during theAgility contest than my other dog, which placed only 3rd in the DiscChampionships.
Q. What are trainer points for?A. You can earn them during contests (and other instances as well) and the gameunlocks new dogs or items/decors when you reach a certain number. For moreinformation, go here:http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/code/926849.html
Q. What happens after I complete the Championship level?A. You simply remain at the Championship level the next time you take part, andyour dog's Contest Records would show a little banner with the number of timesit has defended its title at Championship level if it won first more than oncein a row. I think it's kinda bad to rip the contest people off their money whenmy dog just devastates their other contestants, but that is another matter.
Q. How do I go on Walks?A. Go explore around in the game or read the manual, if not go to the generalFAQ/walkthrough that deals with this. They can be found here:http://www.gamefaqs.com/portable/ds/game/926849.html
Q. Are there any other ways to earn money?A. Yes, you can find items on walks and sell those that you do not want/haveextra at the Secondhand Shop in the "Go Out" menu. But the bulk of yourearnings (other than the occasional huge find on walks) would be fromcompetitions.
Q. My dog does not listen to me when ask it to do (insert trick here).A. Be patient! Try speaking the command again several times. Also make surethat your dog has already learned that trick! If your dog has not yet learnedthat trick, or is still in the process of learning that trick, it will not beable to perform that trick. To check this, go to the "Home" menu, and tap onthe "?" icon under your dog's portrait, and this will bring up the dog'spersonal info page. Tap once again on the "Trick List" button to bring up thelist of tricks that your dog has already learned.
If your dog DID learn that trick then you might want to pay attention to yourintonation when speaking the trick's name. Intonation is the rise and all ofyour voice when you speak. For example, "NO!" is very different from "No~~~~!".So if you had taught your dog the trick with a particular intonation, but hadused another intonation when asking your dog to perform the trick, thesensitive voice recognition system would not understand your command.
Q. My dog keeps getting these question marks over its head when I try to teachit a new trick. What's wrong?A. Again, it has got to do with intonation. Just a recap here: Intonation isthe rise and all of your voice when you speak. For example, "NO!" is verydifferent from "No~~~~!". What is most probably the reason would be that youhave used a certain intonation when teaching your dog the trick for the firsttime, and then changed your intonation when you are trying to duplicate thattrick. Nintendogs' voice recognition IS EXTREMELY SENSITIVE TO INTONATIONS, andeven a tiny variation that you may not even notice, makes a big difference. Soeither use monotone (no intonations) or use different words to represent thattrick (eg. Monday, Three, etc.) that is less prone to intonation differencesand are distinct from other like words (such as eg. SIT and SHAKE). Fordetails, go check out the sub-section on Intonation and Recording Your Voice.
Q. My dog keeps doing the trick no matter how I try to get it to do somethingelse! Why?A. Sometimes, you dog will do some tricks by itself even when you did not askit to do anything. It's usually this automatically done trick that your dogdoes when it does not understand your command. It may be a bit frustrating, butobserve your intonation and pronunciation. You may have named your new trick tosomewhat resemble the old one(s). Go look at the section on Intonation andRecording Your Voice.
Q. My dog just learned a new trick, and now it just does that and nothing else!A. Sometimes, a puppy might get so excited learning a new trick that it does itover and over again, regardless of what you ask it to do. To remedy this, makesure that your puppy is in the best of mood (ie. all its needs are being takecare of, and its is rested and happy). Make it pay attention to you (placeother dogs in the Hotel if you have to) and slowly get it to do the tricks youwant it to do. It might be a bit frustrating, but try pronouncing the commandas closely as you can to when you recorded it, and DO NOT pet your puppy orgive it treats if it does the wrong trick. Siimply use the stylus to move itback into a neutral (standing) position again and try over. It might take sometime and may be a little frustrating, but your puppy should get over the newtrick eagerness after a day or two.
Q. I DID look and it still does not work!A. I know it happens sometimes, apparently the game is terrible at recognizingpronunciation differences, and you would actually fare better trying to dodifferent intonations for the commands of different tricks, though you must payspecial attention when doing this. If your hair is still going white to getyour dog to do anything else but a particular trick, it may be wise to deletethat trick and re-teach it again. Do some mental give and take, and see whichtrick is easier to teach or worth sacrificing or living with as it is (in theevent that you do not want to delete a trick). Generally, it would not beadvisable to delete tricks that took a long time to teach, or the Basic Tricks.
Q. My dog used to be able to get 1ST in (insert contest here) but now it barelyqualifies for 3RD place! Why?A. Is your dog still below the Championships level? If so, placing 1ST, 2ND or3RD in the contest will take your dog up one level (Class), and of course, thestandards at the new levels are much higher. Your dog may have also dropped toa lower level, if you had failed to place in any of the top 3 positions in acontest at any level (except the Beginner class). Do check the level of thecontest that your puppy is taking part in.
If you are very sure that your dog is not performing badly due to changes incontest level (Class), then check to see if your dog is already fed, wateredand clean. Also, it would be good if you as a dedicated parent take it forwalks at least once a day, no one likes to be cooped up at home.
If all of the above does not apply to you, then it must be the last reason: Areyou too tired? If you are still playing at 4 am and the last time you went tobed was 2 days ago, tell your dogs that you will play with them soon and turnthe DS off!
Q. When is the best time to enter a contest?A. It is crucial (if you did not realize by common sense already) that yourpuppy should not be tired if you are attempting a contest. But that aside, makesure that your dogs are fed and watered, and giving them a bath and a good groomwould make things go better as well.
============================================================================7. Information/Contact/End Credits============================================================================
A. Information==============
i. Version History:-------------------
0.90 (1 September 05): North America Contest Guide written.1.00 (3 September 05): Added the Basic Tricks list, some Advanced Tricks, notes and tips on Intonation and Voice Recording. More questions added and answered in the FAQ section. Added End Credits section and added more information regarding Hosting, Contact email and Information submission. Revamped the Contents page to include the sub-sections for the Obedience contest.1.1 (4 September 05): Added a new Additional Notes section and made minor changes to the contents page. Small changes to the legal Stuff sub-section, so that it sounds more ... legal. Other minor changes.1.4 (6 September 05): Added the last bit to the Obedience section. Re-did the underline of the section and sub-section headers to make the FAQ easier to read. Did a little update on the Prize Money, and necessary changes to Contents Page. Other minor changes.1.5 (7 Sepptember 05): Changed the presentation of the Prize Money section. Other minor changes.1.55 (08 September 05): Updated the Prize Money list. Updated the Info section.1.6 (09 September 05): Made some small additions to the Agility and Information sections. Added a Contest Item List into the Additional Notes Section.1.65 (12 September 05): Added an Advanced Trick (thanks Amy), made some changes to the FAQ section.1.7 (23 September 05): Added an Advanced Trick (thanks Suprnova8487).1.75 (3 October 05): Added more prize money info (thanks Peachzeldagirl, Super Sonic 5 and gazimon) and info about the Mario Kart (thanks Peachzeldagirl).1.80 (17 October 05): Changed the BACKFLIP trick to new name, RECOVER. Added actual BACKFLIP trick (thanks Morbid Cheshire).1.9 (26 October 05): Quite a large update on the prize money info. (Thanks to Dimitris Hall, Michael Bol and Debby)2.0 Completed the Prize Money table. Thanks for everyone who contributed to it all this while. (Special thanks to Dragonblizz, Jhonny Angel, Caroline)2.1 (04 April 06): Quite a late update, but included the (most prob) last exclusive item in the contest items section - the Broken clock (thanks Flink).

ii. Legal Stuff:----------------
Nintendogs: Dachshund & FriendsNintendogs: Chihuahua & FriendsNintendogs: Lab & Friendsthe name Nintendo and Nintendogsare all copyright and properties of Nintendo
iii. Hosting:-------------
This FAQ should only be hosted/found on the following sites:- http://faqs.ign.com- http://www.gamefaqs.com- http://www.supercheats.com- http://www.neoseeker.com- http://wwww.gamerhelp.com- http://www.absolutcheats.com
If you want to post this FAQ on you own/another site not listed above, pleasesend me an email first.
You can download and print this FAQ (whole or in part) for your own use, butplease do not make any changes to it or use it (in whole or in part) in yourown FAQ or any other source.
Please also send me an email if you want to link to this FAQ from your ownWebsite.
B. Contact/Questions====================
i. Questions:-------------
This is my first FAQ, so if I miss out anything, please let me know. If thereare any questions that you cannot find answers in this FAQ regarding contests,please email me at:
jassie_sun (at) keromail.com
Please note that I check this email address only every 2 days or so, thus ifyou have very urgent questions you want answered at any time of the day, tryyour luck at the message boards on GameFAQS.com, or other online forumsinstead. Lots of great people will answer your questions there.
Also, I don't own the Chihuahua & Friends version of the game, so if you haveany questions regarding that version of the game that is NOT related tocompetitions or the general aspects of the game (ie. how to find a specificexclusive item in Chihuahua & Friends), please go to the boards or forums andask the people who are playing that version of the game.
Also, if you have nothing to do, take a look at my blog:http://dogdogco.blogspot.com
ii. Information Submission:---------------------------
If you have anything that you might want to see added into this FAQ, pleasedon't hesitate to send me an email. I'll place a credit for you in the EndCredits section my email address can be found above.
Also, I'm looking for the following information and if you have it, please sendit to me and I'll give you credit in the End Credits Section:
- The prize money amounts for all the competitions and each class. FromBeginner Class to Championship; 3rd place to 1st place.
- Any advanced tricks that I do not know or have missed out. Please include adetailed description of how to teach your dog that trick.
- Any items related to competitions. I'm thinking of the discs used in the DiscCompetition here, but if you have any other item that is related tocompetitions (actual or preparation) please email them to me.
Please indicate if you want to be known by your actual name or someGameFAQ/IGN/ forum name, so that I can make the correct credit references.Also, please leave me a note if you want your email included in the creditssection (I know some people don't).
C. End Credits==============
i. Thank you:-------------
I would like to say a big thank you to:
- IGN.com for hosting this FAQ.- GameFAQS.com for hosting this FAQ.- Neoseeker.com for hosting this FAQ.- SuperCheats.com for hosting this FAQ.- The good people at Nintendo for developing and publishing Nintendogs.- Miyamoto Shigeru for coming up with the idea of Nintendogs.- Miyamoto Shigeru's dog for giving him the inspiration to create Nintendogs.- My idol, Paula Tsui for her wonderful songs that I listened to the lonely nights I typed this FAQ. Congrats on completing your 23 concerts Paula!- Brother Gomugomu for looking over this FAQ and giving a one sentence review "Should be ok."- My own dog, Honey, for being such a wonderful companion and friend.- My other dog, Sugar, for being such an evil puppy.
ii. Contribution Credits:-------------------------
I would also like to say thank you to:
- Nathan L. for contributing the info on the prize money (Disc Contest/BeginnerClass/ 2ND).
- Amy aka Tackydresser for contributing info on the Sneeze trick. (ObedienceCompetition/Advanced Tricks)
- Suprnova8487 for contributing info on the Handstand trick. (ObedienceCompetition/Advanced Tricks)
- Peachzeldagirl for contributing info on the prize money (Disc Contest/ExpertClass/ 3RD) and info about the Mario Kart.
- Super Sonic 5 for contributing info on prize money (Agility Contest/ MasterClass 1ST/ Open Class/ 1ST).
- gazimon for contributing info on prize money (Agility/ Expert Class/ 1ST/Obedience Contest/ Expert Class/ 1ST)
- Morbid Cheshire for contributing info on the Backflip trick.(Obedience/Competition/Advanced Tricks)
- Dimitris Hall for contributing info on prize money (Disc Contest/Open Class2ND/3RD/Expert Class/1ST)
- Michael Bol for contributing info on prize money (Obedience Contest/MasterClass/1ST/2ND)
- Debby for contributing info on prize money (Obedience Contest?open Class 2ND)
- Dragonblizz for completing the prize money tables.
- *I know some people have sent me info for the prize money as well, here theyare: Jhonny Angel, Caroline
- Flink, for info on the Broken Clock (Contest Item List)