What would persuade a man who had been playing the trumpet from the age of eight, and professionally for 20 years, to give it up in favour of a dog?

For Carl Shechtman, the answer was simple: "Your life evolves and different things become important to you. Most people don't find one passion in their life, I was lucky to find a second one. This is a new challenge, and something different."

The passion of which he speaks is training his golden retriever, Ch. Newcoast's Wynton of Bermuda, AM/Bda CD, Can.CDX to greater competitive glory, with the ultimate goal being to add the top dog obedience title, `Utility Dog', to his growing collection of rosettes, ribbons and trophies.

Mr. Shechtman's preoccupation with the sport of competitive Obedience goes back to his years as a professional musician in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where he and his wife Gail acquired Herschel, a brain-damaged golden retriever who "went in circles" when he got excited.

"I took him to obedience classes and people didn't know there was anything wrong with him, that's how good he was," he says.

Mr. Shechtman is a strong believer in obedience training because he feels dog owners, like parents of children, have a responsibility to raise their pets to be good canine citizens.

"People have an obligation to themselves, their dog and other people to train the dog. There is a problem here with people who have dogs they don't train," he says. "A dog is like a child. If you raise and nurture it properly you can take it anywhere.

"In fact, Bermuda has three organisations - the Dog Training Club of Bermuda, Good Dog 101, and K-9 Education and Performance Club - all of which do puppy classes and basic obedience.

"You get out of the training what you put into it. If you spend time with your dog you end up with something good. If you ignore it, you have problems such as aggression and barking. People should not have a dog unless they are prepared to spend time with it."

So when Herschel died and Wynton, who is named after the Jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, arrived from the United States seven and a half years ago as an untitled, four-month old puppy, it was already decided that he would grow up to be a good dog.

Just how good, however, Mr. Shechtman could not have imagined, and neither could a top US trainer, Terri Arnold who, much later, would describe him initially as "a slug on the end of a leash". It was Wynton's secret that he was destined for stardom, and would some day become a champion.

Meanwhile, the playful puppy and his master began their mutual journey on the long road to Obedience glory.

When Betsy Scappichio from the Top Dog Training School in Flanders, New Jersey arrived in Bermuda to conduct a seminar for members of the Dog Training Club it proved to be a turning point from which Mr. Shechtman has never looked back.

"She brought with her a border collie that was less than a year old, and the way he sat next to her with 100 percent attention just blew me away. I said, `I would like Wynton to do that', and that is how it all started," he remembers.

When he learned that the school was near a friend's home where they could stay, he and Wynton took the first of many journeys abroad to learn the magic of "attention" through a series of private lessons.

Six months later, the exercise was repeated, and when Ms Scappichio saw the level of commitment, she suggested that they also partake of a training camp, Steppin' Up, in Boston run by another eminent expert, Terri Arnold. Thus it was that, for the next five summers, Wynton progressed from Beginners to Super Advanced camp.

"I ended up with a dog who has good attention," Mr. Shechtman says. "He heels with his head, tail and ears up, watching me. Not too many dogs do that because it isn't natural. That means he is happy. A dog's posture tells you everything."

In fact, listening to him is like listening to a proud parent of a well-behaved child - which is basically how Wynton is viewed.

"He is part of our family. He sleeps in the bedroom with us, and he comes on trips with us. He is a joy to travel with because he is so well behaved and so well adjusted.

On alternate Saturdays he spends the day with me at my business, Pianos Plus, greeting the customers. In fact, some stop by just to see him, and when he's not there they ask where he is. He is really special. It is hard to imagine him not being here some day."

Just what does it take to train a dog in Obedience to championship standard? The answer, it seems, is a great deal of patience, and humility.

"Your dog does not always do what you want it to do, but I feel I have a strong enough relationship with Wynton that I never have to worry about him walking away in the ring," Mr. Shechtman says.

"You can't be mad at your dog. If Wynton makes a mistake it is usually because of eagerness. We have had our successes and our share of failures."

In fact, Wynton's biggest problem is sit-downs (group stays) because he has difficulty containing his eagerness, which Mr. Shechtman says is an "emotional issue" that is hard to correct, but they're working on it.

The long Obedience trail begins with learning to heel, which includes halts, about-turns, fast/slow walking and left/right turns. In the show ring, precise conditions must be met.

Success depends on good training and the relationship between man and animal. Later on, learning to obey other commands (verbal and hand signalled), tune out distractions, retrieve and jump over obstacles will be added to the dog's skills.

"In Obedience we use a lot of food, toys, play and praise to motivate and reward the dog, but the only thing you can bring into the ring is the relationship you have with your animal, and with all the distractions that is when you find out whether your dog is going to work for you and be anxious to please, or whether he is going to walk away from you, sniff the ground, or jump out of the ring. I've seen it all!" Mr. Shechtman says.

Asked how Wynton learns increasingly complicated Obedience skills, his owner says the method is akin to learning music.

"You break the exercise down into pieces, teaching each one separately. Only after he fully understands each piece you start putting them together to get the whole picture, which is exactly the same way you learn a piece of music."

As a former musician, Mr. Shechtman also knows that practice makes perfect, and he is totally focussed on taking Wynton to the pinnacle of awards - a process that involves study, attending classes, competing in shows here and abroad, and generally reinforcing over and over again what the dog has learned.

Just how much the duo have accomplished is perhaps best illustrated by the growing collection of ribbons, rosettes, trophies and certificates Wynton has won. Thus far, his impressive achievements over the past two years of competition include a First title in three different countries, and he is very close to winning a second title in three countries.

Full details are as follows:

Bermuda Breed Champion and top Sporting Dog (Group 1) in 1998.

Bermuda, US and Canadian Companion Dog (CD) Obedience titles with class placements in each country, including two High in Trials (equivalent of Best in Show).

Canadian Companion Dog Excellent (CDX) title in first three consecutive trials, scoring 195, 196, 197 out of a possible 200 points, earning three First places in class, including a High in Trial and a Dog World Canine Award of Distinction in Obedience.

Participant in All Star Obedience Championship in Lebanon, Pennsylvania in December 2001. Qualified to participate again in December, 2002. Bermuda flag raised and National Anthem played at the opening ceremonies.

`Special Honourable Mention' with picture and copy in the First and Foremost 2002 Rating System, published annually in US by Front and Finish, the Dog Trainer's News, for points accumulated by qualifying scores in American Kennel Club obedience trials, 2001.

"I have only been competing for two years, and my goal is to have three Obedience titles in three countries," Mr. Shechtman says. "The Utility title is very difficult to get, but it is my hope that he will succeed. The main thing now is to keep him healthy because age (he is eight) is not on his side. For a competition dog he is actually geriatric, but he is very fit and healthy."

As talented as he is, however, none of Wynton's successes would have been possible without hard work. "Like any other discipline, talent is important, but it is training that brings out that talent. Like musicians, the desire to succeed sometimes overshadows talent. You have to make training fun for the dog and motivate it, because the goal at the end of the day is to have the dog enjoy what it is doing and be happy. If the dog is happy, success is greater."

Mr. Shechtman hastens to assure, however, that Wynton's training does not include force, as was once the style, but rather a combination of motivation, rewards, and correction when necessary. Training and competing, however, is only part of the story. Diet and grooming are also important components, and Wynton is well cosseted in both departments. Dried food never crosses his lips.

"I feed him a complete raw diet that includes beef with a supplement, yoghurt and vegetables, and he also loves fruit such as grapes and cantaloupe," Mr. Shechtman says. "Grooming includes clipping and filing of his nails, and trimming the hairs on his feet."

So what happens when Wynton retires in approximately 18 months' time? Will his adoring owner and partner join him, and put the sport of Obedience behind him? Not a chance!

"He is my buddy and I won't forget about him. In fact, I can enter him in the veterans' class for fun, or maybe do tracking with him, which is another discipline, but I will also have a new puppy and set new and higher goals," Mr. Shechtman assures.