AMHERST — Pomeranians, Great Danes, corgis, bullmastiffs and dozens of other breeds of dogs showed off their good behavior and canine citizenship skills in Amherst on Sunday at the Merrimack Valley Kennel Club's companionship events.

The three-day series of American Kennel Club competitions and tests, which began on Friday, highlighted obedience training and good public behavior. The dogs competed on different levels and demonstrated they could come when called, sit still when told and respond to signals and commands. Dogs with a little more experience competed in jumping skills, following hand signals and other tests such as finding an object that had their owner's scent.

Dogs were also able to take a good citizenship test that demonstrated a variety of skills such as walking through a crowd, accepting a pat from a stranger and walking with an owner without a leash.

“The events are about responsible dog ownership,” said Derry resident Paige Kendell, chairwoman for the obedience and rally competitions.

Many of the owners whose dogs took part in the events said they put in a lot of training time. Jen and Mark Ericson, who live with four Labrador retrievers in Manchester, said training starts when a puppy is eight weeks old and really never stops.

“Anytime we interact with our dogs we integrate our expectations for behavior,” said Mark Ericson.

Chester resident Beatrice Bartley, who co-chaired the event committee, said training requires work and consistency but there's plenty of satisfaction in having a well-trained animal.

“It's good to have that relationship and rapport with your dog,” she said.

Shelia Johannesen, who also worked to organize the event, said that good citizenship skills allow dogs to be ambassadors for the rest of the canine world.

“Dogs that are trained don't get into trouble,” said Johannesen, adding that training shows people dogs can behave and interact with people in public places rather than just dog parks.

On Sunday morning, there were a lot of dogs walking around with prize ribbons attached to their collars. Top dogs won pet toys, dog treats, fleece blankets and other pet gear.

“There are a lot of new faces, a lot of happy faces,” said Kendell. “You really don't know what's possible with your dog until you work together on training.”