Where do we go from here in training? (Sigh)

chelle · 10-31-2011, 09:32 PM

Ok, so Bailey has a couple weeks left of Basic Obedience. He's blowing out the class. Sure, I'm biased, but he really is. He knows everything being taught and does it in spades for the most part. He's become the sample dog to demonstrate stuff. It has been a great experience, as the trainer has taught ME various alternative methods and been there to point out MY weaknesses and I appreciate that very much. I would love to go on to Obedience Two with this trainer, BUT she isn't offering that class until January. I really do not want to take a break anywhere near that long.

I have contacted several training classes to ask if they'd allow us to start on Obed II, or their version of it, and no one is answering!?? I wasn't being a jerk, I swear, I just explained we were finishing Obed I and would prefer not to repeat it and would we be able to join the next higher session... no answers. From three organizations. I'm stratching my head, wondering. It's been over a week. I keep checking my email, nothing.

I really think starting over with Beg Obed would be a waste of time and bore Bailey. Our current trainer said to not even bother with Petco/Petsmart Obed Two. She said she thought he'd be great with scent work?

Other alternatives are the in-home trainers, and they are far more responsive, but for whatever reason, I'm not into that. I like the whole experience of going to a class and learning under distractive conditions.

SO WHERE WOULD YOU GO, WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you could not continue your Obedience work until January? (worst case scenario)

About him:

Just over six month old, intact male WGSD/Husky mix.
Smart, aims to please, loves food rewards.
Very focused dog.
Loves frisbee, retrieves fairly well, but not always exactly to me.
Solid with sit, stay, down, down-stay, place, recall very good but not excellent with distractions.
Walking on lead excellent with prong, horrible without.
Very dog friendly.
Still fearful of small kids. (getting better)
Dog and owner bond extremely tight.

I know so many of you engage is so many different things and my head is kind of spinning with the directions we might take. Bottom line, I do NOT want this dog to become bored. He's too smart to become bored. I just don't know the different avenues we might pursue that would "fit" him. ? I know he's too young for many things.

My last alternative is to re-join a class we started first and left. It was an advanced class, focused on dogs that would be in a show ring - perfect heels, sits, etc. We were too far ahead of ourselves at that time. It is likely still too far ahead of us as it was a pure compulsion class ( I think that's what you call it?) No treats, only corrections and praise and prongs or chokes. I think he could do it now, but what is holding me back is how he loves to perform for praise - and treats as well. He has a very sweet personality and I don't want to grow him up too fast. I think in a year, I could see that class.... but I am also doubting myself, perhaps being much too mama-hen like.

As you can see from my long rant here, I just don't know what to do. I only know we need to continue training and if we can't seem to find a way to continue Obedience training until January, can you suggest other avenues we could pursue at least until then??

THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!

Stosh · 10-31-2011, 09:53 PM

Try agility- it uses a lot of obedience work at a distance, tons of exercise and it's fun!

blehmannwa · 10-31-2011, 09:56 PM

He's six months old. Speaking from personal experience I would not push too hard right now. Adolescence will hit like a freight train and he'll probably find other things more interesting than obeying you. I think nose work or a repeat obedience class would be fun. I wouldn't do compulsion with a teenage dog. I think it sets up a conflict.

If his recall isn't exact now, it is likely to become more challenging as he reaches maturity. Repeating a class can be good for a young dog--different dogs, different dynamics.

I actually like PetSmart for puppy class and basics but they don't really cater to more advanced classes.

chelle · 10-31-2011, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stosh

Try agility- it uses a lot of obedience work at a distance, tons of exercise and it's fun!

I think this sounds awesome, but is he too young for all that jumping ? Sorry, I know I'm dumb, but I'm very worried and protective to not encourage him to jump and so forth at such a young age. I don't know what I'm talking about though!!!!!!!!!

Is it ok to get into agility as young as he is?

codmaster · 11-01-2011, 12:54 AM

Why not talk to your instructor about what you can do till jan (not reaaly that long esp. if you figure in the holiday breaks anyway. Then work out a plan to train on your own till the class starts?

Emoore · 11-01-2011, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chelle

I think this sounds awesome, but is he too young for all that jumping ? Sorry, I know I'm dumb, but I'm very worried and protective to not encourage him to jump and so forth at such a young age.

Nope, beginner agility classes keep the jumps very very low-- like 6 inches. They don't start "raising the bar" until you get closer to competition level. In many beginner classes, the "jump" is just a bar lying on the ground between two uprights. In fact, a good agility trainer will not *allow* you to jump a pup too young, even if you wanted to.

I say go for agility, but you're likely to have the same problem. Most schools are shutting down for the holidays and won't start back with regular classes until January. Mine is doing some special 1- and 2- class sessions, and also some agility fun days, yappy hours, etc. Might see if any schools are offering anything like that.

**MaggieRoseLee** · 11-01-2011, 09:37 AM

If you find a good agility instructor/club......then Emoore is exactly right. They have puppy and age appropriate classes. And keep the bars low/on the ground.

If you find any tracking/scentwork stuff, that would easily fit into any training.

Also, if you switch classes/instructors to continue obedience, the classes may be quite different from the one you are currently in. Just the different dynamics of a new room, new dogs and other new people can make a big difference to the training. So I'd email/call those other places again, or show up at their place early to watch and talk to the instructor, and get a better idea of if you want to continue or not.

Caledon · 11-01-2011, 09:59 AM

If someone made this suggestion to me when I was working my way up to the next levels I would have discounted it, but now I would take the advice that I'm going to offer you.

Don't worry about going to the next level. If you can't wait till January, which I would not be able to either, retake the Level 1 class, either with the same trainer or with a different one. Going with a different one will offer you a different perspective. They may train for different things at this level. You can always work on perfecting what you have learned eg. asking for 20 seconds of watch me vs 10 seconds (making the times up), working on a straight front sit, asking for a longer down/sit stay by releasing your dog after all the others have been released, great exercise. Talk to the instructor and maybe they will allow you to work on more advanced lessons in a class environment around differnt dogs and different people.

I find classes keeps me on track. Sure you can do this on your own, but I like the weekly classes.

**MaggieRoseLee** · 11-01-2011, 10:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caledon

If someone made this suggestion to me when I was working my way up to the next levels I would have discounted it, but now I would take the advice that I'm going to offer you.

Don't worry about going to the next level. If you can't wait till January, which I would not be able to either, retake the Level 1 class, either with the same trainer or with a different one. Going with a different one will offer you a different perspective. They may train for different things at this level. You can always work on perfecting what you have learned eg. asking for 20 seconds of watch me vs 10 seconds (making the times up), working on a straight front sit, asking for a longer down/sit stay by releasing your dog after all the others have been released, great exercise. Talk to the instructor and maybe they will allow you to work on more advanced lessons in a class environment around differnt dogs and different people.

I find classes keeps me on track. Sure you can do this on your own, but I like the weekly classes.

Well said, I also agree with that. Added to the fact our pups go thru different stages emotionally and mentally the first year. So something that was easy the week before is suddenly a new challenge!

Rerun · 11-01-2011, 12:26 PM

You might also try stopping by the training facilities in person.

I too like weekly classes, and i would retake the level 1 before I would just skip classes. Just work on more advanced things. Dogs will always be at different levels in classes anyway, depending on how fast the dog picks things up and how much the owner works them at home. Just ask more of YOUR dog. If their dog can do a sit/stay for 1 minute, work towards 2, 3, 4 minutes with you and so on. If your dog can "down" with a finger point and you bending over, work on being able to give just a verbal command and have the dog down. When they work on "come," don't just be satisfied when your dogs comes. Have them come front (come straight to you, and sit square in front of you) and you can even work on finish (where the dog walks around the back of you to get back into the by heel position). Face the dog in the other direction and do a sit or down/stay. Does the dog stay where you put them, or turn around to face you? It's ok for them to look, but they shouldn't get up and turn around to face you.

I could go on and on. But there are tons of things you can work on. It's not the obedience your dog is learning at class. You can do that at home. What you're working on is proofing in a distracting envioronment. I know a ton of people who say they don't need dog training classes since they can train a dog, but all their dog can do is sit (unreliably) and come (unreliably).

10-31-2011, 09:32 PM	#1 (permalink)
chelle Knighted Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Des Moines, IA Posts: 2,863	Where do we go from here in training? (Sigh) Ok, so Bailey has a couple weeks left of Basic Obedience. He's blowing out the class. Sure, I'm biased, but he really is. He knows everything being taught and does it in spades for the most part. He's become the sample dog to demonstrate stuff. It has been a great experience, as the trainer has taught ME various alternative methods and been there to point out MY weaknesses and I appreciate that very much. I would love to go on to Obedience Two with this trainer, BUT she isn't offering that class until January. I really do not want to take a break anywhere near that long. I have contacted several training classes to ask if they'd allow us to start on Obed II, or their version of it, and no one is answering!?? I wasn't being a jerk, I swear, I just explained we were finishing Obed I and would prefer not to repeat it and would we be able to join the next higher session... no answers. From three organizations. I'm stratching my head, wondering. It's been over a week. I keep checking my email, nothing. I really think starting over with Beg Obed would be a waste of time and bore Bailey. Our current trainer said to not even bother with Petco/Petsmart Obed Two. She said she thought he'd be great with scent work? Other alternatives are the in-home trainers, and they are far more responsive, but for whatever reason, I'm not into that. I like the whole experience of going to a class and learning under distractive conditions. SO WHERE WOULD YOU GO, WHAT WOULD YOU DO if you could not continue your Obedience work until January? (worst case scenario) About him: Just over six month old, intact male WGSD/Husky mix. Smart, aims to please, loves food rewards. Very focused dog. Loves frisbee, retrieves fairly well, but not always exactly to me. Solid with sit, stay, down, down-stay, place, recall very good but not excellent with distractions. Walking on lead excellent with prong, horrible without. Very dog friendly. Still fearful of small kids. (getting better) Dog and owner bond extremely tight. I know so many of you engage is so many different things and my head is kind of spinning with the directions we might take. Bottom line, I do NOT want this dog to become bored. He's too smart to become bored. I just don't know the different avenues we might pursue that would "fit" him. ? I know he's too young for many things. My last alternative is to re-join a class we started first and left. It was an advanced class, focused on dogs that would be in a show ring - perfect heels, sits, etc. We were too far ahead of ourselves at that time. It is likely still too far ahead of us as it was a pure compulsion class ( I think that's what you call it?) No treats, only corrections and praise and prongs or chokes. I think he could do it now, but what is holding me back is how he loves to perform for praise - and treats as well. He has a very sweet personality and I don't want to grow him up too fast. I think in a year, I could see that class.... but I am also doubting myself, perhaps being much too mama-hen like. As you can see from my long rant here, I just don't know what to do. I only know we need to continue training and if we can't seem to find a way to continue Obedience training until January, can you suggest other avenues we could pursue at least until then?? THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!! __________________ Dolly Eskie 6/03 Suri Shiba 10/07 Bailey WGSD/Husky x 5/11 CGC Bailey's brother Tucker (rescue/foster dude) Tiger kitty '96 Information is power

11-01-2011, 09:37 AM	#7 (permalink)
MaggieRoseLee The Agility Rocks! Moderator Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Bushkill, PA (The Poconos!) Posts: 22,215	If you find a good agility instructor/club......then Emoore is exactly right. They have puppy and age appropriate classes. And keep the bars low/on the ground. If you find any tracking/scentwork stuff, that would easily fit into any training. Also, if you switch classes/instructors to continue obedience, the classes may be quite different from the one you are currently in. Just the different dynamics of a new room, new dogs and other new people can make a big difference to the training. So I'd email/call those other places again, or show up at their place early to watch and talk to the instructor, and get a better idea of if you want to continue or not. __________________ MACH2 Bretta Lee Wildhaus CGC TC TQX Glory B Wildhaus NA, NJ, NF + LOL (still) "*Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much." - Oscar Wilde*

10-31-2011, 09:53 PM	#2 (permalink)
Stosh Crowned Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: tyler texas Posts: 8,434	Try agility- it uses a lot of obedience work at a distance, tons of exercise and it's fun!

10-31-2011, 09:56 PM	#3 (permalink)
blehmannwa Master Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Seattle Posts: 778	He's six months old. Speaking from personal experience I would not push too hard right now. Adolescence will hit like a freight train and he'll probably find other things more interesting than obeying you. I think nose work or a repeat obedience class would be fun. I wouldn't do compulsion with a teenage dog. I think it sets up a conflict. If his recall isn't exact now, it is likely to become more challenging as he reaches maturity. Repeating a class can be good for a young dog--different dogs, different dynamics. I actually like PetSmart for puppy class and basics but they don't really cater to more advanced classes.

11-01-2011, 12:54 AM	#5 (permalink)
codmaster Crowned Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: California, US Posts: 4,772	Why not talk to your instructor about what you can do till jan (not reaaly that long esp. if you figure in the holiday breaks anyway. Then work out a plan to train on your own till the class starts?

11-01-2011, 09:59 AM	#8 (permalink)
Caledon Elite Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Ontario Posts: 1,787	If someone made this suggestion to me when I was working my way up to the next levels I would have discounted it, but now I would take the advice that I'm going to offer you. Don't worry about going to the next level. If you can't wait till January, which I would not be able to either, retake the Level 1 class, either with the same trainer or with a different one. Going with a different one will offer you a different perspective. They may train for different things at this level. You can always work on perfecting what you have learned eg. asking for 20 seconds of watch me vs 10 seconds (making the times up), working on a straight front sit, asking for a longer down/sit stay by releasing your dog after all the others have been released, great exercise. Talk to the instructor and maybe they will allow you to work on more advanced lessons in a class environment around differnt dogs and different people. I find classes keeps me on track. Sure you can do this on your own, but I like the weekly classes.

11-01-2011, 12:26 PM	#10 (permalink)
Rerun Crowned Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Indiana Posts: 5,608	You might also try stopping by the training facilities in person. I too like weekly classes, and i would retake the level 1 before I would just skip classes. Just work on more advanced things. Dogs will always be at different levels in classes anyway, depending on how fast the dog picks things up and how much the owner works them at home. Just ask more of YOUR dog. If their dog can do a sit/stay for 1 minute, work towards 2, 3, 4 minutes with you and so on. If your dog can "down" with a finger point and you bending over, work on being able to give just a verbal command and have the dog down. When they work on "come," don't just be satisfied when your dogs comes. Have them come front (come straight to you, and sit square in front of you) and you can even work on finish (where the dog walks around the back of you to get back into the by heel position). Face the dog in the other direction and do a sit or down/stay. Does the dog stay where you put them, or turn around to face you? It's ok for them to look, but they shouldn't get up and turn around to face you. I could go on and on. But there are tons of things you can work on. It's not the obedience your dog is learning at class. You can do that at home. What you're working on is proofing in a distracting envioronment. I know a ton of people who say they don't need dog training classes since they can train a dog, but all their dog can do is sit (unreliably) and come (unreliably).

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