obediance classes

[julie45]

[b]
I have read a lot of post's where some of you or rather quite a few of you take your dogs to obediance classes.you all seem to say it's a good idea to take your dogs there :Dog_run:
I was just wondering how many of you train your dogs your selfs.I have had dogs all my life,at one time I had 8dogs all living in the house,and I have not once took any of them to obidance classes for training.I dont know if its because I always work with dog's from leaving school to when I at to pack up work but I have never really found the need. :kciuki: I'm not saying that all my dogs have been easy to train but I have always stuck at it.I now have a 5monthold and she is great for her age.I walk with two arm crutches and she walks on the side of me.Also I have to use a wheel chair some times and she walks right by the side of me,I must admit when she gets tierd she comes up on my lap :sleeping: .Any way I was just wondering about it has I have read quite a lot about it. I'm not knocking it before anyone thinks I am Its just you dont seem to hear much about the ones that dont go to training thats all. :PROXY5: [/b]

[DogPaddle]

I think most people who go to obedience class also train at home. For me obedience class was an excellent way to socialize Kavik who was having some issues with appropriate behaviour. Going out to obedience is also fun, you get to talk to other dog owners, go out and do something with your dog etc. I have had dogs whom we did not take to obedience and just trained at home - they were all just fine. I don't think that obedience classes are nec. for all dogs - some truly benefit from it though and some few do [b]need[/b] it and as again it is fun.

[midori115]

funny, Oscar's last obedience class is next saturday and Zack and I were just discussing whether it was worth it or not ....

and for us, it really is. It's been a few years since either of us has had a puppy, so we needed the refresher on teaching. And we both work a fair bit, so it kept us not only practicing daily, but doing things the same way, which is so important. So I guess it was more for us than Oscar, in a lot of ways.

The class also helped Oscar learn that not all time with other dogs is playtime. He loves to play, so it was very important for him to learn that it's not always appropriate. And I had such a time of it in the parks and such because other people will just let their dogs go where ever they please.

[pei obssessed]

I hear you, julie: I didn't take hippo to classes either for many reasons: I hate "organized" fun and classes, me and my husband had the time to read a lot about training and how to deal with different issues, so we didn't think it necessary to go to classes, and we live beside a park where Hippo gets to socialize with dogs every day twice a day (if anything, she's too well-sociaized and likes dogs a little too much :D )
And yes, I enjoy training her, and I think she's pretty well-trained. And I get pissed off when people ask me "did she go to obedience school?" as if that is the only reason she would be well-trained. To me that sounds a lot like "is your kid taking piano lessons? Mine is... and she's already publishing poetry at 5" :agrue: Anyway, as you can tell, I'm not the person for "activities" :lol: And I'm really happy that I can train and socialize Hippo on my own terms, and that these activities are just fun--not tainted in any way by going to school :lol:

[abker17]

I trained Abby myself. :D Cracker went to obediance classes, but I wish we hadn't taken her. :x The trainer used harsh methods, pulling and jerking and things like that. For some dogs this works, but Cracker is very very submissive and shy, and this pulling and jerking her basically contributed to how shy she is today. :x :(

[Guest Anonymous]

Funny you should mention obediance... we have class tonight! I take Coal to obediance, although the only classes I've ever taken my dogs to was for Hazel in Agility. But Coal needs it. I have to admit, I find it hard to motivate myself anymore to go train the dog :oops: :( PLus I get busy with school, boyfriend, friends, and of course, my dogo life :lol: :wink: And Coal is a handful, it's been a while since I've had a puppy around the house, I've had to get use to that all over again. I think it depends on who you go to train your dog too. Like Abker said, there are trainers that aren't right for your dog. Hazel's agility trainer wasn't, she was horrible and actually made my aggressive dog WORSE!! :o :evil: But I think you have to learn how to find the right trainer. The one I go to right now is awsome, she's so nice, just LOVES Coal! :D She butters him up every chance she gets :lol: (she loves labs :D ) And is a really fun and great instructor. Coal's not allowed to play with the neighbor dogs, for fear of them "luring him" out of the yard my mom says :roll: So obediance classes gives him a chance to be around other dogs too! (Although so far we've had only a couple dogs meet one on one, since it's so differnet for them, the teacher has asked they stay in seperate areas for now :wink: )
But since before these classes, I've always trained my dogs on my own. I've always had the knowledge to do so on my own, and my dogs have always turned out to listen quite well. But you can never get too many opinions or info or different methods of dog trainin in your brain! :D So the classes have been a lot of fun for me, I love to be around people who love dogs too, and i only have one friend (who is actually helping instruct the classes!) in school who loves dogs like me!!

[courtnek]

I trained mine myself (laurel came with basic obedience from her foster mom, and it's not the greatest, but I'm worklng on it)

However, I have nothing against people who go to obedience classes, and those not familiar in the means to train a dog should go. I was "trained" by a breeder/trainer, while I was working for him. that was 30 years ago, and at the time he was way ahead of his time, using gentle encouragement and reward, insted of punishment and harsh methods.

I can honestly say I onyl train my own dogs because I know how...
if the dog owner does not know how, and the dog has issues, it's best to bring in a professional.

[Sanvean]

Macy goes to obedience class, partly because I didn't feel I know enough to train her myself, and partly because I like to let her socialize with other dogs and people, in a controlled environment. We don't have a dog park around here, and even if we did, I wouldn't feel comfortable letting her off-leash around large dogs.

I think the "take your dog to obedience class" is generally recommended most often to newbies who could benefit from an instructor's wisdom :D

[Taurus and Jada]

I just started Jada at obediance classes last night. We did not take Taurus to obediance, we trained him ourselves.
The main reason why I took Jada is because of her size. When she is full grown she has the potential to weigh 115 lbs! I only weigh 120, so I want to make sure that I have FULL control over her. I work everyday with her, but I also work 2 jobs, about 60 hours a week total, and my husband works 5, 10 or 11 hour days, so I don't have a lot of extra time. Any extra time does go into my dogs.
Yesterday was my first class, it was alot of fun, and we do want to make sure JAda is socialized well because of her breeds history. SO I'll tell you when it's done, if I think it was worth it.

[Nancy B]

I have always trained my dogs myself at home but, I also have taken them to obedience classes. My dogs go into the class knowing the behaviors that will be taught in the class so, I'm using them more for the "distraction" factor. A dog that is "perfect" at home, in the yard or down the street may not be so perfect in a class with a bunch of other dogs as distractions. The only way to know for sure if your dog will remain focused on you and obedient to your commands in situations like that is to expose them to those situations.

[StarFox]

I took zebra to classes and we are thinking about taking a "refresher" course. I mainly took zebra to training is because he was my frist dog and I had no idea how to handle one. The other reasons are that: I realy liked the trainer and thought she was realy good, and Zebra had some dominace "issues" that I had trouble with. But I basically think that classes are for teaching the people, not so much the dog. You teach the owner how to train the dog and how to interact with them. I also loved going to training because if I would have just trained Zebra at home there were things that I was doing wrong that no one noticed, for example I was rather timid when giving orders to Zerba, I would say "Sit?" instead of "SIT." and knowing how to control my voice helped 100%. I would not have known that if I didn't go to training.

Classes are also great for socalization in a "controlled" environmet. And trainers (at least mine anyways) acted like a saftey net in case things got a little out of control.

[Annushka]

I took Asting to classes and he was the best dog there!(there were labs, GSDs, rotties etc.) That was a shock for everybody: a setter doing agility and obedience trials better than traditional GSDs! :o We left the classes to let others win! :wink: :wink: :wink: Classes are great! :D

[Aroura]

Every Sunday we pack all five dogs, as well as dad, my sister and myself into the car to go to training the whole week waiting for sundays, training is the highlight of my week, as well as the highlight for the dogs - they love it!!!
We go because its fun for us, its fun for the dogs, the socialisation for the dogs (and us) is great, the trainers are so much fun, its cute to see the other doggies, Lily needs it (she'd be impossible without it and would probably eat the nearest dog if given a chance), it gives me some thing to be activly involved with, its a great learning experience, and did I mention, its fun? :wink: :lol:
I honestly don't know what I'd do without it, I spend so much time preparing for classes, not because I have to, but because I'm so anxious waiting for them that I have to do something! Even waking up at 6:30 on a Sunday morning is worth it.

Hazel, did you start coal on the clicker? How is he taking to it?

[Guest Anonymous]

[quote name='Aroura']
Hazel, did you start coal on the clicker? How is he taking to it?[/quote]

He's doin pretty good actually! He does seem to be learning things pretty quick with it! :D Although nearly ate my fingers last night at training! :lol: Kim (the trainer) asked me to do the Target without treats, just the click when he did it, and I did that and he thought right away that he was guna get a treat and went to grab it and grabbed my fingers! :lol: :o :roll: (not hard enough to hurt thankfully) Although last night at clas, as Kim said "Coal's brain fell out" :lol: :roll: He just kina went "DER" all class!! Jessie (BC) had a toy so Coal started barking, then Splash (GSD, about Coal's age, cute little girl) started barking because she figured she should Cuz Coal was barking, once Coal heard this he turned around and started barking at Splash because she was barking, so Splash stared to bark at Coal because he was barking at her!! :o :o :drinking: Needless to say, Coal won't be sitting by Splash in class anymore :lol: The only thing I got him to do during class though I think was I'd go "GET YER TAIL! GET IT GET IT GET IT!" and he'd spin around and around and around and around and around...
Hopefully we'll have better luck next class! :D :roll:

[Aroura]

Great to hear Coal is doing well!!! :angel:
He is at that age where their brain falling out is not uncommon, he should grow out of it though!!! Sometimes I'll have a day with Lily, especially at agility, where she will be just so lazy. I will say "over" and she does it so slack that she knocks all the jumps down, even though they are on the lowest hight when she should be on the highest. :roll:

[imported_Cassie]

I have owned many dogs I did not attend obedience classes with. But, with many dogs which I have adopted as older pets such as my Rottweiler which had been left tied in a back yard until I adopted her at 1 year of age (she was confiscated by the SPCA- it was a horrible situation) since she had never been around other dogs it was very important to take her to obedience or I would have had a very out of control unsocialized dog on my hands...she learned to listen to me even with all the other distractions...nothing worse than than having your dog out and it sees another dog and takes off :o my dogs respond to recalls in all situations...but, so did my dogs which I did no organized obedience training . I also find it important to attend obedience classes with my dogs which I am trialing, the class setting is very simular to the trials they attend...I do train at home as well...but, some times in the class situation they are subjected to much more...I can't always find others to help me train my dogs and I like the way the instructor uses distractons like a bouncing ball, squeky toys etc. to keep our dogs focused on us only...one gal I went to an obedience trial with had her Newf. jump over the fence that surrounded the obedience ring and run throughout the whole dog show as it heard some one playing with a squeky toy and it just had to find it!! :o the owner of the Standard poodle was quite surprised to have a huge Newfoundland dog come running up to him & his poodle...oh yes, she was disqualified from the obedience ring as well. :lol: this dog did eventually get his CD, but it took awhile...the owner trained her dog at home and was not prepared for that distraction. :lol:

[bk_blue]

BK was the only dog we ever took to obedience class and he was 7 when he started. :o We trained him ourselves but I found the classes good fun for both of us. I certainly benefited from the things I learned while there (I have no time to go anymore!! :cry: but I still enforce the stuff I learned there :D ). Not to say the other dogs didn't need obedience class- it would have been fantastic for all of them- but I honestly never thought of it until last year when I joined here and became that much more crazy about dogs. :oops: :wink: