Blimey, when did they get so expensive. Everything in my area seems to be in the region of £15 per night for a group session. Is it me or is this ridiculously pricey?

M.

Wow, that is pricey, I suppose if its a very small class with a very good trainer I wouldn't mind. At our local club here it's £2 a night.

A lot will depend on what the organisers have to pay for hall hire, it could be that going up. And whether it's people doing it as a hobby or making a living from it. I don't know what the pet classes I go to charge as I don't have to pay, but I think it's £5 or £6. The ringcraft is £2 per dog for all evening. The other classes I go to, clicker (max 6 dogs, professional who has to make a living from it) I currently pay £10 for a 2 hour session.

Yes, ringcraft £2 an hour here too. Definitely people making a living from it, I think - and I'd probably prefer the hobby ones for various reasons! So many around here seem 'dumbed down' to first time pet owner level, which I'm sure is fabulous for the target audience but a bit frustrating for others. One wants you to take brushes etc. so they can teach you how to brush your dog ... would all be great if there was a choice of the other type too.

M.

I have just started going to a lovely obedience class here. It is only £5 per hourly session, small class with just 6 of us, if she gets any more will split the class. Also very understanding when I said I would prefer to do a stand rather than a sit with my show dog as an added bonus we have a go at "fun" agility. Also the trainer is very good at positive reinforcement, no "old fashioned" jerking on choke chains.

I have done formal obedience with my rough collies years ago and find this class nice and relaxing, plus you can always learn something new...!!.
Only downside is that it is held outdoors and last week we got a bit wet......

Well you get what you pay for, if you want top training from a top obedience competitor then it will cost.

If you want something less advanced, you may not have to pay so much.

>Well you get what you pay for, if you want top training from a top obedience competitor then it will cost.

I think if that's what I thought I was getting, I'd be less reticent on the cost to be honest. Hmmm, maybe I'm looking at it wrongly, I will look again on that basis and see if I'm being unfair - it's not the impression I get, but perhaps I've not given it a fair look. I am after socialisation and sensible training, but I don't need to be taught how to brush a puppy.

M.

I pay £30 for a 6 week course including the test for bronze..silver at the end. Ringcraft is £2 a night. I am a bit horrified that some of you think it should just be a hobby and the trainers should not make money after all if you go to a good class you are paying for a trainer who had to pay for her/his training and who will expect you to pay for their time.. I would not expect my OH to build you an extension for peanuts !
If on the other hand you are going to a class who's trainer has no qualifications then you may well get someone who is not so good. And then you could expect it to be somewht cheaper.
Aileen

I am a bit horrified that some of you think it should just be a hobby and the trainers should not make money after all if you go to a good class you are paying for a trainer who had to pay for her/his training and who will expect you to pay for their time..

Just to clarify what I meant: I think it is fine for somebody doing it as a living (and I don't think there are all that many that do, but one of my trainers does) to charge more because it's perfectly understandable that they need the money to live on.  I think everyone is entitled to make some money, my point was I think those that do nothing but training (i.e. have no other job) need to charge more out of necessity.  You'll also get more experience from somebody doing it 7 days a week as opposed to somebody who does it once a week.

> I am a bit horrified that some of you think it should just be a hobby and the trainers should not make money

That's the way it always used to be, my Mum worked competitive obedience, and I started training my own dog at 10 and for the combined say 40 years of training classes the trainers were always volunteers and the best handlers all took their shot. We all paid just enough to cover the hall rental and buy the tea and biscuits :-) You were trained by people who themselves had done very well. Everyone gave up training their own dogs to take a shot either training or on the tea stall and we all took turns cleaning the hall when we were finished.

>That's the way it always used to be, my Mum worked competitive obedience, and I started training my own dog at 10 and for the combined say 40 years of training classes the trainers were always volunteers and the best handlers all took their shot. We all paid just enough to cover the hall rental and buy the tea and biscuits  You were trained by people who themselves had done very well. Everyone gave up training their own dogs to take a shot either training or on the tea stall and we all took turns cleaning the hall when we were finished.

I think that's what I was used to Chaumsong, and why I'm shocked at prices now. Haven't had a chance to re-visit, but will look again with more realistic eyes LOL.

M.

Sorry but whether you train others once a week or 7 days a week is immaterial!

Would you pay a plumber less because he only worked one day a week?

Also the argument about experience does not necessarily hold.

Some people only have experience of training a certain type/breed of dog at a certain level etc whether they have been training 40 years or 4!

Some trainers who give up the time they could be training their OWN dogs deserve the SAME amount of respect AND fees iirespective of whether it is their main income or not.

The QUALITY of training should be the same!

I've realised the cost of what i've been paying for my obedience lessons are a lot more than most others in the area.. I've been paying £60 for 8 weeks with a test at the end for the good citizen awards. I'm due to move shortly and been directed to another class closer to my new to be home and its much cheaper than this and i'm hoping to pop down there soon to watch them.

I've not issues with paying for a good class, I do believe you get what you pay for..In the south east, everything is much more expensive than anywhere else too :-(

Would you pay a plumber less because he only worked one day a week?

A plumber does not need to KEEP learning all the time. He should know what to do in all situations, and not come across unusual problems he wasn't trained for. The trainer who works every day has a much bigger chance of coming across a lot more variety than the one who does training once a week.

Some people only have experience of training a certain type/breed of dog at a certain level etc whether they have been training 40 years or 4!

Exactly. That's why I am talking about numbers. The more you see, the more you learn, so the person working all week as a trainer learns more.

I pay hall rental, insurance, tax, national insurance, membership (APDT/Kennel club annual fees), fuel to get me to & from class, equipment at class, oh! & my time, at the end of the day, there is not as much left as one might think. £5.00 a class is my cost. People often get extra classes foc if there are any going.  I feel they get a good deal. But at the end of the day as with most things in life people have a choice, if they dont like it they should go to where they feel they are getting the better 'deal' 

> So many around here seem 'dumbed down' to first time pet owner level, which I'm sure is fabulous for the target audience but a bit frustrating for others. One wants you to take brushes etc. so they can teach you how to brush your dog ... would all be great if there was a choice of the other type too.
>
>

only puppy class I could get to near here was like that. we didn't stick it out :(  think it was about £60 for 6 sessions .  hall was unsuitable- far far too small so 80% of class was sitting on a chair (as not enough room for 6 pups and owners to move at once)and being lectured on stuff only someone who had never met a dog would not know.. being informed earnestly that the long coated pup in our class would need more grooming then  the short coated for over 5 minutes really finished me.  friend who goes to real classes came with me on session 3 (our last attempt as I kept thinking it might get better)  and had to leave hall as couldn't stop giggling.   utter waste of money.

It is simple to prevent spending money on classes that do not cut the mustard, go and watch BEFORE you get your dog.

I agree. and I did and I could see it was rubbish...but it was the only class I could get to and I figured ANY class of pups was better for pup socialising then no class but it wasn't and I wouldn't do it again.  All that happened was my pup copied the others all barking relentlessly.

I charge £55 for 6 week pup course, class is 8 maximum kennel club tests etc are £75. And I think I'm cheap!! After insurance hall rent rosettes treats diesel road tax van insurance on top others, there ain't much left to pay the mortgage with!! Or to keep going to courses to maintain my knowlegde. I object to hobbist trainers at times, I have 2 near me who cause horrors at group. They never do the decent thing and pull dogs off the group as it means less money for them. I have no doubt they earn much more than me in their groups as it's purely about the money for them totally, yet they love dogs don't you know??

It never ceases to amaze me how much people will pay for a puppy yet object to paying for the maintenance of that puppy. Your training is part of your insurance that you will have a wonderful family pet. How much is that worth? Good question to ask people who have to PTS their pet due to behaviour issues. How much wouldthe training have been worth??

I charge £55 for 6 week pup course, class is 8 maximum kennel club tests etc are £75.

When you say you charge £75 for the KC tests I assume you mean the training course as there is no charge for the examination is there?

I object to hobbist trainers at times, I have 2 near me who cause horrors at group. They never do the decent thing and pull dogs off the group as it means less money for them. I have no doubt they earn much more than me in their groups as it's purely about the money for them totally, yet they love dogs don't you know??

I think to be fair there are good and bad in both hobbyists and self employed dog trainers.

I have just paid £50 for 7 week course with kc test and membership to the club as they also do other activities. The club has been around for ages just never used it before will ask what the max is as so far we only have four of us but be interesting to see how many they would take as the hall is not that big imo 6 would be enough..

Is the £75 a separate charge on top of the training ? 

I am a KC Approved Examiner for Bronze, Silver and Gold.

I will quote direct from the Guidelines, page 7

Fees - training course fees wil be at the discretion of the training club/organisation. It is not permitted to charge a specific fee allowing a candidate to take a GCDS test.

I asked because with my previous dog I wasnt charged extra and thought that perhaps normally there is an extra charge

The course it self costs £75 lasts for 8 weeks includes the test