Tonight Im skiving obedience classes and to be honest I dont know if I want to go back. Its a freindly group of people who get together to train their dogs but theres no aim - no good citizen awards or competition. Its been great for us to learn how to train the dog but it seems to have no application outside. So what are we going to do without the wee bit structure we had? Im still working on recall from other dogs and trying to play with him outside with mixed success. I can get him to down in front of other dogs and he looks as if hes staying until called but temptation wins sometimes....Agility had to go because the time was right in the middle of tweenie tea time and we thought it best to wait until he was 18 months. No success in contacting gundog clubs in the area so Im a bit stuck. Do the rest of you have a plan thought out for training and do you work on onething for a time until its right then move on ?

We took our Golden to a similar class, and although there was no good citizen awards etc; it was an ideal place to continue to socialise her with other dogs, it has paid dividends in the long run. After this initial class, you can always move on to more competitive classes.

Good luck, whatever you decide.

liberty :)

How old is the dog? My dog is a little nightmare sometimes, but the more obedience classes i take her too the better she gets, even in different situations. I also believe she enjoys her nights out. We work towards good citizen tests but also towards our own club tests, we get a certificate and a rosette when we pass each one, foundation, bronze, silver and gold. Perhaps you could suggest to your club that they could do the same? It really gives that extra incentive.

Morse is 11 months and I'll suggest the test thing. I actually feel better for having a night off and think other family members could go with him sometimes to learn. Thanks for the suggestions.:)

Hi,

I took my puppy to a training class and did not complete the course. The puppies were not allowed to socialise with each other and the instructor would holler if any of the owners talked to each other during the session. And I mean talking quietly while we were waiting for other dogs and owners to complete an exercise. I could understand if this as an advanced obedience class, but my pup was 4 months old at the time and the oldest in the class was a year old. The training itself was fine, although I felt the instructor was moving to quickly given the age of the pups.

On top of that it was held in an indoor horse training ring - and I am allergic to horses!

If you are not enjoying the obedience classes then I say find another instructor and class. You count as much, if not more, than your dog.

Stacey