Hi We took Star,our 16 week old lab puppy to her first training class on wed night.She is actually very good at home,and her training is coming along nicely,but she needs to meet other dogs,and this was one of the reasons we enrolled. However,she was absolutely terrible. barked non-stop,lunged at all the other puppies,ignored any commands we had given her,wandered away on the practise recall,and just wouldn't sit or stop pulling on her lead for the whole session. So much for my husband and I smugly saying she would be Ok with the exercises,as she is normally so good,especially where a treat is involved.She absolutely hates the car,howled all the way there and back,and was totally stressed out,so I think that's why she was so bad.We have decided to go earlier next week,and give her a walk in the park next door before she goes in,and hopefully she will have forgotten about the horrible car journey.I have tried everything from having her in a harness on the back seat to getting a dog guard fitted. The first time I took her out in the boot with the dog guard,she scrabbled so much that the legs shifted and the whole lot came down. Didn't help to reassure her at all!The boot is not big enough for a crate,so don't know what to do next. My husband would rather be at home watching the football,but has to drive so I can keep my eye on her. She sits and shakes in the boot now,so have gone back to the harness again. Should I persevere with the dog guard? My son has tightened it up,but she could still pull it down if she was determined/frightened enough. Don't want to put her off cars for life,and don't want her stressed out at the classes

Hi. Do perservere. She's a baby - it was all new & exciting. Expecting her to do a recall on her 1st night is a bit much! Is this a class where they have a fixed length course or do you just join in? She'd be far better in a beginners class where you start with basics, like getting her attention on you not everything else that's going on. In fact you can start that at home, use a command like "watch me" & when she does, reward her. Once you go class, she'll ignore you completely, of course, but keep at it & she'll learn.
Taking her earlier is a good idea, if she can meet some of theother dogs before class starts might also help.Same with the car. She just needs to go out it more - take her for a short journey, then a nice walk. We've had to use those electrical ties on our dog guard (those that tighten up & you have cut them off because you can't get them off once they're tight. We tie them round the dog guard & the seat belt brackets so it can't fall on the dogs. She WILL get used to the car if you take her out regularly.
Good Luck & don't give up!!!

hi

i took my pup to classes and had the same experience as you it was a complete nightmare she had bloodshot eyes the next day where she kept pulling on the lead and choking herself ,i did perservere for the socializing side of things but quite honestly it was a waste of time i did a better job training her at home one to one and socializing her on her walks it was far less stressful for her . there probably a good idea for the novice dog owner but also it cost a fortune £50! it most deffernantly was not worth it. As for the car the thing falling down as probably made her stress i use a harness on the back seat try just sitting in the car without going anywhere give her treats then gradually do short journeys working up to longer ones each time, take her out in it as much as possible good luck!

please be a bit more positive! you are using terms like "worst in the class", "bad" etc! She is normal for a pup of this age. take her in the car every day and soon it will get better. would a crate fit if you put it on the rear seat, or put the rear seat down? a crate is safest for a struggler(my dog was just the same). do not talk to the dog when it freaks out, as dogs dont understand reassurance...it makes them worse not better. soon she will realise that a trip in the car leads to fun. remember your dog is going to classes to get trained...you dont have to be trained before you get there! it is an exciting experience for her, let her enjoy it. go a little early for the class and let her have a play with the others before starting...it will take the edge off her excitement :)

pinklilies- bad and worst were used to explain the problem and its not necesarily normal pup behaviour or they would all be like it in class, some groups do more harm than good which i experienced charging £50 for a course of 6 weeks in a hall where the floor is so slippy the dogs can hardly stand on all 4's is a rip off ,if you find a good class then thats a different matter ,but please don't tell people to be more positive when there just trying to put the situation into words.Its not nice when your the one with the boisterous puppy and everyone else is sat there looking down their nose at you as if you can't control your dog,and making you feel like you have i quote "the worst puppy in class"

They could be sympathising, Jackie, because their pup was exactly the same a few weeks ago ..... ;)

A trainer who uses words like that to describe a clients pup isn't using motivational techniques on the owner are they? Why use motivational techniques on pups and not owners? There may be room for improvement, but if there wasn't - you wouldn't be there! Stick at it - I've seem puppies like yours turn a complete 180 degrees and really excel at the end of the course ;-)

The important thing with classes is to relax and learn to laugh at yourself and your dog :) My older dog (a rescue) was awful at classes for at least a year.Eventually he learnt to accept the other dogs, but as the general atmosphere was relaxed, we all had fun and I enjoyed it, even if he didn't behave well :) Hopefully, your classes are relaxed too - if you feel that the trainers aren't sympathetic, then change classes. My pup refused to do stays for a long time, although she would do them really well at home. Suddenly she realised that it was OK to do them at class too and then everything was fine.

Keep smiling - it does get better eventually :) Just persevere.

Daisy

Thanks for the replies. I think the car journey is the crux. It was the first night for all the puppies. Some hid under the chairs,some barked occasionally,but Star barked non-stop. We had to take her in the corridor for the introductions,as no-one could hear what was being said. I told them that she was normally quiet,and not usually like this,but it was all good humoured,and the trainer said it was perfectly normal for pups to react in different ways. The recall was when the trainer took the lead,and you walked a few yards away,and called your puppy. Most ran straight to their owners,but she kept trying to get to the other pups,and totally ignored me.I just laughed,as she is very good at coming back normally.I will try the cable ties on the dog guard,as the back seat has 2 child seats fitted,and is a bit of a squeeze.Could take one out,but hubby and i are old duffers,and it takes us ages to fit them back in.Just had a thought about next Wed's class,and taking her to the park It's Guy Fawkes night,so I think we will just take her straight in,that would really stress her out,and probably put her off car journeys for good..I have tried everything,feeding her in the car.sitting with her not going anywhere,taking short journeys etc,but everytime she goes in,she howls and whines,amd is obviously very unhappy.At least in the boot she has room to move about,not like the harness which restricted her,and she always ended up tangled up in it.I am going to persevere though,as I really want to take her to this class,and also the follow on classes . All the older dogs were coming in as we were leaving,and were all great,and very excited to see the puppies. We didn't want to leave,they were all so lovely,and we can't wait till she is one of them.Funnily enough,all the owners were oohing and aahing at the puppies,and a few of them said they wished theirs were still pups.Hopefully she will settle down,and learn to mix with the other dogs,because that is one area of her socialisation that is lacking,as there are no other dogs around when we go for walks. Thanks for all the advice Will let you know how next week's session goes Fingers crossed

I can remember coming home and crying after a few of my puppy classes with Emmy...! she's a choccy lab and was about the same age as yours when we started going. She was a terror from day one. The most excitable puppy out of the class. She wanted to play with every one and it was hard work holding on to her as she grew bigger and stronger! The thing that kept me going back every week was knowing that if I could one day make her 'sit' or 'stay' or 'come' in a room full of dogs, then it would mean she would be able to do it in the 'real world,' so to speak! I learnt that a gentle leader and a pocket full of tasty treats were the best tools for training class! oh, and a nice long walk before hand, took the fizz out of her a bit!

Emmy LOVES other dogs and never really got over wanting to play with them, I think we went to classes for about 6 months. She did however, win an award for most improved dog when we did our beginners course. I was very proud!! Even though she wanted to play, she did start to listen to me and responded really well to the commands (inbetween wrestling with a fellow lab)!

I would advise perservering, things will get better. I learn't a lot from those classes and use that knowledge daily with Emmy... that's what it's all about. Good luck.

Hi Joules. That just about describes Star's behaviour the other night.We were seated next to a beautiful Akita pup,and all the two of them wanted to do was "wrestle". The Akita's owner was not very pleased,and his dog didnt go to him on the recall either.When they asked us to "swap" puppies,he went over to the other side and took a border collie,and we were left looking around for someone to swap with. No one seemed to want her Wonder why!!!We swapped with a young woman with another BC,but she couldn't control Star,so the trainer took her in the end.She really was a little minx that night,and completely out of character,as she is so good and quiet at home.
PS the Akita owner stayed over at the other side of the hall,2 seats away from the nearest pup,and didn't interact with any of the other owners. Shame,as his pup was beautiful,like a big fluffy teddy,but he seemed a bit "funny"
It wasn't all bad though. Most of the other owners were laughing at Star,and all said how gorgeous she was,even though she was being naughty.
As I said,I am going to persevere,both with the car,and the classes,and hopefully she will come right in the end

Hi Jeanb, don't worry, she'll come good! Emmy is now 13months old and I could write a book about her puppy antics, most of which took place in class! There was a real mix of dog breeds in our group, all of them less bouncy than Em, but you know what... it took them a lot longer to learn commands than it took Emmy. It reminds me of my old school reports I used to get, they said "Julie is a bright girl, but can easily be mislead by her peers in class!"!!!

I think puppies are beautiful, adorable and cute, but raising a puppy sucks! Now Emmy is a bit older things are soooo much better, she is a wonderful companion who listens and (mostly) obeys me! There were times I felt like a complete faliure as a doggy mum but looking back now it IS and WAS so worth while putting in the effort. Hang in there, the first 6 months are the worst!!!!!

Glad to see you've got the right attitude & the classes sound OK. With the car, it's like everything else. Once she realising that creating gets her nowhere she'll give up. Our Akita was the worst dog I've ever known about the car. When we brought him home, he literally yelled, cried & bawled nonstop for 120 miles. After that, whenever we took him in the car, we'd get about 1 mile from home & he'd poo. OMG, I'll never forget that smell!!!! Eventully he realised that the choice was going in the car or being left behind & he was quite happy to put up with travelling. Now, if I leave the tailgate up in the drive, he's always to be found sitting behind the dog guard, waiting for a trip out. When the dog guard fell on him, before we started using ties, I didn't even realise for about 20 miles because he never made a sound, just put up with this latest inconvenience!

Hi Anwen,
Yes i have had the poo on every trip too. was covered in it when i had to carry her in to the vets before she had her jabs.I try to wait till she has "gone" now,but sometimes she misses the afternoon one or else,as in my previous posts,she has had diarrhoea,and I knew the car would make it worse. She had diarrhoea the day after this class as well,another sign that she was stressed.The joys eh? I am really looking forward to the day she jumps in the car of her own accord,and enjoys the trip.This little one has been hard work since we got her,but she is part of the family now,and we will persevere with whatever it takes to make her a happy,well balanced,healthy companion.

Oh, Yuck!!!!!!
I'm sure you & Star will get there in the end!!
(The Akita is my husband's dog, so for the 1st time in about 25yrs, I had the pleasure of standing back & watching him having to clear up. It was almost worth the smell!!!!!!)
Good Luck.

Good luck to you and Star for your next classes. Reading this thread reminded me of our start to classes and how I used to brave all the pitying looks from teenagers with obedient collies while Morse galloped about the hall ! :D It will get easier as mixing with the others gets routine. Just smile and remember the obedience champ one week will have his/her off day soon and Star will have a chance to shine. :)

I think you are right in that the car journey is a big problem, and causes stress, so i would work on that side of things every day, making it as pleasant as possible. ONce dogs realise a car journey = walk, they usually start to feel better :)

I started off with a harness but my dog hated it, so i switched to putting her behind a good dog guard. Now she is mature, (well sort of!) she is once again on the harness and much better now :D

She was also difficult at classes, very intent on other dogs, but this is not unusual at all. Some dogs may seem like obedience champions but with perseverance and understanding from the trainer they do get there.

Remember too to train lots at home, and start doing it out and about too. Training classes are more about teaching YOU, the owner :D so that you can then train your dog ;)

Have fun, it will def. get better!

Lindsay