I've recently started training my youngest husky but i've got about 3 months worth of homework to do with him before I take him back to the training classes. So, for my Wednesday evenings I now take my older husky. I did training with him a couple of years back and went onto the more advanced obedience. So I take him to this training club to work up to a Canine Good Citizenship award. No problem there at all. But I do have a huge problem with the trainer. He's clearly got years and years of experience but not with huskies! When I took my little boy to the evaluation, the trainer kept on going on about how stupid and unintelligent huskies are. Then he was always going on and on about this absolutely "brilliant" malamute he had in the training club. Now, I've got nothing against malamutes at all but I did have something against him going on about how stupid Siberian Huskies are! He kept comparing them to this malamute. I phoned up a close friend and breeder of the breed about this guys attitude and she told me something which has really stuck in my mind: "Huskies and malamutes are two completely different breeds. You can compare them to horses very easily. The husky is a racehorse, the malamute is a draught horse. Huskies being able to go faster for longer with less weight (like racehorses) and malamutes being able to pull heavier loads for greater distances (like draught horses)." And also, being a horse lover, draught horses are slightly easier to train...the same with malamutes to huskies. Anyway, I later read in one of my breed books what the author had stated at the beginning. (I won't write it down word for word due to copyright!!!) but she said, when someone tells you that the Siberian Husky, Alaskan Malamute or any other nordic breed are unintelligent they clearly have no idea what they are on about. When a musher and his team of dogs are in the middle of nowhere and the musher commands the dogs to go right but the lead dog knows that way means death he takes his team left. The team of dog as a whole are instrcted to use their own inteeligence to communicate with each other instead of all trying to race against each other etc.
But, should I dare say to my trainer that he is wrong? That he is confusing obedience and intelligene? Or should I remain quiet and continue to agree with him?

I was just think what you said in second to last line  <<<<That he is confusing obedience and intelligene>>>> Yes he is confusing it! :)

The Husky is not obedient, by using your example he will do as his told, no matter what if he was obedient.  The husky is smart,  A husky will learn and knows what to do, but will do his won thing if he thinks it's a better idea.  A BC (great obedience dogs) will do everything asked of them.

I think you need to tell your trainer straight that he is confusing obedience and intelligence.  Then forgot about him.  he might have years experiance however he hasn't a clue how a husky should be trained, obviously!

Good luck.

See, this is where the real problm is! My older boy (who's going to lasses at th moment) is actully better trained than his own Border Collies! But, I went to a different trainer with him. Sadly, when I got my new boy I wanted to go to the same classes but the trainer wasn't doing it anymore as the venue wasn't paying for itself. So, they passed a number on to me which is the trainer I'm going to at the moment. I coul easily stop taking Byron (my older dog) there as he does everything now anyway!
But, what I really really really need is to get my younger husky trained. Althouh, as I live in such a rural area, the class which I go to at the moment is the only one miles around.
Before you say...why don't you train him by yourself...I don't want to do that simply because, with the husky breed, you need to be in a distractive environment area for them to learn anything LOL, so a training class is the best place.
I'm worried about telling the trainer that he's wrong. The thing which most annoyed me lately was last week when the lady with the malamute turned up late. The absolutely "brilliant" malamute was a nasty sod! He went for Byron! But as soon as she walked through the door, the trainer (I'm not going to say his name) yelled out "there's the real husky!"
HOW DARE HE? MINE IS PEDIGREE BRED!!! YOU CAN'T HAVE A REAL HUSKY!!!

Sounds to me as if it is the trainer who isnt very smart. i wouldnt really want to be in a class where the trainer didnt focus on my dogs strenghts what ever they may be! 

I don't particularly want to be in the class. But, as I said, I've got to be for the sake of my youngest dog!!!

Are there no other classes in your area then?

i wouldnt want to be in a class where the trainer is prejiduced tbh! even if he has no experince in the breed a open mind would help,all dogs are different after all!

i would just like to add though. BCs are trainable BUT they arent easy & anyone who thinks they are hasent trained one its trained you.;)

the thing with a husky i would think is getting your head around "how" to motivate it,this may be different depending on what you are doing.
alot of spitz breeds seem to be thinking dogs & respond to the clicker well

equally you could just not say "anything" and let your dog do the talking for you by proving this pillock wrong!!! ;)

LOL well, BCs, I know, are hard to train. But, I felt impressed that my rookie Sibe was better than his obedience show BC! Made my evening!!!

lol! i have obedience dogs,my favorite saying is that they are "obedience dogs" not "obedient dogs"
i like them naughty & full of attitude! as long as they are safe,100% recall & instant down,then they can save all the obedience for my ring work!
i know this would not suit everybody.

I just do ringcraft with Byron (and Cnine Good Citizenship awards if my trainer ever decides to buck his ideas up!!!). I did enter an obedience class at a Companion Dog Show and needless to say...failed miserably! Although that was about three years ago...NEVER EVER AGAIN!!!

theres a lady in the london area who does comp obedience with her huskys. shes currently working B which is really quite high!so they can do it!!! good luck with your baby!!!

Good for her! Obedience isn't really what I want to do though. I'd like an obedient dog (well, I'd like them like that from birth!!!) but not for competitions. I'm more into working them and as I said...ringcraft when it's not raining lol.

thats what you could say though,that theres huskys working B. !! that shoulkd shut him up!!!!!
id let your dog do your talking for you! :)

Well I'll let Byron do the talking for me. If i was to let th baby talk then I'd be laughed at. Don't suppose you know anygood companies for dog modelling do you?

no sorry

I have three working bred BC's and they are fairly easy to train in that they pick things up really easily but the real work is teaching them what YOU want them to do. They are more than capable of thinking for themselves and not all of them just do as they are asked. Working bred collies are a LOT more work than the show/obedience/agility bred ones and I know of several people that have had one and then never had another as "they are just too much work" IMO they are far better. My first agility dog has had 18 months training and is now half way to senior, 12 months ago he was in elementary. He is a fast dog and I have lost count of the number of times he has put himself right and gone clear in spite of my crap handling! You cannot generalise with any breed, there will always be some that prove you wrong. If it were me then I would tell your trainer he was talking rubbish (not the words I would use) Clearly he knows nothing about huskies! I have had similar problems with people that think lurchers are stupid, I used to foster them and haven't met a stupid one yet but they are not the most trainable. rant over.....;-)

Is there any way you can get a group of friends together and ask your first trainer to come and teach you that way you get the quality of training in a group setting :-) Oh yes and go out and prove him wrong! Moron!! (him not you0 :-)

3 of my border collies are intelligent, learn fast and eager to please, then theres Hazel she is thick as to planks, she will just sit and look at me as if to say duuuuur. Where i first starting training my dogs the woman had basset hounds and she had them trained really well and they are on of the hardest breeds to train. Id seriously not want to be going to that training, my dog would sense the fact i was unhappy with someones attitude and would then effect their behavior. Mine are sensetive dogs not sure if yours is though. What area are you in. Have you tried contacting the kennel club for a list of classes local?

collies learn bad behavoiurs just as fast as good ones & learn quickly so you have a big problem before you even reaLISE

In my view your trainer sounds ignorant and very annoying shouting out "there's the real husky..."

Good grief, what an idiot! I feel very sorry for you having to put up with him. Either laugh it off, if you can, or else have a word and say it upsets you when he makes jokes and can he stop. If he doesn't, maybe make a few pointed remarks back. I know it's not recommended normally but it sounds as if he could take it.

Lindsay
X

I would be very wary of this trainer :( he doesn't sound as if he's doing your confidence any good :( 
Would it be possible for the trainer who helped you with your first dog to give private lessons?  after all youwere more than satisfied with him ;)