Hurray!

dtbluv

I just signed my dog up for training classes!  I am so excited!  And the classes are all late enough in the evening that even if I get held up at work for two hours (has happened before) I can still make it!

I've never taken a dog to classes before, growing up I always assumed that my dog was perfect and any poor behavior was purely out of love (ie: the dog pulls dinner off the table and eats it?  He loves my cooking so much!).  Thankfully I have grown up a bit, and even though Maggie mostly knows the basics, I want her to be impeccably trained so she can be a therapy dog.  I'm also hoping the training process will help us bond more, she started off as my dad's dog but she'll be moving in with FI and I eventually.

Have any of you guys done dog training classes?  Or had a therapy dog?

cwaggoner07

My dog was a hot mess when I got him. A border collie/ jack russel combo makes for an extremely smart and hyper dog. I took him to classes weekly for a year, and had twice a week 'homework nights' where we would practice for an hour. Honestly, it was a lot of sucky work, but people can't believe how well trained he is now. He still has impulses and he's not perfect, but he knows SO many commands. I applaud anyone who takes on obedience school because it's hard but so INCREDIBLY worthwhile.

kd.joseph

Atticus has done puppy classes as well as intermediate, they do offer further classes, but if I do that H says I can do that alone, which I may later, I just want to get through winter.


Atticus is still a brat about somethings, but in general I think the classes made him mind so much more. Have Fun!

cnf2013

We never did classes with Griswold. But for the first five months we had him I was unemployed, so he had my complete and undivided attention as far as training goes and he is wonderfully behaved for 15 month old lab puppy. His only caveat is digging. And that's entirely our fault. We had nine yards of dirt dumped in the driveway the week we got him and let him dig and play in it while we landscaped. Now he loves to dig up our backyard. Otherwise he is well behaved and minds his manners. 

cwaggoner07

CNF - To break that, I've heard you put their poo in their current holes to make them stop. Worth a try?