[deonk1]

Thanks, it sounds like an ok way to do things, I guess when I used to train horses I followed that type of thought except we usually said "for 23 hours of the day she could be as much of a princess as she wanted, but 1 hour is mine no matter what" kinda thought.

My only concern is if he'll stop eating his kibble, or will just get too fussy. But this morning he had emptied his dish (from the night before) so I gave him his usual meal, but I sat on the floor and made him lay down before I gave his dish to him... if he lifted his bum I lifted the food. I got him to stay until it was completely on the floor and then said ok. (I need to figure out what my release word is going to be... I was thinking "free" because OK is too common.

So does it sound like I'm on the right track. I have an apointment this morning but this afternoon when I get a chance I'll read up on "nothing is free training"
If I do go with this trainer, my goal is to get some work done first, because I can't afford him until I get a new job. So I figure I'll start a foundation and he can help me work through it more.

My next question is when on the training scale do I know if he's ready for agility. I know he can't jump until he's older, but I don't want to rush into things until we have the basics. I did that too often with some of my horses, and it never turned out well.