Update:
We took Kash and Lucy for the first time last night and they did very well! On our way there, I couldn't even put Lucy on the ground because she was screaming and crying! I could barely hear the instructions in class because she was crying so much. The trainer came by to meet each dog and my fiance let him know that we are more comfortable just using harnesses - we were the only ones without choke collars
Anyways, we went through heel, and sit and stay. Kash caught on pretty quickly, except sitting at heel. He would stand beside me but didn't want to sit until I pushed his little bum to the floor! Lucy eventually got the hang of it but it took awhile! By the end of class, Kash would even stay while I walked to the end of the leash, and then did a circle around him back to heel position. I know he was getting pretty tired though because every once in awhile he'd lay on his back for a tummy scratch!
Walking them back home after the class was the difference between night and day. Lucy walked right beside me the whole way!
The trainer used both of them in demonstrations, and he also used the little beagle in class who did have a choke collar. He would yank up on the collar when she wasn't performing and her little neck would stretch right up
I couldn't even watch.