I thought it was overkill as well, especially being that she walks so well on her harness and doesnt pull much at all :rolleyes:

Aww Lula to bad you are so far from us I will go with you and take my girls too just to let them know that we got your back:p;) humm maybe my big man too he, he:D when is the next class? we are pulling for her :)

People like those idiots make me reconsider my position about snakes!
 

I would like snakes to be extinct. But, stupid people like the ones you encounter at the baby's class, make me wish those jerks were extinct first :mad:
Remember that for every dimwit creature that you unfortunately meet, there are hundreds that appreciate your love for your baby. I had no idea that some jerks would react like that towards our perfect little angels. I was shocked when I read your post.
Now, I've been warned and God help the bottom-feeding, low-life that dares say something like that about my baby...I'm ready. I guess some see a big dog as some see a red sports car, they think it adds inches to their short-comings:lol tears
I'm lucky that I found a place where professionalism is the norm and customer appreciation is a rule, as I've been able to notice. As soon as we arrive and Nini sees where we're going, she wiggles her tail. She loves it. Everyone kisses her tiny bottom, give her treats, kisses, etc. I reward them by spending my money there. Nini's first class is next week and I'm not asking for respect and consideration, I demand it and expect it. That's good business...treat my princes well and mommy opens wallet! AND daddy doesn't mind:D Treat my baby poorly, and mommy will open hell for them:lightning

:thumbup::thumbup:

OK, the comments I would say just let them roll of your shoulder, but a trainer should have more respect than that!! I would demand your money back and find yourself another training facility with a trainer that has respect for his/her clients! My trainer for all of my dogs co-owns a doggie daycare/boarding/training facility. Does she have little dogs or prefer them? No. Does she think dressing them is silly? Yeah, A little bit. Does she make fun of the small dogs' owners for it? Not one bit! She smiles, rolls her eyes, and knows that those are someone else's dogs and her preference for not dressing her dogs doesn't mean it's someone else's preferences. If I were you, I would hightail it fast from there and make sure they know how you feel about the way you and your baby were treated! It's one thing to poke fun at size and clothing, it's a total other to completely disrespect someone!

I also forgot to add my note about the harness! Yes, most trainers prefer a collar and leash for training, BUT yorkies and other small dogs who are on the way smaller side can have very delicate necks/throats and that is no big secret to anyone who knows dogs (such as a trainer should) and your trainer should be more than happy that you're looking out for your dog's health and choosing to use a harness to make sure your smaller than norm little one doesn't harm anything that can be avoided. Hope I'm not going on too much, but this infuriates me that you were treated so poorly by not only the other clients in the class, but by the trainer!!!

harness
 

When I took my 12-pound Bichon, Cosmo, to obedience class, the instructor wanted him to wear a collar. I told her he didn't wear a collar with his leash because of possible throat damage. She was fine with it since Cosmo was used to his harness and did everything right. If she hadn't been fine with it, we wouldn't have gone to the class. Just because they are obedience class instructors doesn't make them experts on everything and you have to do what's best for YOUR dog.

Actually a gentle leader doesn't go around the neck. It goes around the muzzle and around the head (behind the ears). There's not problem for choking since it doesn't go around the neck. It's suppose to help when you have a dog that pulls when on a leash. Since the gentle leader goes around the head, every time the doggy pulls it'll turn them back around giving a person better control.
That being said, I still think it's a little silly to have to use that on a small dog. I would only be inclided to use it if I had an extreme case of pulling with a little dog, and then use it just long enough for them to learn not to pull, then switch back to a harness. But that's just me :)

People who make those comments are really just uneducated and rude. If you think about it, I believe that it is a sort of racism! If these dogs were humans, and someone said something rude about whatever race they were from they would really be frowned upon. Don't let them get away with it...just hold your head up high and show them that you and cute little pebbles are not going to succomb to their rude remarks!! :)

Just saw this....Ignore them....Pebbles has always been one of my personal favorites......She is just so darn adorable!!!!! Can't help myself.....:D

She's addicting.....;)

My Pebbles is MUCH larger than your Pebbles and I cannot image how they expected it to be made small enough for her little head.:confused: I have the head part adjusted as small as possible and it could not go smaller. My Pebbles is a huge puller on a harness so that is why I chose to us it on her. Your Pebbles is way to tiny and if she is not pulling to the point of hurting herself I really don't see the purpose for her.

It sounds like she is doing great with the training. Just keep your chin up and don't let anyone make you feel you are not training her correctly. Just like children different techniques sometimes need to be tried to accomplish the desired outcome.

Having your Pebbles in a dress will not effect the way that she learns. I don't understand the reasoning behind commenting on whether or not she is in a dress. Even if she had her sequin harness, bow in her hair, sparkles from head and her little doggy nails painted in silver none of that will not stop the learning process of this class.

I would have pulled the trainer to the side and straightened her out after the second comment from her. Her attitude has allowed the other in the class to have a negative experience for you and Pebbles which is unacceptable! :thumbdown If she cannot control the others in her class (ie owners) how does she expect to teach how to control your pets????

As for the guy with the chicken killing dog:thumbdown:eek:~that comment should have had him REMOVED from the class as a danger to other. When an animal has the propensity for killing, they are not only dangerous to other animals (including dogs) but a danger to the public. The trainer should have had HUGE warning signs up to take that situation and get that under control~immediately!

A big dog is hard to dress so the owners wo't dress them. I personally love the cute clothes I get for my LEO. I love the ones with the leash loops. They are more comfortable for training as well. This about it, a collar is harsh. If you pull on that you could choke the dog and risk a collapsed trachea. A harness is a better option. However, some of the harnesses are tricky getting on and off. I love the clothes because of the options with velco, snaps, etc. and having the leash loop is even better. Tell those big dog owners to stop hating - do what is right for your yorkie. Why not dress up and show her off. You go girl!!:D:):):p

hehe, thanks!! :)

i would find a new class that is "little dog" friendly.

i have taken abuse from big dog owners too.

well i just got back from the second class and it went much better.. then again I didnt dress her up. the trainer even complimented pebbles several times and said she was very impressed with how well pebbles was doing and then later she said, "you actually have a really nice yorkie there!" :D