Obedience training day 1

[ZoEys_MoM]

Yesterday i went to our first day of obedience training. I didnt take Zoey with me though because the first class is just for educating the dog owners on the training methods we will be using. It was really informative and im looking forward to eventually having a well trained dog that everyone compliments. i have already been going over the training homework task with Zoey and i cant wait for the next class where she can actually be a part of it!

But while on the topic of training...some people just make me so angry!! I was at a friends house after the class last night and i was telling some of my friends about the techniques we will be using like positive reinforcement ect.. and someone said "all you gotta do is hit your dog and that will teach them to do what you want" I told them that hitting a dog only makes them scared of you, lose respect for you, and damages your relationship with the dog. and on top of that hitting a dog is just horrific! they wouldnt back down so i just dropped the conversation. But it really upset me. I know theres a lot of people out there that believe hitting a dog is a way of training them. but it just breaks my heart. Has anyone else ever been in this same situation where someone told them to hit their dog to correct it?

[RoxyLuv]

There's a lot of ignorant people out there, & I choose not to be one of them. It doesn't take much to know how uneducated they are. When I get that clue, I don't even have the conversation about which way is correct. They aren't going to change their minds anyway. I don't want their negative attitudes to have any affect on my starting positive training. Save your energy for your own classes & have fun!

Years ago I took a big dog to dog obedience classes when it wasn't even a common thing to do. It was so much fun to take him on walks and people comment on how well behaved he was. Believe me, he wasn't well behaved before the classes.

Just don't let the negative people bring you down. Go & enjoy yourselves. You won't be sorry! Remember to do your homework even if you're tired. It's the only way you'll get your moneys worth & a well trained dog.

[yorkiepuppie]

yea, people who still think hitting their dog is the way to train them makes me angry too. i wish i can slap them and hit them and then tell them that that's not the right way to train! people are ignorant, the best thing you can do is TRY to educate and inform them... you tried, so good for you!

[Marilize]

Don't listen to them. I grew up with untrained dogs - luckily they were staffies who knew their place in the family hierarchy and staffies are really obedient even without training. But then we got a labrador and none of us knew how to train him. He is ten now and still miserably disobedient. It is really difficult to live with him.

I took Cash to obedience training and I paid a lot of money for it (I am a student on a meager income, so it was really A LOT for me). Cash is a really well-behaved dog now and we are starting agility training tomorrow.
Everyone compliments me on how smart and well-behaved he is. So, even though my parents and loads of my friends thought I was crazy to pay all that money to train a dog, I did it anyway and now I am reaping the rewards.

[xmasbaby75]

This is interesting because last night was also my first night of obedience training (no dogs the first week), so I guess we'll be going through this together! My main concern was when I found out it was required for them to have either a choke collar or a prong collar! Now, maybe that's fine for a Lab puppy who weighs 60 lbs. but my Brandi is 10 times smaller and she wears a harness only. I had to talk to the teacher after class and I explained that she is a Yorkie, and her neck is only this big, and she said to me "Well, I've seen them on Chihuahuas - I know they make them that small" and I told her I knew that too, but that isn't the issue. She said they can't be trained with a harness, and unless there was a medical reason, she needs this collar - so I told her the medical reason is she is prone to collapsed trachea and pinched nerves (as with the whole yorkie breed) so she finally said "Fine" ... I just can't see pulling a yorkie around with a metal prong collar! As for hitting your dog - that only teaches them to fear you - and who wants that? Looking forward to next week's class - we will be doing the sit, heel, and stay commands.

[ZoEys_MoM]

They require us to use a slip lead..It doesnt look like it will hurt Zoey.
But they said a harness just teaches them to pull more.
They also said our goal is to use the slip lead a little as we can. its just to get them to direct their attention back to you.. Eventually your dog should be trained well enough that it will follow any command without a lead at all.

[salazark]

Originally Posted by xmasbaby75

This is interesting because last night was also my first night of obedience training (no dogs the first week), so I guess we'll be going through this together! My main concern was when I found out it was required for them to have either a choke collar or a prong collar! Now, maybe that's fine for a Lab puppy who weighs 60 lbs. but my Brandi is 10 times smaller and she wears a harness only. I had to talk to the teacher after class and I explained that she is a Yorkie, and her neck is only this big, and she said to me "Well, I've seen them on Chihuahuas - I know they make them that small" and I told her I knew that too, but that isn't the issue. She said they can't be trained with a harness, and unless there was a medical reason, she needs this collar - so I told her the medical reason is she is prone to collapsed trachea and pinched nerves (as with the whole yorkie breed) so she finally said "Fine" ... I just can't see pulling a yorkie around with a metal prong collar! As for hitting your dog - that only teaches them to fear you - and who wants that? Looking forward to next week's class - we will be doing the sit, heel, and stay commands.

I really don't want to sound rude but I think you might want to find a different obedience school. Sadie and I are just finishing up our second level of classes. I have learned that there are more or less two philosophies on training. With these little ones, positive training works so much better. She is required to wear a flat collar (for training only), but they emphasised - no choke or spike collars are allowed. The class you are describing sounds as if they use "corrections" which are basically jerks on the leash. The class we're in only uses positive methods. You capture the behavior you want with a "click" and then treat for it. I can't tell you how far we've come with this. It really is amazing. I just don't believe you ever would want to train a little one like ours with anything that is painful or could potentially damage them. Please consider the kind of training you are doing. Obedience is wonderful and it is creating such a bond between Sadie and me. I don't think we could have that bond if this wasn't positive.

I'll shut up now.

[xmasbaby75]

Originally Posted by salazark

I really don't want to sound rude but I think you might want to find a different obedience school. Sadie and I are just finishing up our second level of classes. I have learned that there are more or less two philosophies on training. With these little ones, positive training works so much better. She is required to wear a flat collar (for training only), but they emphasised - no choke or spike collars are allowed. The class you are describing sounds as if they use "corrections" which are basically jerks on the leash. The class we're in only uses positive methods. You capture the behavior you want with a "click" and then treat for it. I can't tell you how far we've come with this. It really is amazing. I just don't believe you ever would want to train a little one like ours with anything that is painful or could potentially damage them. Please consider the kind of training you are doing. Obedience is wonderful and it is creating such a bond between Sadie and me. I don't think we could have that bond if this wasn't positive.

I'll shut up now.

I completely agree with you. That's why I had that discussion with the teacher. I just won't do anything that could be potential harmful to my baby. They say they use "positive" methods only, but how is a prong collar positive?

[abby2473]

Wow! Interesting thread! I've been tossing the idea around about some obedience training classes for Jake....now I know what to ask ahead of time! He has trach. problems and I will never consent to a class where he is forced to wear any kind of choke/spike or any collar that will pull at his throat! A friend at work was just telling me about a "gentle lead?" Is this what you mean by "slip lead" ZoEys Mom? It kind of goes around the nose and top of the head?

Best of luck with your classes by the way!!!

[xmasbaby75]

Originally Posted by ZoEys_MoM

They require us to use a slip lead..It doesnt look like it will hurt Zoey.
But they said a harness just teaches them to pull more.
They also said our goal is to use the slip lead a little as we can. its just to get them to direct their attention back to you.. Eventually your dog should be trained well enough that it will follow any command without a lead at all.

What is a slip lead? Is that what they use for showing in the ring? Do you have a photo?

[salazark]

I think a slip lead is similar to what they use for showing. I'm enclosing a picture. It is basically the same thing as a choke collar. A gentle lead guides by their nose. I'm not sure how that would work. This is in the second picture. I do use a flat (old fashioned) collar for Sadie for training only. When we go on "fun" walks she wears a harness. I haven't had any problem with her wearing the collar in class. I have seen some small dogs in our classes that would strangle themself on any kind of slip or choke collar.

The main thing is don't let anyone "bully" you into doing something you know isn't right for your dog. I don't care how many dogs they've successfully trained.

[yorkiepuppie]

Originally Posted by xmasbaby75

I completely agree with you. That's why I had that discussion with the teacher. I just won't do anything that could be potential harmful to my baby. They say they use "positive" methods only, but how is a prong collar positive?

yea, i agree with the other person that said this trainer sounds like she doesn't know what she is doing? it could be that she just doesn't have experience with small breeds. if you feel that she is knowledgeable and would like to still have her be your trainer, then go for it. otherwise, you might see if you can switch classes. (try to talk to the trainers first and see if you feel that they are knowledgeable)

[ZoEys_MoM]

yes a slip lead is similar to what they use in the show ring. It does not go around the nose though. I talked with the trainer about how small yorkies necks are and she assured me that this type of lead would be fine and would not hurt her. Today i walked Zoey with the slip lead and it was so impressive. She walked by my side and there was actually some slack in the lead. She has always been such a puller on our walks.
In class the lead will be used just to direct the dog back to us so that they can focus their attention while we give the commands. But like i said, eventually we are hoping to use no lead at all in training.
I would never put anything harmful on my baby. And after the first class i am convinced that we will be practicing positive reinforcement with treats only. We will be using vocal commands and body language.
The lead i bought is called a British Slip Lead.

Also, we are taking classes at My Dog and Me in Houston. If anyone is interested in obedience training and lives in the area, i would look into this place if i were you. I will keep you updated on how things go. Next week is the first class that Zoey will be attending. Im so excited.