Obedience School
 

I was thinking of putting Vickie into obedience school to learn the basics sit, stay, ect. I'm going to do it in about a mont because in about two weeks she's getting spayed. She'll be about 6 1/2 or 7 months. How well did obedience school work for those who did it? I've been hearing off line a lot of "it was a waste of money, didn't work" or "I had to to take my dog more than once" (ie when the classes were over they had to start over again).

IMHO, there are two reasons to take a puppy to obedience school. First, is to teach the human how to train the puppy and how to speak to the puppy in a language it can understand. Second is to give the puppy an opportunity to socialize with other dogs in a safe environment. I think the value in obedience school depends on how experienced, comfortable and successful you have been with training a dog in the past. Puppy school lesson #1:
Puppies don't fail. It is the humans that fail their puppies!

I agree with what you're saying and have a better view of things now. So, I think if I work at it, we'll do good in her trainning. I hope it doesn;t sound like I'm not trainning her at all, it's just a few things I need help with. :)

I think obedience school was well worth it. It was great for socialization with all sizes and temperaments of dogs. I had already taught mine to sit and shake hands and walk on a leash before we went to school. I think it was more helpful for them that they already knew a little of what was expected of them...to MIND what I told them to do. In addition to socialization and practice on what I already taught them, they learned down, heel, stay, and come. And they learned to do them with the distractions of other animals around them. I think it was worthwhile.

I thought I would add...we used the word NO for everything. After we learned to use other commands like "leave it" they understood better what we wanted them to do. They know LEAVE IT really well now and it works. They always respond to it now.

While we were walking they found a dead bird and ran to it. I told them to leave it before they picked it up. I was glad of that since my husband told me we have West Nile reported in our area now.

Its definitely worth while, great for socialization and to give them a great start as they soon learn who is boss. Good for their confidence and mixing with other adults as mine had struggled with. It is hard work and that is possibly why some dont think it worked. You need to put in the effort to get the results. I have been going off and on for 8 months with my 1 year old and he loves it!

Lacy did basic obedience and some agility. I think it is definitely worth it, but like someone else already said - it's mainly to teach the owner how to train their dog. You can't expect your dog to be trained in a one hour session per week. It takes a lot of time in between sessions working with your dog and of course continuing to work with them afterwards the classes have ended. I think that's why a lot of people say they are a waste of money - they expect the trainer to train their dog in that one hour a week session and don't do any work at home.

I couldn't agree more. I learn during class. Eddie learns during the week.

One thing to be careful of: Some schools still use the correction technique, where a dog is given a sharp pull at the collar for incorrect behavior. I did that on the instructors' advice for a class or two, and I've always regretted it. First, it put his gentle neck at risk; second, many schools nowadays are teaching to use only positive reinforcement; third, even if your instructor advises the use of corrections, you can get the same results with a small dog by using a harness. Just say no to collars for leash training.

I definitely recommend finding a trainer who uses only positive reinforcement. I like the clicker training method-they seem to learn quicker.

Thanks for the advice and info all. :)

Cash and I started out clicker training this week and last night was the first session (without the pups). I am really impressed and got a lot of reading material (which I love) on clicker training, dog behaviour, body language, etc. I couldn't wait to get home to start training!! I think he is going to do very well. Mainly because I intend to work really hard with him on his training and would like to do further training with him. I just feel that this lovely doggie is going to be with me for about 15 years and I need to do everything in my power to give him the life he deserves without taking away from my own busy life.:D

You sound like you are gonna be a great Yorkie Mom.

Thank you, alaskayorkie! I am a full-time student, so I work really hard and to own this dog has been a dream for me for a long time, so I am giving it my all. It is so great to hear some praise for what I am doing. Thank you so much.

I would also speak up in favour of Obedience Training. I had a Min-Pin for 17 years. We had done a lot of Obedience Training with her when she was little. In her last years, she became deaf. We were able to communicate with her using the hand-signals she had learned as a baby in Obedience Training! I don't think she even knew she had gone deaf! She was always welcomed in Friend's houses because she was so well-behaved and had no issues with other dogs, neither fear nor aggression (although she would stand her ground if challenged!)

Now, I have 2 new Yorkies, one a year old, the other is 4 years old. I enrolled them in Obedience class and off we went. Well, this class used the old method of jerking on their leads and using a Martingale collar. The one year old was OK, but the 4 year old did not react well. To top it off, she coughs occasionally and the Martingale made her cough whenever I used it. The space for training was small and they crammed 10 dogs into it so that they couldn't move without bumping each other. We dropped out after only 1 session.

I did some investigating and found another place that believes in the Positive Method of Training. I went to a class as an Observer and was impressed by how they worked and the space used. Now, I have registered my 2 to start classes there in July.

My advice: definitely do the Training! But do your research. Talk to the Trainers, see the space they use, find out how many dogs per class, and then go watch a class! If possible, talk to someone who has taken classes at the same place, get their opinion, and watch their dog!

That's the type of class I had 12 years ago with my first Yorkie. What a nightmare, fortunately we didn't do our homework, because he already had trachea problems. Now with my new Maxwell, we have been to 8 weeks of puppy class and it was so much fun, we start positive reinforcement obedience in July. Can't wait.