Tali

Hi Erin I hope you can get some good out of it - or follow MrsD's advice and see if you can obtain a refund. Failing that though, use the rewards at home when you train, and just don't take them to the doggy class. I used food as a reward (tiny bits of torn up commercial dog treat or dry doggy biscuits) when I trained Jarrah - at first I used them every time he did the right thing, and then only intermittently (really standard psychological conditioning - that's what the pokies work on with people!), and once a skill was cemented, it was there, food or not. Even 10 years later, he walked on lead beautifully, waited to be given the OK to eat his tea, and dropped/sat on verbal command. He lost some of the other skills through lack of use, but kept the basics which seem to be what you are mainly interested in. So do feel comfortable to be your own boss - don't engage in disputes with the instructor if they will upset you (probably more than they'll upset a bully like him) - but don't let him take charge of your dogs and your happiness; that's yours not his! Hope you find tomorrow night more successful Tali

Good luck this arvo Erin - will be thinking of you as I would feel threatened in this situation - but I do think you are doing the right thing - you can't learn when you feel the way you do, and a big part of obedience work is teaching the owner (from my memory of it anyway!). Thanks also for sharing - your email is really timely for me and has shown me the importance of doing what Mrs D suggested in an off line email - visit the doggy schools first and see if they are suitable to me. What some people love, others will hate - but I wouldn't have thought along these lines if you hadn't shared your story. Thanks heaps and good luck again!

Hi Erin I'm not hugely experienced, but i can understand you feeling compelled to stay and try to get something from the class. Perhaps look at it as a chance to practice with your dog with other dogs around, and a chance for socialisation. When in the class, don't use food if that's what they require, but remember you will have the dogs for life, not the life of the class, so don't let the instructor bully you if you don't think it is working for YOUR dogs. If you find they respond better to rewards etc out of class, then that's YOUR call, not his/hers. As with anything in life, try to approach open to the chance to learn something, and take only what is useful for you - seems to me they've already taught you something about dog training (and perhaps what you DON"T want!). Have the confidence that you've committed to these dogs for their lives, and you have to do what's right for them - even if you do receive some frowning disapproval from the instructor. You might even learn some stuff along the way that will be useful - and you might meet some doggy friends and organise "play dates" at other times to help socialise your little ones! Just my penny's worth....

Hi Tali, where about in Brisbane are you? Southwest Brissy - Centenary suburbs area.

I'm also in Brisbane and will be looking for an obedience club in the near future - any chance you could forward me the list of recommended obedience schools off list too? (I don't know how to mail someone off list yet - sorry!) I'm especially interested as I see you have a Sheltie, which is what i'm looking at getting.