Obedience Newbie W/questions!

[Guest Amy Rose]

Hi guys, I've never been to a dog school before (Tucker is my first dog) and I have some questions and would like some opinions.

I've done a little training at home, but I'm a complete beginner and would like to start afresh. Is that possible?

Tucker is a rescue dog and he's learned a few bad habits (eg pulling like a mofo on lead, marking EVERYTHING he walks near) from his previous owners, and no matter how hard I try, he keeps reverting back. Will he continue doing these things?

He's a pretty submissive dog, and cares not for toys and stuff, so what would be the best way to train him?

Will going to group training possibly hinder his friendliness with other dogs? I've heard some horror stories about dogs jumping on other dogs, attacks etc and I really do NOT want that happening to him (who would?).

Can he be taught to do things like chase a ball, and eventually be able to do dog sports? He's a JRT x Corgi, but he's not very energetic, but if there's any chance I would love to do some sports with him, just for fun. It'd be great for him to do more than go for a walk.

What sort of things will I encounter at training? Obviously stuff like teaching to sit, but will I learn more important things like how to be a more effective leader?

He gets REALLY excited when I get his lead out and I figured that would be a good way to train him (apart from food, he loves food), but he gets far too excitable for me to control him once he sees the lead, runs everywhere, jumps around, occasionally pees in excitement. I've tried really hard to calm him down in this kind of situation, but it's tough! Will an instructor help me with something like that and focus him?

Should I try clicker training before I go to an instructor, or just wait and hear their advice?

Will we be treated differently due to him being a rescue? Also due to him being 4 years old and struggling with the most basic training? It breaks my heart to know that I'm not doing a good job with him, and that I can't find a way to get through to him. I'm aware enough to know that it is me, and not him, that is the problem, and I really want to fix that!

And lastly (for now!), I live in Carlton, but will be moving closer to Templestowe, is there a reputable school in that general area? I don't mind a little travel but I work almost every day at the moment and it will have to be a night/late afternoon class. Also, what type of prices will I be looking at for obedience and how long will the classes last (in both session length and training sessions in total)?

Thank you. :D

[bridgie_cat]

first off - all manner of dogs at dog schools - ie rescue, show, working etc and if anything you will get praise for rescuing!

Most instructors should have enough sense to not allow dogs to jump on each other in class... but if you are worried then go along to the school you are thinking of joining and watch the beginer class & what is involved etc - of course the way to stop other dogs from jumping on your dog is to make sure you keep a safe distance from the ones that lunge etc...

ie dog sports - is all about finding what motivates him... you CAN build toy drive if you want him to chase balls as a reward for doing agility or similar... but as a starting point you should find a toy he already LOVES or a food he will do backflips for and use this in training...

Dif schools use dif training methods & clicker training is something that (if you dont already know how) needs some instruction to be done correctly so I would go along and let the instructors show you how they train & if you are interested in a method they are not teaching in class then ask them about it - a lot of experienced trainers know the other methods even if they dont use them on their own dogs or teach them in class and they should be happy to explain them to you.

as to pulling on lead... they will teach you how to get the dog walking on a loose lead - after that it is all about consistency on your part. If you dont want him pulling the lead EVER, then never accept his pulling. Go back to the training method each time he pulls. If he never gets away with it he will try less and less. This is the same with any behaviour/house rules/doggie manners. You say what goes and be consistent and he will learn the rules.

Lower grades are full of dogs & puppies that know nothing so there is not such thing as too early to join.

Bridget

[dogdude]

Hi AmyRose

Ha Ha..... where do I start.....

There is a dog school in Westerfolds Park in Templestowe (not VCA affiliated), and I am not quite sure which style of training they teach. The style of training that you choose is personal, but if your dog is food responsive, why not use food drive.

It is quite normal to make countless mistakes with your first dog, so my advice is to do plenty of reading up on the style of training that your choose, and couple that with what you learn at the obedience club. Other good advice is to latch onto a handler/ trainer mentor that owns a dog that you admire at the dog club, that trains using a similar style that you do.

Obedience schools are generally pretty safe places to take your dog, so don't stress, attacks are quite rare. Just use your common sense regarding the approach to strange dogs, particulary new ones to the club. Off lead dog parks on the other hand......

The Templestowe club is more of a set time course, as opposed to a normal obedience club that you train at your own pace, with just a yearly membership. The course style is ok if you just want to generally get good manners for home, but a traditional club is better if you have dog sports in mind. There is of course private lessons if you can afford it, which would be the quickest way to learn.

The large dog clubs cant give you the one on one attention very often, but I think reading plenty will give you lots of time to form your own opinions and styles anyway.

Most instructors at clubs are voluntary, and will mostly shower you with there own beliefs, so just keep that in mind.

Good Luck! :D

[Cosmolo]

Given that you have a rescue dog, you might want to consider a one on one session before you go off to group classes as they can be a little overwhelming to begin with. He can definitely learn the things you want him to- its just determining whats the best technique to teach him and you. This is where private training can help tremendously before dealing with the distraction levels of a group class.

As for being a rescue dog, we work alot with ex shelter dogs and LOVE them to bits, don't think you won't be able to train him or that you'll be looked down upon- we consider you to be extra special!!

[laffi]

Some great advice here already. I just wanted to add that a lot of dogs are not into toys, retrieving or tugging. The owners have to "work a little" in order to build up a drive in these dogs. I am teaching my dogs how to tug now and they are only slowly growing to like it. Just practice and make it fun!

[Guest Amy Rose]

Oooh, thank you SO much for all the advice so far!

I'm leaning towards doing private training at the moment, since T is socialised quite frequently (we take him to a great dog park, I take him into the grooming salon I work at occasionally and we've just started doing Kepala), and I think I'd be a lot more comfortable doing it privately to start off with.

Does anyone know of any good private trainers? How far in advance do you generally have to book? Is there generally a consultation session before you start with the training, where the trainer will get as much info as possible out of you?

dogdude: while he's pretty food responsive, he's also prone to putting on weight, so I'm a little worried about that side of it (he's got the heftiness of a corgi). I guess I could just not feed him for the day before the training, he'd be a lot more responsive to food then too. Hmmm.

Cosmolo: that was my main worry, he's VERY easilly distracted and has typical terrier stubbornness. If he sees a dog he wants to be friends with, he turns into a bulldozer! So private training for a couple of sessions sounds like a great idea. I was also under the impression that it was a lot harder to get an adult dog into a beginner class, since most places I was looking at (websites) seemed geared towards puppies only.

[Kelpie-i]

Amy Rose, if you're looking for some private lessons, we can accommodate. We do them at the beautiful Kepala grounds! Check out the website and pls PM me if you're interested.

[Staff'n'Toller]

I'm a Trainer at an awesome club in Kew which is really close to Templestowe. We take dogs of all ages into our beginner courses.

We have limited class sizes so you get lots of individual attention and everyone's dogs are assessed for their friendliness (and to ensure handler and dog can cope in the class) before we slot you into a group.

Positive training, lovely safe grounds, all qualified instructors. Most of us are available for privates before/during/after commencing training at the club or we can do private lessons only if you prefer.

We also have some pretty cool equipment and activities that our more advanced classes do.

I'll PM you with the details.

Edited July 24, 2007 by Staff'n'Toller