Can You Take More Than One Dog To Training?

[cavmad]

When my OH was not working away during the week, we used to take both of our dogs to a very informal dog training session once a week. It wasn't really traing as such, just basic obedience, some agility and general stuff like that. Now that my OH is away, we can't really do it. I would really like to though. I am not sure what to do. Do I have to choose one dog over the other? Do you take two dogs? Or just not go at all? My dogs are mostly well behaved. I'd mainly be doing it for something fun to do with them, not to earn titles or compete or anything like that.

[laffi]

I think it depends on the club and how the classes are set up.

I take two of my dogs for the agility classes. One of them is crated while I work with the other one and they are both crated when I am not working with them.

[leopuppy04]

ditto to what Laffi said.

I like to give the dog I'm training 100% attention, so the other dog is either in a stay or crated

[RubyStar]

I take mine to 2 different classes on the same night, but this year I might take my 2nd dog on another night at another club so they each get a night out by themselves just with me with 100% focus on them

[skip]

I'm sure you would be able to take both Stella and Cooper. You can only train one at a time and you would need to confine the other. So you would need to have crate training and may involve also teaching each dog that they can be expected to work seperately.

I always have 2 small ones and I sometimes think it has made them much keener and also competitive about training/earning rewards/getting attention. In obedience I vet check both and use one for the first 1/2 and one for the second so as not to interrupt anyone. I am new at my club and currently one is in the highest while the other the class down. This is a bit weird but seems to work OK. Other class members get confused as I have 1 gold and 1 black dog and swap them a lot. I also swap which dog goes first to try to be fair which is a bit silly as they aren't that clever.

I think the shorter lessons each dog receives are great. As normally I train for short periods more often I find it strange that other people wonder why their dogs get sloppy or bored after at least 1 hour training once a week.

In agility I swap dogs as well but this is more dependant on your club. During a 12 week course I did lately I had to nominate one dog only although the other dog was allowed to complete the exam at the end to pass and go on. In the next levels I can use both during class but each dog is counted as my turn. You can't monopolise the trainers time with an extra dog. So I can pick either dog to do the exercise but not use both. Although often if there is time my nominated training partner will tell me to grab the other dog and give it a go as well. As our trainer due to time constraints wants us ready and waiting to go for each exercise I can be a very busy girl swapping dogs.

But it works well and once you get the exercise you can train later at home.

So good luck and I would do it. Seems sad to miss training as it is fun at times.

[wolfgirl]

My two are in the same level class so each week I drop one back to a lower class and just go over the basics then change them over the next week so either dog doesn't miss out

[saram]

Our classes specified one person per dog so I am taking one dog each week and then doing "homework" with them both during the week.