Ok, so the training club that I take Vegas is pretty well known around the area and I'd heard (and experienced) nothing but good things.
My intermediate obedience instructor was even more helpful than all the others, and we passed the CGC test given at the end by the fur on Vegas's chin, and decided to keep her back and retake the class because of this instructors advice. Vegas is very obedient, but is still EXTREMELY excitable around new people, even though she has been socialized. Our biggest problem is letting the guy touch her and look at her teeth/feet (which we've worked on a TON and she's progressed but still just wants to play and gets way too excited).
So, last week we went to our first week of class for the session (this is where the problems start). One of the instructors there was our puppy k instructor and commented that Vegas was way undersized for her age and asked if she was healthy.
At Just under a year, she's 78 pounds, solid and lean. She's not a whole lot bigger than the most recent pics in the gallery, to give you an idea of her build.
2nd. We had a new instructor, who seemed very educated and was EXTREMELY helpful with Vegas when he came around to meet her and I explained about her excitability. He has an assistant also teaching, but there are 23 people/dogs in the class.... which makes it almost impossible to get a lot done. Is this a lot compare to other places? We usually have so many less, so maybe I'm just spoiled?
3rd and probably the most irritating, The fact that there were a lot of dogs in the class, in some ways, was great for us, since Vegas had so many new dogs to sniff and distract her. She did quite well and was watching and paying pretty close attention to me (not her best, but all things considered, I was pretty happy). Toward the end of class, while the teacher was talking, she actually LAYED DOWN AND SLEPT! .... so she was worn out. While we're getting ready to leave, the assistant teacher stops me (she was the assistant in one of my previous classes, and I've never been impressed w/her), and she talks to me about Vegas's size. I explain that she's in the standard and still has some filling out to do, blah blah blah... and she goes, "oh i just love her spirit!" and starts pushing at her face and getting her all riled up, Vegas JUMPS ON HER (which she hasn't done since early puppyhood), and when I correct Vegas and ask her to stop (probably in a very unfriendly way).... she tells me to "lighten up and let her have some fun!"
Now, i'm all about fun, and am very anxious to get her into rally and/or agility, because of her intelligence and energy, but I feel that this assistant was WAY out of line. I'm for sure going to file a complaint with the club, but should I even stay at this club? Having 2 of the instructors telling me that my dog's too small, when she's not?
Please feel free to let me know if I'm overreacting, but I'd like to hear some other opinions on these issues. Thanks in advance!
Monica