| Re: Training Class Incident
I'm not a dog expert but I've never heard of a trainer training by shaking and screaming at a puppy. I personally think the trainer was out of line and I would refuse to let her handle your dog again. You want your puppy to have positive experiences, and you want him to enjoy going to obedience classes. Do you train with treats? If not purchase a package of chicken, turkey or all beef hot dogs. Take one hot dog and slice it into 100 little pieces. After each command, praise and treat. He will go into a down position immediately if he knows there's something good to come if he does. If the trainer disapproves of treats, bring them anyways and give them to him when he obeys a command. He's young, being a stinker and he's testing to see what he can get away with. If he was sick earlier in the day, it's possible that he wasn't feeling well and reacted out of not feeling well, but to me sounds like he was testing. |