My obedience class woes..

[Trinitii]

Here is Athena is class:

Let me play, play , play with the other dogs.

This is our second time in basic obedience, we did one while a puppy and refreshing alot later in life. I have worked with her but not as much as I thought I had. She knows her commands.

She is soo excited and after 5 weeks still isn't calming down. She wants to play with the other dogs! Even the instructor is like when are you going to settle down.

So heel exercises are bad, she wants to run to the one in front or the one behind.

Last night the instructor takes her from me in front of the class and runs her through the commands. She was amazing, Athena did every command beautifully executed but not with me.


Trinitii

[LynnS]

Hi Trinitii

Not sure if you were just venting or looking for advice =)...

Without knowing all the specifics it doesn't sound like Athena gets the fact that you are in charge...Usually this is because we haven't effectively communicated this message. Although what constitutes "effective" Varies from dog to dog, I imagine someone a bit more experienced than I is going to recommend that you step up the leadership role and work on getting your dogs attention on you and NOT on other dogs. I am going to take a guess here but does your play time with your dog generally involve going to a dog park? If so this may partially explain the behavior.

In any case, your trainer should help you with this but I know there is tons of good advice in previous threads.

[Trinitii]

Thanks lynn :)

I was venting but your soo correct. I need to up her respect for me. She has never been to a dog park. I feel it is lack of socialization with dogs. We are working it out :) We have been practicing eye contact during training and my instructor has showed me some tips as well.

Trinitii

[LynnS]

was venting but your soo correct. I need to up her respect for me

Sounds like you know the drill!

[damp]

Your instructor has to teach you, how to train and handle your dog.

I used to tell the owners: Don’t expect you will have an obedient dog after a 12 lessons puppy/beginner class. It’s you learning here. I will teach you techniques and skills and when you come back next week, I am interested to see how YOU do, how YOU interact with your dog and I will “correct” YOU. If you did right home, your dog will have made progress. If not, I am a poor instructor or you haven’t practiced. As an instructor it’s not my job to train your dog… only to instruct you!

PS. I have never found it smart or pedagogical to humiliate (for lack of English word) an owner in front of the class.


Good luck with your training! ;)

[fbkeays]

What I have found helpful is to physically tire the dog out about an hour before class. This takes the edge off, but they have an hour to rest up. It helps relax the dog and IMO helps with focus. You can play fetch (no formal fronts or holds required), bike, jog- whatever.

[Mick Trainer]

This is simply a matter of not being taught how to train the dog correctly yet and working the class in lines. Just keep at it and practice and ask questions of your trainer. You are going to find it hard to fix this for a time whilst they keep working the dogs in lines. This, for me, is a very old style of training and you will find praticing your command in a randowm, quickly changing pattern will be much better. When you are first teaching your dog to heal you should take no more than 3-4 steps in opne direction and turn quickly so that they dog looses where you are and must learn to keep it's eye on you when you are healing as it cannot predict where you are going to turn.

Once you have stepeed off rememeber to have the lead loose. As soon as the dog takes it attention away from you (looks away from you, pulls out away from you) turn sharply to your right and recommand heal. Keep repeating this until the dog learns that it must watch you to see where your are going. Heaps of praise and zero pressure on the lead when the dog is beside you even if it is only for 1 second and then turning everytime it is not. You will be walking in circles for a time but the dog will soon learn to keep it's eye on you and that it cannot takes it's attention away from you as you will turn from it.

I don't know what equipement, if any, you are using to train the dog but you can implement tightening of the lead in at times if it helps (which it probably will).

Also it may be worth finding atrainer/training school that works in random patterns rather than in lines like you are doing now.

Mick.

[Trinitii]

Thank you for all the advice and encouragement!

Mick,

I had learned the walk away technique in our first class and was debating on whether I should try it now. I will begin doing this. I have been calling her name and using the watch command with praise a lot more to help keeping her attention.

I won't give up and appreciate all the help.

Trinitii

[Mick Trainer]

Don't add any more commands, heal or what ever you are using is fine but you must change direction and then call her to heal. The commands/words/sounds are not important until you condition them too her.

Mick.