Starting Obedience classes...

[i_love_my_rott]

Well i finally found a place within 45 minutes of me to take Kumho that is fairly cheap. (money is kinda tight right now) He is now 6 months old and i have been working with him at home. My question is..... The classes are 45 minutes long, what all should i be taking with me?? Treats? 6ft leash i know, and a flat collar, but is there anything else that i need to take along? This is going to be something new for me, and he will have a 3hr wait from the time we leave my house to the time we get to the class, my daughter had dance the night of his classes and its in the town right next to where we will be taking classes, so i am just going to take him along because there won't be enought time to get back to our house and grab him before we have to be at class, so if anyone can give me some ideas of things i should or need to take along.. let me know. Thanks

[lblax]

crate ----water ------ food --------training treats.... and personally i would take a prong collar and or fur saver for training......for this reason your dog probably wears a flat collar around the house and the other collars should be for training. that way when you switch collars the dog already knows hes gonna work... and if you have a 3 hr wait in the car with him maybe a couple valium for yourself:D

[Cassandra]

I hope you enjoy your classes as much as I have!

The classes I have been to required only the 6ft leash and requested either a choke or a pinch collar. It's tough to get across collar correction in a flat collar. Actually, in my limited experience, the pinch works best and between the two, statistically is less harmful than the choke from what I have read.

One of my trainers has us bring a toy for a mid-training break. So you might want to bring one just in case you have a trainer that will give you a break in class.

[Rott-Wiley]

Fresh water and a bowl to drink it out of would be very important to bring. I always keep a bottle of water and a bowl in the car anyway because I take a dog with me whenever I can.

Go to your first class and find out what the instructor wants you to bring. You may need a clicker if that is the type of training they do. Good luck and enjoy.

[i_love_my_rott]

Another thing i was wondering about is if i should only feed him in the morning because he DOES get extremely car sick and i really dont want to be cleaning up braf again, would it be ok to skip his second meal and then feed when i get home? I am up pretty late usually till 12 or 1am i can let him out to go potty before bed

Also about the crate, i am driving a Trans Am LOL there is no way i can get a crate in there, "IF" they require a crate where can i get a "bag" one?? our local pet store only has the Plastic "taxi" type.

I am writing everything down and i am suposed to get a registration form in the mail this week sometime. I was only calling to inquire about the group but she just went ahead and said come on down its the first night of class and well here i am LOL i didnt even really have time to think about it, But i have heard nothing but GOOD things about this place, so we will see.

Thanks Every one for the advice

[Brooke&Ryan]

Here are some links for pet tents for a dog. We're actually looking into getting one also for travelling but I'm not sure what the best brand would be to check into.

http://www.chinookwind.com/acb/showp...ectGroup_ID=56

http://shop.petmarket.com/portencag.html

http://bizrate.lycos.com/buy/product...s,rf--wgg.html

http://www.dog-training.com/gcsoftcrate.htm

:)
Brooke

[Rott-Wiley]

Normally the training class doesn't require you to bring a crate but you did say you would be going to that dance class before so that may be a good time to crate him.

Did you inquire if you should bring proof of vacinations? Some classes do require it.

Also, I wouldn't wait any longer to start him in classes. He's 6 months old, no time like the present.

[Luvs]

I always take water and a bowl for our dogs when we go to class. I don't like them sharing water bowls with other dogs.

We take both treats and toys to our class and alternate using both as rewards. We use a flat buckle collar in the obedience class we are currently taking. We started out in a prong but our instructor had us switch to the flat buckle collars after the first class

[Judi W]

Never leave the house without a couple of plastic bags in your pocket for cleaning up after your dog should it be necessary.

[i_love_my_rott]

I am really excited to starting this class, my husband can't seem to figure out why but its something for me and my dog. Right now Kumho is so calm and just lays around, he will play if you start it but other wise he just wants to sleep. My 5 year old daughter will be going with me to the classes, they have a room for kids to play and hang out so it will be fun for her also. I can't wait to start!! Thanks again everyone!!

[Brooke&Ryan]

Originally posted by i_love_my_rott
Right now Kumho is so calm and just lays around, he will play if you start it but other wise he just wants to sleep.

You'll probably be like us & have the calm dog in the class. We had about 7 dogs in our beginner OB class & all the dogs were so active & Julius just hung out on the floor watching all of the craziness.:)

Have a great time. We start our advanced OB in a week & we're both so excited. It's a blast....

:)
Brooke

[excellrott]

You can use a personal kooler to put all this stuff in. I use a soft-sided insulated bag. Keeps my water cool, it's spill-proof and holds the leashs, bowl, toy, treats, my little notebook and collar in one bag with a long handle to haul it. Have fun!!!! I still get excited every week with it's time for classes :D

[Judi W]

Relax. It is winter time and your dog can easily go for the 45 minutes to an hour that class will last without a drink of water. You can leave the water in the car. Poop bags, leash, collar and treats should suffice and a small toy if you wish. Dog trainers always wear clothes with roomy pockets. I have a large selection of vests with great pockets. Until I get to the stage where I am using a dumbell, I don't have anything that doesn't fit in my pockets. Then when I'm using the dumbell I have a fastener that hooks on my belt. I don't have to drag a satchel until I get to utility. If it is summer, I have a little water bottle with a lanyard.

Just don't forget to take him for a little walk to relieve himself before you go into the class.

[k&s]

He's going to need some walks and breaks during the 3-hour wait before class (sounds like the dance class might be a nice socialization experience), but I just wanted to mention to keep in mind that you should avoid having him become tired (physically OR mentally) before class. You want him as fresh and upbeat as possible for the class.

[i_love_my_rott]

Well we are going to our first class tonight. I am very excited!! The only things they want us to bring is a thin collar and a 4ft leash, oh.. and the dog!! LOL i will let you all know how it goes, there will be a 7m rat terrier, a 4 m pit bull, 9-10m border collie mix, 4m blue heeler, 9m sheltie and then my Kumho, there is only one female dog in the class so that should be interesting. Wish me luck!!!