beginner's obedience class from H**L!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I just started a beginner's obedience class with my new 8 month old australian labradoodle. The trainer is great (I took her classes with her all the way to therapy dog level with my other doodle), but the other people in the class have dogs with ISSUES! There is one woman with yorkie mix that bites her hubby if he comes near the woman and another who has a 3 year old husky that is completely out of control. Another woman has a dog who doesn't like other dogs--that would be fine if she didn't own three other dogs! The dog starts fights over toys and keeps the other dogs away from her!
The other people in the class seem to have normal situations and one has a labradoodle! (They are just starting to show up around here) But the people with difficult dogs seem to have no clue how to train a dog. It wil be fun to see how they progress---I hope!
We just talked about our dogs last night, but next Wednesday, we start bringing the dogs, so I can't wait to see how this goes.

[Ginny Nightingale]

Yikes! i think the trainer is meeting privately with a few of the owners before the next class, so maybe they won't ever make it to the group lesson. I sure hope Lyric doesn't learn any "new tricks" from this crowd!

[Chris & Boys]

Well, I guess it makes the rest of us grateful that our dogs do not have those problems. But, we should remember that any of us could have ended up with one of those dogs. They are living creatures and sometime come to us with issues that are inherent and there is no way, when you get a puppy at 7 or 8 weeks to tell if those issues are there. I am glad to see those owners are taking them to obedience classes. I have seen people who have never taken their dog to training and cannot understand why they behave the way they do. If you feel that your class is holding you back, talk to the trainer - I am sure they will let you transfer to another class. Good luck.

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Have you spoken to the trainer and make her aware of your concerns? I would be very uncomfortable continuing in a class where a dog has agression issues. They should be in a seperate class where those issues can be addressed. I am surprised that they were allowed to even sign up for a class with other dogs. In our school the application asks questions about agression. They are not allowed in a class where there could be a potential problem.
I hope that these dogs are not in your class and you can enjoy the time you spend there without having to worry anything!

[Ginny Nightingale]

I I bring Lyric with me on Tuesday and we will see how it goes. I will ask for a different class if its bad. I am sure, though, that she will have people removed from the class and will do something different if it is a problem...she is really a terrific person and trainer, I have confidence that she will do the right thing.I agree that it is great that these owners are bringing their dogs to her class rather than living with a terrible situation. I am rooting for them!

[22y8rmuouwttt]

I just finished "101" with both of my Doodles. I have to brag 'cause they both won first place at the end of the class!! It was as much fun to go to class to watch the other owners as it was to learn how to train my dogs!! hee hee hee. I think our Doodles naturally have an advantage over many other breeds - not that I am biased or anything!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Let us know what happens in Class #2. Good Luck!