My own little brag

[Michael Romanos]

Linda - Get out of that puppy training class you're in . The instructor is horrendous and ignorant. Just ignore her anyway - aferall you pay for the privilege to be able to ignore her instructions if you want.

About the brown Lab - yes, he only hates Taylor. Can't win them all.

[corgimom]

I think to throw one treat at a dogs feet and expect them to "leave it" is fine,
but she tossed at least 8 of them and they went everywhere - and he ate
3 of them right away!!

Linda

[jprechel]

Well, three out of eight isn't that bad! (hee hee) It's less than half!

[corgimom]

You know Corgis and their food!!

Linda

[Michael Romanos]

If it was Taffy, he would have eaten all eight plus the ones she threw at the nearby dog, inside five seconds. Perhaps your instructor would like a computer-generated dog or a blow-up dog model.

[corgimom]

I agree Michael, but I only have 2 sessions left and I thought I should at least
finish the last two, I don't want to be known as the drop out.

linda

[Michael Romanos]

You know quite well that this person is way over the top and she will continue to instruct in this way if she gets no feedback telling her that she needs to revise her methods and to network with other instructors so she can relearn what is required and not required in all the stages of puppy training. Your continuing commitment is only fuelling her summation that she is doing a great job.

[herdingdogs]

I agree with Michael. This 'instructor' needs to know you are not happy with her methods and why. I use to be afraid to speak up in classes but not anymore. And as an instructor myself I encourage all my students to speak up if there is something they don't like or are uncomfortable with. I would just tell this person you are dropping out of the classes and your reason why. Perhaps if enough people do this, she'll make some changes. I know it doesn't make me happy when people drop out of any class I've taught, but if I know why then I can hopefully make some improvements and learn something new myself. Good luck and find a class that you enjoy and feel comfortable in.
Linda

[Jeni D]

And today we conquered the collapsible tunnel! It took about two minutes of building him up--starting with it completely open and him running through to stretching it out and letting the cloth barely touch his back to finally having him run through the entire tunnel with the cloth draped completely over him.
He did get scared once and tried to go back the way he came, but by the second time, was racing through it like it was nothing at all.
I definitely think the progression from the non-collapsible tunnel to the collapsible tunnel was the trick. I couldn't be prouder of my little guy

[corgimom]

Jeni D

Way to go Dudley!, give him a kiss from Cody. That is great that he was
fearless and went through.

Linda

[Michael Romanos]

I was speaking to a couple of puppy training instructors tonight and they seem almost as strict with their training methods as the person Linda deals with. They try and get puppies to keep their noses off the ground when leash-led etc. So maybe the best et for Linda is to train Cody herself in the basics and socialise her fellow elsewhere, and in that way Cody need not be overtrained. I'm quite happy for Taylor to wee at various strategic spots and to smell everything he wants, and to take the lead on occasions and to stop and stare or look around when it is HIS time and HIS walk. But obviously, other people have different ideas.

[corgimom]

Michael, against your advice, I did go back to puppy class last night. I did talk with the trainer regarding the age of Cody and a few of the other pups and as to what is expected, since a few of the dogs in class are over the age of 1 1/2. She didn't get judgemental or defensive and at least she listened to me. She did say that they were in the works of re-doing what is offered at their place and maybe doing a 6 to 12 month old classes, versus the anything over 6 months class that had not had any training. Apparently her own training is a bit more advanced that what I was aware of, and I found out last night that she trains dogs for the disabled so maybe that is where she tends to be more strict, not always remembering that the dogs in Cody's class aren't going in that direction.

Don't worry, he wasn't pushed last night to do anything super strict. We actually had class outside in the enclosed grassy area and it was a beautiful evening. And to my surprise, there was a collapsable tunnel and a regular one that Cody eagerly went through. We just worked on the sits, down and stays and the "come" command. She did mention to me that she thought agility training would be a great thing to get Cody into.

I find that amazing that Taylor has never worn a collar - so as a young pup, how did you walk him?

One in a while I see a person walking their dog with one of those prong collars on and the leash is held very tight and the person is walking as if they aren't enjoying it themselves. The dog is usually held tightly at their left side and the poor dog does not have a chance to look around or even smell a thing - I personally think that is awful that the animal can't even enjoy its walk outdoor.

linda

[Jeni D]

I'm not a huge fan of the prong collar either. A couple of the larger, more excitable pups at training where them and don't seem to be bothered too much by them and it does help manage them, but I just can't see putting Dudley on one. One of the trainers semi-suggested I get one for Dudley last night. We were practicing walking on a leash without tugging, something Dudley and I are terrible at, especially at training class where he wants to run up to everyone and say hello. I'm just not ready for one of those though. I think if I keep practicing with him, he'll be just fine on a leash.

Linda, glad to hear that your trainer was atleast responsive to your talks. At least she is aware that there is a problem with the large variety of ages in your class. It is kind of neat to know that she trains dogs for people with disabilities. What a very important job (I'm a special ed teacher). I agree she needs to realize that all dogs are not training for that type of job though, especially at puppy class.

[jprechel]

Jeni D - Glad to hear Dudley is doing so well at puppy class! It is a great accomplishment that he tackled both tunnels. Way to go Dudley!

Linda - Nice to know you were able to talk to your instructor about your concerns. I'm sure you feel a lot better and it seems she understood where you were coming from. You're probably right in the fact that she was so strict because she trains animals for the disabled. One more class to go huh? Are you planning to continue Cody's training after that with another class?

[Michael Romanos]

Linda - I have never had use for a dog collar for many years. I use a very lightweight and small choke chain with a lightweight and thin leash (or lead) attached.
If I am in a hurry, then Taylor doesn't lead, doesn't smell things up close and doesn't wee and leave his mark more than once or twice. All it needs from me is a few words. So Corgis can 'toe the line' when required. They very quickly learn what they can get away with.