Posted: Tue Aug 14, 2007 8:57 pm Post subject: Training class nightmare!
We took Hudson to his first training class tonight and were faced with an utter nightmare! I don't know what happened to our lovely obedient choccy lab. He turned in to a tugging pulling nightmare puppy from hell. He pulled so much that his eyes became bloodshot.
It was awful. It was the longest hour of our lives. There were 14 dogs in the class, a mix of pups to grown dogs and one instructor. Hudson was the youngest. Neither husband or I could get his attention at all. Not food, not the normally irrisistable Air Kong nothing. He didn't care if we praised him, or told him no. He just didn't listen. This just isn't the same dog we get at home.
All he wanted to do was play with the other dogs. The whole class was a waste of time. The woman could have been the best instructor in the world but there was no way to know as I couldn't hear a word she said, nor could I get Hudson to do anything resembling what she wanted!
To top it all, Huds decided to present us with the largest poop I have ever seen him do!!! Nightmare!
I know he is young and my expectations are probably skewed, so please reassure me that it should get better. He really is a lovely puppy, he can be let off his lead and comes back to us without any effort, we can make him sit and other basic other commands, but we really just didn't manage to get anything out of this class.
I'm so disheartned, not with Hudson, just with my ability to manage him.
At one point in the class.... the instructor made us get a toy and "play" with the dog. I swear I heard her say "and this is how we play with our dogs" I nearly lost the plot. Also, poor Huds being so little..... there was a huge big Irish Wolfhound with a drool issue. Everytime this big dog turned round Huds would get a face full of slobber!!! Ack!
Should we be worried about the pulling thing ie: the bloodshot eyes. I nearly picked him up and walked out at that stage. Should we be thinking now of alternate leads? Or should we carry on with him half choking himself. Is this class counter productive? Should we maybe wait till he's older?? Should I just calm down and take a chill pill??
I feel so defensive..... he really is a good obedient dog for us. He gets socialised with other dogs when the dog walker comes in during the day.
All advice, soothing and calming comments gratefully accepted.
Fiona
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Hi Fiona, have just posted on another similar thread but i'm hopeless and don't know how to link! Have a look through the most recent threads it is definitely there somewhere
It does get easier i promise - for Hudson so many dogs in one place must have been his idea of heaven! As a tiny puppy the socialisation aspect of it is as if not more important than the training - so if he was confident around the other dogs - desperate to greet and be greeted i would say that it was a successful first class!
When Pud and i swapped classed i nearly left in tears i was so frustrated by Pud's 'disobedience' and my inability to control my usually great dog!
Think little steps - it's all sooooo new to Hudson. Just socialisation this week and maybe next, the following week trying to get more of his attention etc.
Lots of luck - it is fun eventually and a great bonding session! I really do believe that training classes made a massive difference with Pud.
Everything will be fine. Roo was a nightmare too; and still is sometimes like tonight's class! It's just that he can see all of the other play friends and he can't get to them.
A few suggestions:
- Use a REALLY high value treat that he ONLY gets at training. We use liver cake which most dogs find irresitable. Other things include hotdogs and chicken.
- Hold him by his collar when you are sat there, not by his lead so he can pull. You have more control and he won't move an inch from your feet.
- Arrive 15 mins early and let him have a run on a field / track or even better let him play with the other dogs. If he can play with them before the class then he won't be so desperate to get to them when you go inside. He will a) be tired and b) not as interested to play as he has done so already
It will get better, I promise! It will come with the training so you must keep going. You will learn heal work and 'wait' as in 'be patient' which will transfer when you need him to sit at your feet.
I would say the class is too big, 14 dogs and one instructor sounds a lot to me, CJ`s classes are usually a max of 6 and an instructor.
The instructor should also have been able to tell ans show you how to sort Hudson out, personally I think I`d look for a new class where there are fewer dogs and a instructor who knows what they are doing.
I also take CJ about half an before class starts and he gets to have a run round with the dogs as they arrive, this helps to get rid of some of his excess energy and makes him more responsive in class
I'm interested in trying to find a high value food treat .... there are days when Hudson just isn't food interested and others when he is food mad! Today was a not interested day and he has even skipped a meal!
I'm definetly going to try the class again. I'm fairly sure that others will drop out of the class and hopefully that will help with the utter lunacy. There were a few telling gazes exchanged with other owners! We will definetly try and turn up early for him to play with the others, see if that helps too. I knew whinging to you guys would make it all better!
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After 6 weeks of nightmareish puppy class and with hindsight now.
I take Angel out for a run/footie game about 30 minutes before we go to class, this way she's not so giddy when she sees the other dogs. She just says "hello" rather than wanting to play.
My secret weapon is 23p Asda value Hotdogs, cut into small pieces and put in a sandwich bag.
Neither of them can resist these and will do almost anything for them. I also try to keep these just for training as an extra special reward.
My next class for her is agility, I can see that one being fun! I can hardly wear her out for that one.
Last edited by jo10 on Tue Aug 14, 2007 9:59 pm; edited 1 time in total
As Roo says, liver cake is a greatb treat to use for training and only training both at class wna when your doing "homework" out of class.
My trainer sells it to us at a £1 a bag, ideal for me cos otherwise I`d have to make a huge one and don`t always have room for it in the freezer, there are recipes on the forum, if you put liver cake into the forum`s search engine it should come up with them for you
Hi Fiona! soooooooooooo glad youve posted this hehe ...
Bosun is 13 weeks and we took him to the second puppy class last night and OMG nightmare pup! ... jumping pulling choking barking you name it! he ended up with bloodyshot eyes also from pulling so much! we had to do sit and paw (not very succsessful) ... also to get him to do recall with a row of dogs on each side and me down one end of the hall! he did it tho much to my utter amazement as ive yet t start any of that !
I would say stick with it! ... and keep up the training at home! we took cocktail sausage last night but think im gonna go with the liver cake or hotdog sausage next time! .. there were about 14 others in our class also young and older ones!
we also met Bosuns sister which was lovely altho have to say she is tiny compared to the man mountain ! lol
Alfie's class only has 7 puppies and they are all roughly the same age. It is chaos there but we do learn some stuff. Alfie loves going and it is great to see him getting on woth the other pups. I don't think he would be very good in a bigger class with older dogs as well as pups.
coal was exactly the same when we went to our first puppy class.
it DOES get better but Coal can still be a nightmare with something new or if we haven't been for a while!
When we started our agility classes he was a complete nightmare, running off round the field, far more interested in other dogs. on the 3rd week, i'd taken him out for a mini gt so lots of swimming and running and it definately helped as he was physically a bit more tired and his brain seemed more in gear!!!
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Nightmare!
I can hardly wear her out for that one.
