Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 6:31 pm Post subject: Starting Training Classes with Bran
Ooh I'm dead excited!
We've never taken any of our dogs to training classes, but they have always been sufficiently well trained to be pleasant to live with at home and to take out on walks.
When the puppies arrived, the children (15 and 12) decided to be responsible owners and go to puppy classes (as recommended by our vets).
It was an unmitigated nightmare. I had a personality clash with training man who was obsessed with dominance and pack behaviour in the wild and continuously contradicted himself about what to do with our pups. He actually could not get them to do half of the things that we were supposed to be training them to do so what chance we stood I don't know. £40 for each pup wasted.
Anyways. I've not been very well for about a year now thanks to anxiety and depression, but have been thinking on and off - since we lost Flora - that I'd like to start training classes with Bran but almost every trainer around here only block books classes over 6-8 weeks and starts at £50
After some hefty googling today I've found what sounds like a lovely class about 20 minutes away in the countryside and it's a Pay As You Go class. I've spent some time talking to the trainer on the phone and she sounds lovely. I'm going along tomorrow morning to the class without Bran to have a look and see how she works and, if all is good, Bran is going to start next week
The pups are due to be neutered soon so I'm not going to start them till they've had their ops and recovered and even then it's up to the kids whether they come along or not.
I'm really really pleased to have found a class like this as I know there will be weeks when I just can't make it but can't afford to lose the money spent in advance so the stress is off
____________ Sarah and Bran
Always watched over with love by our angel, Flora, from Rainbow Bridge
Bran Training
That sounds great Sarah, I used to take CJ to PAYG classes, its much easier, sadly the trainer stopped doing them where I used to go and his other place was too far away.
He used to do fun agility too and CJ loved that even thoigh he used to clown around and make everyone laugh
Our first training classes with Dylan were a nightmare
Ran by people who were really horrible to us and our dogs - thee's no other word for it. Voted with my feet and didn't go back. Did loads of searching and asking fellow dog walkers and came across a lovely class which Dylan did really well in. So don't be put off by first class and Go Bran Go Bran wooo hooo!
Theo goes to a payg class and from our point of view it's ideal, there's no time scale to learn things but you still have goals to try and reach, and it doesn't matter if you miss a week etc as you don't miss out anything like you would on a training course and of course you don't lose any money.
I'm sure you and Bran will have great fun learning a few new things and just proving your already good at others I know Theo also enjoys the contact with the other dogs in his class.
That sounds lovely. Hope you enjoy yourself tomorrow!
We do pay as you go at a school we love and its brilliant. We can also do any of the classes at the level you're on. So sometimes I do Sunday novice, sometimes I do Wednesday novice (same trainer for both) or both or neither depending on family commitments! You just stay at the same level for as long as it takes then move up when you're good enough. We have a laugh too which is important to me as it often all goes wrong but I never feel like I've failed, just learnt the lesson the scenic way
I'm struggling to find a decent trainer We did do puppy training, booked a block 6 week course, 1 hour per week for £60!! But we stopped going after the third session because I just didn't rate the methods used. I do a lot of training at home, but I would love to find a pay as you go class. I hope it goes well this morning
He used to do fun agility too and CJ loved that even thoigh he used to clown around and make everyone laugh
I am slightly worried that that will become Bran's role
It was a really lovely class: very relaxed and fun and friendly. No pressure on anyone to have their dogs performing perfectly after just 2 attempts, no panicking if things didn't go to plan and no stress!
There was a really nice mix of dogs there (including a GORGEOUS springer puppy ) and some rescue dogs who had only been in their homes for a few weeks.
Bran and Moss are going to start next week
There is scope for us to go along to the KC award classes as well which are block booked, understandably, but I think we'll just stick with the PAYG for now and see just how focussed Bran is with other dogs around.
____________ Sarah and Bran
Always watched over with love by our angel, Flora, from Rainbow Bridge
Bran Training
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I know Theo also enjoys the contact with the other dogs in his class.
We did do puppy training, booked a block 6 week course, 1 hour per week for £60!! But we stopped going after the third session because I just didn't rate the methods used. I do a lot of training at home, but I would love to find a pay as you go class. I hope it goes well this morning 
) and some rescue dogs who had only been in their homes for a few weeks.
