Training class question...

[sydney]

Rufus is going to be 2 and has been doing training classes on and off since 10 weeks. He did Puppy Kindergarten, Beginners and Advanced Beginners and recently passed his CGC. We would like to go on to the Therapy dog training class, but it is not offered very often and may have to wait until the end of the year or even early next year. There aren't any other "pet" training classes except a tricks class which we don't need, we teach him those at home. I really would like to continue in some kind of formal training since it has been about 6 months since his last one and I don't want him to get "rusty".

The only other classes they are currently offering are considered "competition" level classes, for obedience, off leash, agility and conformation. Would it be ok to sign up for one of these classes even if we will probably never compete? Everyone looks SO serious in the ones I've watched...:eek:

[Paradis]

You are lucky to have such classes that are offered in your area! I would sign him up for obedience or off leash to keep his skills up. Talk to the trainer that is offering the class and see his/her opinion on it and what class he would be best suited for until he can get into the therapy work.

[Shamu]

Not everyone who takes dog to 'competition' training class is completing, so there is no problem with that. In our class, about 50% of dogs are competing, and others are just coming for training/ for fun
You can also check if they have Rally. It is less strict ("less serious") than regular competition obedience.

[sydney]

They have several trainers, I'll have to see which one does the beginners levels and see if they are available to talk to. I don't see Rally mentioned in the class descriptions.

All the "competition" level classes I've seen seem to be filled with those uber-intelligent herding breeds that are so perfectly focused on their owners. Rufus is SO NOT that...part of what makes him so lovable, but I'm afraid they will consider him the "annoying class clown". He is such a dork, will stop whatever he's doing when the urge stikes to stretch, yawn, scratch, give a friendly ROO to the closest dog.... I really don't want to piss anyone off who is there to do "serious" training, but would like to keep going with it..

[LibsDW]

I would sign up for the "competition class". Even if you do not want to compete, you will need the skills to become a thearpy dog. Passing the CGC is the easy part of the thearpy dog test. A thearpy dog needs to learn to be quiet, and to pay attention to you.

I compete in Rally with Dakota and we are just starting the Advanced class which is off leash. It has taken over one year to get to that level. Rally is so much fun. You can talk to your dog, clap your hands, and even act like you have a treat in your hand. The Rally Novice class is all ON leash.

[sydney]

I would sign up for the "competition class". Even if you do not want to compete, you will need the skills to become a thearpy dog. Passing the CGC is the easy part of the thearpy dog test. A thearpy dog needs to learn to be quiet, and to pay attention to you.

I compete in Rally with Dakota and we are just starting the Advanced class which is off leash. It has taken over one year to get to that level. Rally is so much fun. You can talk to your dog, clap your hands, and even act like you have a treat in your hand. The Rally Novice class is all ON leash.


He is quiet and does pay attention to me as long as there aren't any other dogs around, that when his ADHD kicks in! LOL!

The next round of classes should start next month... I'll see if I can talk to an instructor and figure out which class we can take.

Thanks!

[LibsDW]

Most thearpy dog tests have other dogs around to see how well your dogs does around other dogs. I would take him to areas that he is not familiar with that have other dogs and work on his attention there. Good Luck!!

[kahluadanes]

To be a therapy dog and to pass the therapy dog test he needs to listen to you in ALL types of distractions including around other dogs.

Competition training is a great way to get him around other dogs & distractions.

Dale

[sydney]

Thanks!

[Bighoneydog]

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All the "competition" level classes I've seen seem to be filled with those uber-intelligent herding breeds that are so perfectly focused on their owners. Rufus is SO NOT that...part of what makes him so lovable, but I'm afraid they will consider him the "annoying class clown". He is such a dork, will stop whatever he's doing when the urge stikes to stretch, yawn, scratch, give a friendly ROO to the closest dog.... I really don't want to piss anyone off who is there to do "serious" training, but would like to keep going with it..

Ha! Ha! I know what you mean - I always feel like that. I've got a 5yr old fawn girl and we do Obedience and Canine Freestyle. After Honey passed her CGC, I did think about joining the Competitive Obedience classes - just for fun and to keep up training, not really to compete - but like you say, the classes were all awfully serious. Honey isn't so much a goof - she is quite good and focused, actually, (for a Dane!) - but she doesn't have the obsessive attitude and manic concentration that all the other Border Collies and German Shepherds had in class...she seemed to just be "cruisin' along, enjoying the view" when she was heeling! :)

Anyway, what put me off in the end was overhearing some nasty comments some of the senior club members were saying about her - about her being big and slow and "a disgrace" and not deserving her CGC because she couldn't heel with her head skewed round and plastered to my thigh, like the collies, etc. That made me so furious - the CGC isn't about precision heeling, like competition, anyway...she had no idea what she was talking about. But it was the classic case of someone who has never trained anything but working breeds and has no idea what it's like to work with a "different" breed that may not have that obsessive drive...anyway, I decided that I didn't want to train around people with attitudes like that - they didn't deserve us and I left the club.

Now, we mostly train ourselves - although we are part of a small Canine Freestyle group and we compete in Freestyle - which is still pretty advanced training stuff but is more "flexible" in that the dogs don't all have to do the same thing, in the same fixed way - it is more creative and allows you to adapt your trainig to your individual breed/dog's personality more and therefore much more fun! I do a lot of dance myself so it's great being able to combine that with my enjoyment of my dog. And the addition of music and choreography makes it much less serious and more imaginative than Competitive Obedience, which seems to be very rigid and all about forcing your dog to fit an ideal....

I don't feel that it's important for my dog to have to walk plastered to my thigh, with its head at a weird angle anyway...great for those who want to do it but not important for me. However, I do think it is a great challenge and achievement for my dog to be able to focus on me and follow my cues through a series of complicated moves, some at a distance, in the presence of loud music and crowds and other dogs...so that we're working together as a team.
But each to their own, I guess! :)

Hsin-Yi

[Greenmagick]

As others have said, I would just get involved in something for now even if its not what you will be pursuing for ever.

I think I will be pretty lucky with my training class.....Ivy is the goof of the class (also the youngest by far...most are around 1 1/2 or older) but the trainers always laugh and say "oh, shes such a dane!" We were talking about futures last week and I mentioned that I would like to possibly to agility or obedience in the future and the trainer was very happy....she said she loves seeing danes run the agility course:)