Dreading training :(

Wellyboots6

The trainer is brilliant Raksha, it's the flippin dog that's a pain!

I think we spent more time in his 'time out room' than we did in the class today, he got so over-excited. But in a good way rather than a grumpy way which is an improvement. Managed to get a lot of practice at 'touch' and 'look at me' though whilst we were calming down!

He did manage to focus a little bit again though, and when he had his nose stuck right up his best buddies bum he even managed to get right in the middle of our class of dogs and relax long enough to look around with a loose lead.

He also shocked everybody by remembering which way we were supposed to go on the course, when I had totally got myself in a muddle, so I guess he must have been paying a little bit of attention!

Wow I really am scraping the barrel for positives this week, but dammit I will find them!

Raksha

Surely a brilliant trainer would be making you feel positive and making progress instead of dreading it. Unless they are good at training dogs, but not good with people

YORKSHIRELASS

I gave up on the training classes after two weeks - I just hated it and Bertie was a nightmare. To make things worse one lady brought her kids and asked if they could sit at the back as she didnt have anyone to look after them. Bertie isnt very reliable around kids so that made me even more nervous. In a way I wished I hadnt given up on it but I just didnt think we were really getting anything out of it.

So well done for sticking with it!

Wellyboots6

The trainer does her best to make me feel positive, but I suppose it is myself feeling down about it all. I see the progress the others are making and know that it will be a long time, if ever, until we get anywhere near that stage.

Even little things like us having to use a different door to go in to the place so we don't have to run the gauntlet of dogs waiting outside, having my own special parking space so that noone with dogs in the car parks too close etc etc. They are all things that help keep him calm, but also mean I feel more of an outcast!

Wellyboots6

Ooooh I swear I will put him on eBay sooner or later!!

He did brilliantly (for him) at his class tonight. A couple of times he managed to do almost the whole course focusing on me and what he was supposed to be doing , rather than looking at the other dogs. I was so impressed!

BUT...

Due to a lapse in judgement on the last course, everyone did their usual standing back to give him space, only as the course had been shifted around a bit, everyone ended up standing opposite the last jump. I didn't realise until it was too late, he completed the last jump, saw a dog stood opposite it and decided to run. I tripped and dropped the lead and he ran towards the other dog. Trouble was, he had picked the second most reactive dog in the class and so they got in to a scuffle.

To be fair to him, the minute I called him he came away which was good. The other dog suffered a nicked ear, but everyone that saw said they didn't think LS had actually made contact or tried to bite, and that the cut had come from the catch on the other dogs halti.

Just when I think we are getting somewhere he has to play silly beggars!!

The instructor said I have to make sure I go back next week otherwise my confidence will be knocked, although I just wish the ground would swallow me (or him!) up at the moment!

Lesson learnt though to check and then check again where people are standing. And it will also be back to the muzzle whilst training now.

Wellyboots6

EEEEEEEEK!

He did so well last night at his class I am SHOCKED!!!

I took Absolute Favourite Ball with me, and used this to keep him focused on me. He managed to spend at least half of the class actually in the class with the other dogs, with no messing about. Another instructor shouted over to warn me that she was going to be walking through with her dog, and LS didn't bat an eyelid. She did a bit of a double take as she walked past!

He even managed to keep relatively focused on the exercises we were doing, and only got distracted by playing and messing about rather than by the other dogs.

AND... He wasn't the worst behaved!! We had to leave the class a couple of times as one of the other dogs was having an off day and was running off when off-lead and coming over to the other dogs. I took LS out of class to avoid any problems, but he really wasn't interested.

Absolute Favourite Ball is definitely coming training again.

I am so happy

meritaten

katy721 wrote: »

EEEEEEEEK!

He did so well last night at his class I am SHOCKED!!!

I took Absolute Favourite Ball with me, and used this to keep him focused on me. He managed to spend at least half of the class actually in the class with the other dogs, with no messing about. Another instructor shouted over to warn me that she was going to be walking through with her dog, and LS didn't bat an eyelid. She did a bit of a double take as she walked past!

He even managed to keep relatively focused on the exercises we were doing, and only got distracted by playing and messing about rather than by the other dogs.

AND... He wasn't the worst behaved!! We had to leave the class a couple of times as one of the other dogs was having an off day and was running off when off-lead and coming over to the other dogs. I took LS out of class to avoid any problems, but he really wasn't interested.

Absolute Favourite Ball is definitely coming training again.

I am so happy

:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T:T

Sounds like you are getting there!

elsien

So there is light at the end of the tunnel.
I've come away from tonight's training sessions feeling like I'm doing everything wrong. Gitdog completely ignored me and all the treats I'd taken along, becoming totally hypnotised by the trainers bits of hotdog that he could apparently smell from the other side of the room. I might as well not have been in the room for all the notice he took of me.
And when we got his toy out to play with, because he likes tugging and wrestling I missed the instructions for the next bit of the class because I couldn't get the beggar to put it down and start focussing again. Don't think I'll be taking a toy in future, he just gets too obsessed.
It's only the second class and I'm not expecting miracles, just that he seems to be the only ADHD dog in the class. Would be nice not to be the only owner getting nowhere fast!

Wellyboots6

Don't give up Elsien, it has only taken me 11 months to get this glimmer of hope!!!

LS only focuses on me when I Absolute Favourite Ball in my pocket, and even then I know he is only looking at me as a means to an end.

I am under no illusion that his good behaviour on Monday was anything to do with my training, it was because he had his own ideas!

Could you try just having the toy poking out of your pocket so he can see it, but not play with it until a good break in the class?

elsien

Playing with toys is meant to be part of the training - using rewards other than food to build up the reward repertoire. I suppose if I had all his teeth removed, so I could slide the toys out of the gums as required..........
I know I have to persevere and it will take time, and I'm quite happy to use any bribery going, I suppose it's more because I thought I was doing better than I actually am. Plus they don't want me to use the head collar in class. Which I completely understand the reasoning behind and am fine with. Only as I don't have a proper garden I have no idea where I can safely practice lead walking not using the head collar in between times. My sitting room's a bit small to be doing circuits of. So at the moment I'm feeling like I'm going to get further and further behind everyone else.