[Shenniff]

I'm trying to decide if I should invest in one for Miley. I'm having a really hard time with obedience training. /forums/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/thsmiley_fistshake.gif

I had a bullmastiff that I THOUGHT was stubborn - Miley could have taught her a thing or two.

I was thinking about going through Petsmart. Do these usually work? Are they too costly?

 

[Zookeeper]

We used Petsmart for Duke's puppy school. It was great fun and he loved it! The trainer really helped us with the right techniques for Duke. We still had to do a lot of working with him at home (still do, for that matter) and it never stopped his penchant for stealing our clothes, but it really helped him master the basics. We want to take him back for intermediate soon.

 

[Murphys Dad]

YES, YES, and another YES! It was the best thing we did with Jersey. Of course, she was only a few months old when we started so she hadn't developed any really bad habits yet. I liked having a trainer to give me advice on specific things we needed help with. I also needed the motivation of going to class every week. I never would have done the work with Jersey on my own, but I was totally motivated to show off what we had learned. Plus, it helped establish us as the alpha's in the pack. Jersey learned quickly that if she did what we wanted she got a yummy treat in return. We did the first two sets of classes at PetSmart. They were around $100 each but it was money well spent. We actually never finished the second class, as the focus was totally on heel and that is still a concept which eludes Jersey. Overall though, it was time and money well spent. I say do it!

 

[DaisysMom]

I'd say go for it. Daisy graduated the puppy class and is in the intermediate class now. She's still a stubborn girl but it has helped a huge deal with the basics

 

[Diesel]

what is the best age to start?

 

[Pack Leader]

Diesel,
I had a lot of previous obedience training with my other dogs and was able to train my adopted beagle mix, Henry, at approx 1 year of age. Thankfully whatever he's mixed with distilled the beagle stubborness a bit, but I don't think it's ever too late to start. I really probably should have named Henry Shadow instead, because he's stuck to me like glue since I adopted him! The specific commands were a bit more challenging, but he picked them up quickly enough.

 

[Diesel]

wow, stubborn is the name of the game with Linus. lol, especially when out on the leash.

 

[jassy]

Maggie and I did beginning, intermediate and advanced obedience at Petsmart. The trainer is a friend of mine. She raises guide dogs and is very good. The classes were $99 each for either 8 or 9 sessions. When you have passed the advanced level, you can retake the class at no cost. My whole advanced class picked a time and took the class together again. It was fun for the people and the dogs.I made each member of my family go to at least one or two classes with us every session. Definitely take the classes if you can.

 

[Java]

I definitely agree with obedience training. For Java, not only did he get a billion treats for the exercises, but he had an opportunity to hang out and socialize with other dogs.