[whitedc]

We just finished a training class. It was not that good. Mostly leash work and not a lot to do with normal daily things. I was wondering a couple of things. Who has done obedience training and what things did they cover? Also, how well did it work? How long did it take for the dog to get most of the commands? How old were the dogs? We are thinking about doing the training with someone else, but I want to have a better idea what to look for in the training. Thanks.

 

[theregalbeagle]

from the moment I brought our 10 week old pup home I began obedience training. Basics, like sit and lie down, leave it. At that age, 5 minutes is probably the max to spend!

We enrolled him in obedience at 6 months. It covered the basics like sit, down, short stays, recall and leash walking, then a few tricks for fun - paw, crawl, turns. He knew most of these before we even started the class! The 2nd round of classes was much more militant about healing. Also worked on longer stay's, leave it, run away recalls, etc.

I loved, ,loved loved our instructor and would take any class she teaches! Like anything it's important to connect with the people teach.


Questions to consdier - how old is your dog and what do YOU expect to get out of training?

 

[Brien]

We've done two classes with Bodie. The puppy class was focused on the basics, sit, down, off, stay, come, leave-it, drop-it, etc. The Intermediate class was more focused on the basics while being subjected to distractions. I feel Bodie did great during the first class. The second class he did not as good as we would of liked. But you have to remember, with Beagles a lot of it is instinctual and more difficult to correct that behavior. If anything, the classes get you working with your dog. Without classes it can be hard to keep training your dog without that guidance.

 

[whitedc]

He is 9 months old. He can do a few tricks and stuff if I have treats or food in my hand. The class we did they used pinch collars. When he has it on he walks great and sits and stays. When the pinch collar is off he pulls on the leash a lot. He sits really well any time. I have found a place that does training that is not based on treats or collars. It is all about praise and such. I want him to sit, stay, lay down, and come on command. Stop barking on command would be nice to.

 

[Murphys Dad]

We started Jersey in her obedience class when she was about 10/11 weeks old. We did the puppy classes and then the intermediate ones at PetSmart. The puppy classes were great. We learned all the basics (sit, stay, down, leave it, come, loose leash walking, etc.). We LOVED it. The intermediate class wasn't as great. The main focus was on heel and loose leash walking. Jersey never really mastered either of those. I've heard that the classes at PetSmart are different now than they were when we started, so I don't know if that is still the focus. Everything was positive training with only praise and treats. Our trainer did some clicker training with us just for fun too. I would have a meeting with the trainer before you sign up for a class. If you aren't comfortable with anything they want to do, keep looking. You're paying for the service, it needs to be something that you want to do with your dog.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

We took Murphy to both puppy and intermediate classes at Petsmart. Murphy started at about 4 months and we finished intermediate classes at just under 7 months old. He's now 8 months old and I've been very pleased with the results.

Much like Brien & Bodie we learned the basics in puppy class. There was a lot of leash training and I found it helpful. Since Murphy is a scent hound it helped to get a jump start on loose leash walking and keeping him focused on walking rather than sniffing.

The intermediate classes worked on a few advanced things like wait, and we also did a lot with distractions. A lot of it was working on keeping the dogs focused.

Keep in mind that beagles are very treat oriented. I'm sure it's possible to train without treats, but it might be a lot more difficult.

We recently had a chance to spend some free time in a park that has a 2 mile trail around a lake. We were walking along watching the other dogs pulling and tugging at their leashes when we passed 2 ladies strolling along. When we were about 10 yards ahead of the ladies I heard one say to the other Look how nicely that little beagle walks. Murphy had been loose leash walking right next to me nearly the entire way.

Yeah, I'm happy with the training.

 

[Smeagle]

Originally Posted By: Snoopy's DadI have found a place that does training that is not based on treats or collars. It is all about praise and such. I want him to sit, stay, lay down, and come on command. Stop barking on command would be nice to.

Personally I would stay away from any club, class or trainer that relies purely on praise.

A good trainer knows that what motivates a dog most will differ from dog to dog. Daisy would give me the doggy equivalent of the rude finger if I asked her to work purely for praise, I would be an idiot not to use food when training her as she is incredibly food driven.

Some dogs aren't interested in toys or food and love praise, and in those instances, by all means you should reward and motivate with praise. If a dog is food driven, use food. If the dog is prey driven use toys. You want to set your dog up to win, not to fail.

I would stay away from any trainer who restricts themselves to one method only, as no one method works for all dogs. You want to find a trainer who is qualified, reputable and experienced in using a variety of methods and is very balanced in their approach to training dogs.

The other thing to remember is that going to dog training classes should be more about training YOU than training the dog. In most instances, classes teach you how to handle your dog in basic obedience. They teach you how to teach your dog and you should implement what they teach you when you do training at home each day.

I actually use my obedience club as distraction training - I do training myself at home or one on one with my trainer and when my dog is ready for the level of distraction that training at obedience club presents, we go along to a class.

Classes aren't really for teaching you how to solve behaviourial problems - in your case I would invest in some one on one sessions with a reputable trainer/behaviourist before considering doing any more classes. Once your pup's behaviour has improved then you can put him back in a class situation.

Our club teaches the basics for trialling so we cover things like formal heelwork, sit/stays, down/stays, stand for examination, recall work, off leash work, as well as working under a fairly high level of distraction i.e. weaving inbetween other dogs whilst keeping your dog at heel, figures eights, group stays etc. I started class there with Daisy when she was about 5-6 months old although we have done training with her since we got her at eight weeks. How quickly she picks up on things depends on the complexity and difficulty of the command. Also, it depends on how much distraction work we've done - even a simple command could be difficult to proof under high levels of distraction.

How well training works depends of course on the quality of the trainer and how well they teach you how to handle your dog, but most of all it relies on the effort and work you put in outside of class.