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  1. #11
    Real Retriever Beth C's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tanya View Post
    wow that was a TON to ask of a puppy. and OUTSIDE class in a park as a first round of classes? even adult dogs with a few classes under their belt will often struggle with that. And she hasn't really had any training in a new place? again that's a HUGE factor. and she probably isn't used to such long training sessions either?

    I second Julie's advice and would honestly look for indoor class options so at least you are not struggling with quite that level of distractions and start practicing your training outside the house/yard (starting in calmer settings).

    First class can often be a write off though, regardless.
    I was thinking the same thing - way too many distractions outside for a puppy new to training! Lido wasn't a barker during puppy classes, but he did whine when he had to attend too long - out of frustration, no doubt. Both of Lido's classes so far have been indoors with only 3-5 puppies in each class. The second class was with a different trainer (first trainer didn't offer Puppy 2 when I could take Lido), who was WAY too serious for puppy training, IMO. She would want us to repeat a skill too many times, and Lido got bored. As others have said, why repeat it when the puppy gets it right after 5-10 times? She also didn't give any breaks during an hour long class; she just went from one skill to the next, which made Lido crazy. I finally repeated targeted skills 5-10 times, depending on how well he responded, then I walked him around while the others were still working. I would then do another short set of practices. I told the trainer that he just couldn't focus that long, and I didn't want him to hate training. She wasn't too pleased, but my puppy, my decision. It worked much better, once I started doing this.
    Last edited by Beth C; 03-28-2019 at 04:59 PM.

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  3. #12
    Senior Dog
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    I'd say about 10 dogs total? Surprisingly, there are very few dog classes here, and only the chain stores' are inside. I really didn't like Petco's classes. We might try Petsmart in the future; people seem to like that trainer okay.

    Thank you for the advice, and for the commiseration. I'm sure I'm a bit frustrated inappropriately; she's still very young, and I need to *deliberately* remind myself that Kimber wasn't nearly this good at 6 months, and I certainly can't compare a 6 month old puppy with an adult dog. In many ways, Kimber prepared me very well for Stormy; labs share so many traits. Perhaps I'm surprised when challenges arise that I didn't have with Kimber.

    In the end, this might be an exercise more about mommy-and-Stormy time. How do I handle her in new situations, and how does she learn to pay attention to me? That's a more important goal than mastering the lessons.
    Stormageddon, Princess of Darkness, aka "Stormy"
    Birthday 9-13-18, Gotcha Day 11-11-18
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    Miss Kimber, CGC, 6/15/2005-1/27/2018 forever in our hearts



  4. #13
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kimbersmom View Post
    I'd say about 10 dogs total? Surprisingly, there are very few dog classes here, and only the chain stores' are inside. I really didn't like Petco's classes. We might try Petsmart in the future; people seem to like that trainer okay.

    Thank you for the advice, and for the commiseration. I'm sure I'm a bit frustrated inappropriately; she's still very young, and I need to *deliberately* remind myself that Kimber wasn't nearly this good at 6 months, and I certainly can't compare a 6 month old puppy with an adult dog. In many ways, Kimber prepared me very well for Stormy; labs share so many traits. Perhaps I'm surprised when challenges arise that I didn't have with Kimber.

    In the end, this might be an exercise more about mommy-and-Stormy time. How do I handle her in new situations, and how does she learn to pay attention to me? That's a more important goal than mastering the lessons.
    This is a great conclusion. Outside classes are HARD and 10 puppies? That's a LOT. An hour is hard, too.

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  6. #14
    Senior Dog bmathers's Avatar
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    Keeping her attention in class

    I’ve had a few local trainers say great things about Fenzi online courses. I am wrapping up a Beginner Attention class now and then am going to take a break from classroom classes for a few months due to travel, etc. Once things settle down, I’m seriously considering a couple of the online classes. Maybe there is one in here that would be good for Stormy? Like this one maybe?

    Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - FE105: Get Focused!

    Here is a link to the Fenzi home page:

    Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Home


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

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    kimbersmom (03-29-2019)

  8. #15
    Senior Dog Labradorks's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by bmathers View Post
    I’ve had a few local trainers say great things about Fenzi online courses. I am wrapping up a Beginner Attention class now and then am going to take a break from classroom classes for a few months due to travel, etc. Once things settle down, I’m seriously considering a couple of the online classes. Maybe there is one in here that would be good for Stormy? Like this one maybe?

    Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - FE105: Get Focused!

    Here is a link to the Fenzi home page:

    Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - Home


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
    I personally LOVE FDSA classes and have been taking them for about five years now!

  9. #16
    Senior Dog Tanya's Avatar
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    I love Fenzi as well. took me longer to finally sign up but i've taken 4 and signed up for more next semester.

 



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