Today's the day Sam & I have our first session with a trainer. I'm looking forward to it , but a bit nervous too . I have my list of things I'd like help with and I'm sure the trainer will soon have a list too Our appointment is a 10am ,just wondering should I give Sam his full breakfast now, or maybe half of it ... Should he be a little bit hungry ... Oooh decisions help
give 1/2 hungry is good and you won't upset his tum by giving too much food if you use treats at training.
I'd give a small breakfast so he is keen to work for treats . It's really good that you have a list prepared of what you want to work on. The trainer may make extra suggestions, but don't forget it's your dog and your decision. Look forward to hearing how the session went
He's just finished a small breakfast ( looking a bit insulted lol) . I'll let you know how it goes and of course it's chucking down rain and a bit of a gale blowing round the house , it's like we've woken up in November
All the fun of dog training Is the training indoors or out? Out is much more fun with natural distractions
Think a bit of both probably ,I'm happy to do what I'm told Trainer said session will last a few hours , so plenty of time to see where exactly we need extra work etc Edited to add paragraph
Good stuff, do you know if your trainer is a force-free (positive reinforcement) trainer? I don't want to worry you, but I would suggest that, until you get a good relationship of trust between you and the trainer, don't let him/her take Sam from you - the trainer's job is to teach you how to handle your dog, and this should be absolutely possible without them handling him themselves. Also, don't be afraid to say you're not comfortable with absolutely anything. Go in saying you'd like to train him without any aversives and, even if they're not a force free trainer they should be able to come up with solutions that you're comfortable with. Let us know how you get on
When I contacted him initially , he mentioned that he only uses positive force free methods , before I could even ask ! He seems to have very good reputation , and the lady who recommended him said he had worked miracles ( her words) with her dog . She had been on the verge of rehoming her dog prior to working with this guy xx
That's great news! I didn't want to worry you, but it's good to go in with a clear idea of what you will and will not find acceptable. Just because a trainer says to do something, Sammy is your dog, and if you don't want to do something with him, that's your prerogative
Ah....enjoy! I love working with good trainers, they have so much to offer. My problem is get nervous, and forget my left from my right and do things I never normally do.....Benson has the one eyebrow raised and sage expression to a tee now!
It's funny how nervous we get , I've no problem at all being in charge of a psych ward full of patients. ... But dog trainer ...yikes
Well one example of nerves was whilst training a stop whistle with SWMBO (very well known trainer...) I threw a treat, then used the clicker....the entire time Benson hadn't actually moved. I called myself stupid, and the trainers smile just said it all. Seriously though relax and enjoy. Ask lots of questions, kept to what you need in your relationship with your dog. Running a psych ward...now that's impressive!
Oh, yes the most important aspect is that you have fun with your dog, that you learn together and enjoy the whole experience. I have no problem with a trainer taking my dog to show me an exercise that I'm struggling with, how else do you some times learn. Then my dog can help me perfect the behaviour Have fun, and look forward to a full report later A pysch ward - that's impressive. Dog training should be a doddle
SWMBO has never once taken my dog from me, nor has needed to. That's gundoggy stuff, through, and so slightly different to other training applications. When I was on my agility holiday, Elaine took both W&S a couple of times to demonstrate the handling she was after (and to give the dogs a break from out pitiful attempts) and I was more than happy with that. My point was that you shouldn't give the dog to your trainer until you have absolute trust in how they are going to handle them. As I said: There are plenty of trainers who say they are force free, but will still use a lead jerk, physical intimidation or similar. After all, "it doesn't actually hurt the dog"....
Hi my trainer always tells me not to feed as they will work better for treats when hungry. Whilst on the subject of training i have been taking Milo for over a year one to one training . He is 2 now should i stop ?
Are you still learning? Are you enjoying it? Have you met all your goals? No-one can say when or if you should stop taking your dog to training classes. It's about what you want to achieve in your life with your dog. If you're happy to have a well-behaved pet and you have that already, then you can consider if you're getting value for money. However, there's always something else to learn if you're interested. I'd encourage anyone to do some sort of training with their dogs, as it's a great bonding activity and works their brains. So, maybe an activity would interest you; gun dog training, agility, flyball, heelwork to music etc etc etc?
