Max has got this Obedience Class down pat- So Proud - Page 1

Big smiles.   Max is doing great in the obedience class.  He out did all 30 dogs in the the long down stay and took home a prize for his mom and sister (they are currently arguing over it now).  The trainers tried all sorts of distractions to get him to break, squeaky toys, other dogs, clapping their hands, tossing toys for fetch.  Max just looked at them and said "no thank you; Fawnda said to stay."

We are not going to be able to attend the last 2 classes before the CGC test, so I talked to the director.  We spent a few minutes going over all the points and Max did very well, so I think we are good.

I so wish I had a tag along to get pictures.

Cirberus is next up for her CGC.  We will do that in a few months.  I will probably sign her up for the class too; more for the distraction work than the actual lessons.  Well worth the $100 and 150 miles round trip each week.
 

I am so jealous. Maya's down stay is good until a leaf blows or a cricket chirps. Let's just say she is a work in progress.  I am so proud of Max!!! 

Yeah, Cirberus is going to be a bit more of a challenge on a down stay.  She is like your Maya; the slightest movement and off she goes.

But hey, I can't get too mad at Maya.  We have a tree farm and the deer this year have been horrendous at eating the tips off the fir trees.  Since we are not hunters, we were at our wits end in trying to figure out how to scare the deer off the property. Well, enter Maya, She has found herself a job that she finally excels at . It is like she was born to chase deer. She actually herds them into a bunch then chases the bunch of them off into the forest. As soon as she hits the property line she turns around and comes running back to hear us lavish praise on her. I have never had a dog that has earned their keep, until Maya.  My husband is just thrilled. Maya 1......deer 0.

Hip Hip Hurray for Maya.  I would love to see a picture or two of her "at work."

Great to hear of Max's achievements (and turnaround from the first class.  :p)
So good, too, to hear of a training class someone feels is worth the effort and
expense;  I hear too many moans of the opposite !

It all depends on what someone goes to the class for.  Most puppy classes are really to teach the owner how to train the puppy themselves; beyond that, the only benefit is to train for distractions. 

I have found that too many times the owner expects the class to be the end all for training with no effort themselves outside of class.  If that is what someone goes into the class for, it is quite useless.  For those people, they are better off to send the puppy for formal training.  In Dallas, that is about $650 and I charge $250 - 350, depending on the individual dog and how many bad habits I have to undo before I can train the basics.  The money goes more for the housing and care for the 2 weeks they live with me.   The puppy classes are cheaper and there is a reason for that.

Honestly, I pay very little attention to the instructions themselves.  I did it for the distractions and the polishing to cover anything I might have missed before the CGC.

Oh yeah, I realise classes are more about training people
than training their dogs;  and that, ppl being ppl,  there
will always be the sort of expectations & complaints you
mention.  However, over & above that, I do all too often
hear complaints from 'doggy' ppl rather than 'pet' ppl  -
in fact have had cause to complain myself - about some
clubs / trainers, who persist in using outdated methods,
don't have adequate space & facilities, etc.  Remembering
too, that this is in England, where everyone expects good
clubs 'on their doorstep', partly because in this little gridlocked
country many of us really don't enjoy driving long distances;  
and although there is some 'formal' / 'send away' training, it
doesn't play a big role.
 

I will bring my camera with me tomorrow morning. Hopefully, there are some deer close she can chase. it is so funny to see her running behind a bunch of bopping up and down white tails.  I will try for some pictures.
I want you to bring your camera with Max to class and snap some of your boy being so good these days.

I will show them to Maya and explain to her why we were not asked back to obedience classes because she wasn't good like Max.

I'm amazed at how popular it is in the USA to send dogs away to be trained. It seems to be the usual, rather than the exception.. This site is a bit of an eye opener.
Classes are good for distractions for the dogs. Not so good for the distractions for the owners. They do tend to get a bit side tracked, and end up chatting, and dogs end up playing. As long as they are structured enough to be a safe environment as well. So well done to Max, and onwards and upwards.