You take your dog to obedience class thinking the time invested in training
will give you a dog the neighbors will envy… but instead your pup ends
up at the bottom of the class.
Question: What do you do?
Answer: Not give up!
Pups who don’t naturally do well in class are the ones who need
obedience class the most! It’s probably not your fault. You’re
likely working with a active, strong willed dog and if you earn the respect
of that dog and preserve through training, the rewards of handling such a dog
will be much greater than a push-button puppy.
But what can you do to help ease stress and embarrassment in obedience class
for now?
2. A tired dog is a good dog. If your dog is doing poorly
in obedience class because of too much energy maybe he just needs a long walk
or run before class. Is your dog crated all-day and then taken to obedience
class? Maybe a romp in the dog park will provide enough stimulation to help
him calm down for class.
1. Don’t expect 100% all the time. No dog can pay attention and participate
willingly for a full hour. Take a toy with you to class and play with your dog
while waiting for your turn at an exercise or while the instructor is speaking.
(and you should tell your instructor why you are playing with your dog instead
of paying attention!) If your dog is tugging or pulling on a toy he can’t
be barking or nipping.
3. Talk to your instructor about your place
in class. Are private lessons or a more basic class appropriate? Sometimes disobedience
in a class can be attributed to moving too fast too soon, or being in a class
with too much wait time and not enough time in activities. For example, I once
knew an Airedale who lost interest and acted up in his intermediate Agility
class, but when the owner moved the dog back down to beginner agility the dog
started to advance and improve his time again. The difference was that in the
beginner class the dog could spend more time running the exercises in short
sequences and less time waiting his turn.
