Am I reading this right, that at your agility classes you seem to be having a free for all, with all the dogs in the same place then???

When I did my very first class yesterday, we have a specific time (the lesson lasts from 30 to 45 mins depending). She rents a big field, in which is a completely fenced off area with all the equipment in, and it's gated. YOu all sit around in the big field until your time has arrived. You go into the fenced off area all on your OWN, no other dogs in there, and thereby you have the full attention with YOUR dog for your time!

I cannot believe that from reading this thread, your agility class is like a training class, whereby all the dogs are stuck in there together thereby allowing them to lunge and bark at other dogs??? How much are you paying for this then???

If I were you, I'd shop around and find a good agility trainer who does it properly on a one to one imo! It's bladdy dangerous imo too, to actually TEACH agility like that

The class is 6 dogs in the barn
Al dogs are onlead until it is their time to have a go and the other owners and dogs wait around the side of the barn
Mia has been training there for 18 months and when it was just the dogs she knew in the class it wasnt a problem, the rest of the dogs are barking and things but not AT her just in excitment, but the 2 new dogs are reacting to her
although they are undercontrol offlead - and Mia isnt

In general that is fine with 'normal' dogs and as shows have LOTS of dogs around it isnt unreasonable

Most other classes in the area will be like that or have even more dogs in an outside environment

Why so many waiting though, even if they are all onlead? Surely they can arrange it that you all have a specific time for your own one to one course IN that barn? Especially lungeing, barking dogs, they should be brought there just before THEIR turn surely?

Yes I know at shows there are lots of dogs about, I've been to a few, even went in a class last year, BUT, that's different then when you're being TAUGHT something, when you want the full attention of the trainer and the full attention of your dog, it's only fair that you get that when you're paying isn't it! I'm sure if you searched around, you'd find a much better set up than the one you've been going to for 18 months and have this trauma going on! I wouldn't be going back there, it sounds more like a training class to me, and I've done that bit with all those lungeing, barking loonatics and trainers that don't know what they're doing half the time!

If these other people ONLead are outside the Barn then, how come your dog can run over to them or get distracted by them? This shouldn't happen imo, it's not fair, you're paying, you want to be relaxed about it all and get the results you want, not have to be bladdy told what to do about your dog when it's the other barking dogs that are setting her off! Sorry, I'm going off on one now, coz I would have told them where to go!!!

I can see what you are saying, but it is a class with 6 dogs in
We are all inside the barn, the trainer sets up an exercise and we each do it one at a time with the trainer helping us, then we move on to a new exercise
It used to be great because we all knew each other and had been their from the start so everyone was really supportive cheering when we got a tricky bit right
We all learnt lots watching other people too and the gaps give the dog a chance to rest and learn

The structure DID work really well but at the mo it is just not right for Mia - and at the mo the class is too easy for Ben so it means was are waiting for ages as people are trying to do get their bit right - and then we are only getting one or two shots at something that is not at all challanging for him

I will have a look to see if there is a more secure type class for Mia, but I cant afford all that much - we were paying £8/ hour for the class and that was more than I can really afford

Ah, I see now, just like a normal dog training class then, where you have to wait around, to watch everybody else, but like you say, that in itself is a learning curve isn't it. That's another reason I didn't like my dog training classes, soooooo much waiting around, waiting for 6 other people to do each command, and by the time the trainer came round to me, my dog was bored senseless with doing the same old thing for the past 10 mins!

£8 is good, very good, but I still say they could maybe organise it a bit better, by say, get 3 people to come for the first half hour, then another 3 for the 2nd hour hour in that one hour maybe? I really hope you find something else, at the same price or cheaper, or maybe go further afield with a friend who has a car or something perhaps? Good luck, such a shame those new people arrived really wasn't it