What do you do at your training classes

Hi Shona

I attend herding classes. The class is mixed ability and the numbers of attendees varies from week to week.

Personally, I think the class would benefit from being split into beginning/intermediate/advanced level and restricting numbers attending.

I love the training class. I used to attend obedience and also agility, which I enjoyed, but have found herding to be more natural than those other disciplines and less repetitive which, I found, became rather stale and dull for handler and dog. It is more about directing the instincts already inherent in the dog, than actually "teaching" him anything new.

We are still at the beginners stage though, and think that the actual training stage is yet to come I can't wait!

I attend general training classes and ringcraft. General classes cover all basic training, sit, down, stay, recall, retrieve, leave, watch and so on. Ringcraft is just learning to stand and move plus getting used to being gone over by different people.
Becky

To obedience club that we attend has slip levels. The first hour is for puppies and beginners (never went to it so cant comment).
The 2nd hour is for basic and advanced obedience. There are 4 groups.
Basic group covers sits, recall and beginnings of heelwork - all onlead
Group 1 covers sits, alpha recall, heelwork, retrieves - mainly offlead
Group 2 covers the above + A recall, positions on move, distance control
Group 3 covers all of above + sendaways, scent discrimination

Not sure on the numbers for the puppy class/beginners as never did it at this club. A people do the basic group in the second hour, but tend to give up. Currently there are only about 6 people/dogs in each 1,2,3 groups. The club also rotates trainers every few weeks, so we get to experience a variety of training methods.

We have an 8 week "basic" class - maybe pups from 16 weeks of age to older dogs who have never learnt obedience.

Usually from about 10 - 12 dogs each class.

They are taught heel, sit, drop, recall, and there is usually a tunnel or a "walk over" (ie low slung bridge") at the end of class.

After that we go to the next step - just refining the basics, but also introducing the wait and stay.

The classes are usually about one hour, once per week, and you are expected to continue the training at home, and on each walk.

You do need to give your dog "free" time - just to sniff and generally just be a dog.

But when you say "working", your dog has to be prepared to do all the things that you expect.

I found that several, five minute training sessions, each day works well.

Hiya shona ,our classes cover the K9 good citizen schemes with all trainers branching into different areas of expertise , wether ring craft , agility , obedience , i would like to see a trainer who was knowledgable and experinced in the training requirements of mals & sibes , our average class is limited to a dozen each group with personal one to one help available every week by several on hand trainers for those who have problem dogs or problems they need extra help with particular naughty dogs or dogs with nervous behaviour will sometimes be handled by one of these trainers during the class to help bring the dog on , classes may be slightly larger in the summer and they have club shows where you can practice your newly learnt skills , lol and compete against each other for fun, all our trainers are heavily into competive obiedience and agility dont think any off them are into showing .
sharr

You get herding classes, I never new that, where are they held and what is covered,???? you will wish you never told me as so many questions now,,,

Hi Becky, when at ringcraft do they move the dogs in a group?
I have found most do not, but if you look at dogs in the ring compeating, well in the working breeds anyway most of the dogs play up when moving as a group. Some hate going first and so on some paranoid about the dog behind them, when I do a bit of ringcraft training I always try to move dogs as a group to work through the problems,

Hi thanks for all the posts so far, Just wondered. Do your dog trainers handle your dogs at training? if so how do you feel about it?

Hi Shona

We go to general training classes once a week (we've now managed to move up to the next stage as Louie passed his accred 2nd out of 8th :smt041)

We do heel work, sits, down, stays, retreives and recalls some on, some off lead.
Most things are going well although my boy is so pleased to be there that he wants to kiss everybody and say hello when doing his retreive

He's great at it once he's gotten over the inital excitement of being there - which can take anything upto 1/2 and hour of the 45 minute class