Obedience class help

[Bellamum]

Hi guys, we have just taken our 12 week old pup to obedience classes and I just wanted to canvas some opinion as it made me feel a little uncomfortable at times. I'm perfectly willing to accept that that might be me in Mummy mode rather than trainer mode but I've read many books and looked at training which says it should be very rewarded based and fun. The trainer is very good at her job ( Very experience in handling and training large professional dogs) however with all the dogs in the group she was encouraging what seemed to my naive eye quite a brutal yanking on the lead to correct a dog e.g when walking to heel. This is just lead to almost an hour of constant neck yanking with our tiny one who looked far from having fun. I know you need to learn to control a dog properly and I'm willing to put in the time and effort in whatever way is appropriate but I have no experience in dog training I wanted to check whether this was pretty much the norm or weather I would find it different somewhere else. This is not meant as a slight on the trainer at all I'm sure she's very good and as I said we are newbies just need advice and listening to my instincts.

Thanks

[dawn]

If it feels wrong for you it probably is. Your pup will not know why you are yanking at the lead, and it may cause further problems down the line, e.g neck problems, fear of the lead.

Can you research other classes and try them out, find a more reward based one? Cocker spaniels are notoriously difficult to train to heel.  it takes time and lots of patience.....if you search in this section there are some good threads with advice. Good Luck......

[Markr64]

Our initial training was just reward based and no yanking of the lead. If you are not happy and your puppy is not happy then it is a no brainer. Find another trainer which you are both happy with. To much damage can be done by not having the correct training.

[elaine.e]

If I was you I'd be finding another trainer who uses kinder methods . Yanking on the lead is uncomfortable, often painful, for dogs and can cause permanent damage to their throats. Also, it doesn't work.

If you say what area you live in there may be somebody on here who can recommend a class. You could also look on the website of the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) where you'll find a link to look up APDT trainers in your area.

http://www.apdt.co.uk/

[bizzylizzy]

Absolutely agree! Our trainer uses titbits to encourage them to follow the hand just to get them used to the lead initially. I have seen older dogs pulled back in this way, - it seems to have always been the age old way but it can't be good for a young puppy whose bones are still relatively soft and forming, - not only does it put strain on the throat but I've read that it can cause serious damage to the neck and spine in the long term.  If you're otherwise happy with the trainer, I'd perhaps just mention that you're not happy with it and see how she reacts. Humphrey, 7 months, still pulls quite a lot which is apparently pretty normal with spaniels so I've just ordered a harness which I'm hoping might help but I certainly won't be pulling at him. (Someone even told me the other day the only way I'd ever cure him was to use a barbed coller!! - unbelievable!!!) Spaniels are gentle little souls and I think they respond much better to gentle treatment than heavy handidness.

[Finvarra]

My Dylan is nearly six months old now, and the first class I went to we didn,t like what we saw, he had been frightened by being jumped on by a jack Russell the first time he went out, and the trainer wanted me to let him off the,lead to run around with loose puppies which included a boisterous springer, Weimaraner and husky as well as a happy terrier. It would have freaked him out completely. The trainer was doing the Kennel club course so she was n't a flyby night. Anyway we didn,t go ask and found a trainer via apdt website, and she is much better. Although I don,t agree with every single thing she says, everything is done with kindness and with the welfare of the dog in mind. Treats are used extensively. There is certainly no yanking on the lead, that could injure your dog's neck and spine.

If you're not happy with the trainer, either speak to her about it, or carry on and use kinder methods and ignore that part of the training, or look for someone else. I think you have to be happy about your trainer,s methods and have confidence.

Dylan will happily walk to heel at home and in the class with a treat, but in street he,s a puller, because we live in the sticks we don,t often walk in streets. I have just acquired a Walk your dog with Love harness, and will write a post on how it goes over the next few days, so watch this space! Spaniels respond better to gentleness than force. Don't be afraid to look around.

Best of,luck
Lesley and Dylan

[its.sme]

Hi Bellamum,

Bea is my first Cocker and like you i read many books on training etc, I was still left feeling that I needed training and so I doubted my ability to train her.

The real turn around for me was when around 5 children run up to her and started "fussing her", no one asked and I could see she was uncomfortable with it, I then realised that I was responsible for her and the situation I had put her in, so ended it.

I guess the short of it is, trust your instinct, this trainer might have a good reputation with profesional dogs, but what about your dog ?

I hope you find the right Trainer for you both soon.

Sharon.

[Pearly]

Large dogs take very different types to train them than smaller more sensitive dogs such as cocker spaniels.  A professional trainer told me a couple of years ago that gundogs (in particular) are now being bred to be more intelligent and sensitive - the last thing you need to do is yank your pups neck for all the reasons others have already said.

Training to heel takes a very long time.  If you consider that your dog will not be properly mature or have good impulse control until around 3 years old, it's worth the investing the time and consistency now to establish "rules" and boundaries that you are happy with.  If you don't want to wait or happy that your pup doesn't have to walk to heel then a harness is a gentler and quicker way of training - I'm told the walkeeze is very good although I don't use one on either of mine.

The best advice I've had to stop the pulling is to only walk when the lead is slack - you don't get very far very quickly for quite a while but the penny does drop and you will have a dog that understands that unless the lead is loose you don't walk!

[Des]

Walking to heel is very hard with a Wcs, if im street walking I always use a Halti, its the only thing I found that worked with all my last 3 dogs.Harness s only stop the dog chocking but the halti stop them pulling.

[EmmaRose]

If you are feeling uncomfortable then definitely find another class.  I agree with what the others have said and lead yanking is not the way to teach a puppy to heel.  I took Rory to a puppy class part of the "puppy school" group - www.puppyschool.co.uk and it was brilliant! Lots of advice, techniques and opportunities to socialise with people and other dogs and they only use kind, reward based training. They have a nationwide network of trainers so there might be a class near you? Also if you have time you can always ask to go and watch a prospective class without your puppy to see what you think. 

[ElvieMogs]

We went to a Puupy School class which was great. We have also been to class run by an APDT trainer which was similar. ( http://www.apdt.co.uk )   Both only use kind positive methods and are available around the country. Checkout the websites. . We also had the misfortune to attend a long established trainer who claimed to use only positive methods but was into leash jerking and letting the puppies run around freely despite some being nervous while others were way too boisterous. We left that one before completion needless to say. Leash jerking is unnecessary and cruel. Look elsewhere.

[bizzylizzy]

Bought a Halti Harness yesterday, have just tried it out and am very impressed so far - Humphrey's extremely comfortable with it, didn't put up any resistance at all and he's just trotted nicely at my side along the main road, which is the final and worst bit of our daily walk. I shall still persist with getting him to walk to heel with just a lead but for the time being, I think this is going to make life a bit easier for both if us.
P.s. I'm referring to the breast harness, not the head harness.