getting started
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| I think you're right on track. Keep your spot in the beginner class, but if Bella is unfazed by the other dogs ad the classroom situation, you can move her up. Have you (as the human) ever done classes before? If not, you may want to stay in the beginner class anyway. Most beginner classes (around here anyway) cover more than just the commands, you get lots of practical foundation tips that may be assumed you know in the next classes. A good foundation and getting real solid at as many things as possible is NEVER wasted time or money.  Oops not logged in! Dawn (got sheep) |
| I have taken my other dogs to obedience classes before and also did it as a kid. With my other dogs I did do the off leash work, but never did the class where you acutally go and hide in a different room for the stay. I did the stay off leash but still in sight. This is how I have been working her. I go a 100 or so yards away wait and then call her to me or walk back to her. She will occasionally go from the sit to the down which is an issue but only comes up when I go really far from her. okay next question. My other classes we used a regular metal chock chain. I don't use that for Bella since it does not seem to slide easily. With my great dane I used the pinch collar which worked well. I have been using that for Bella only because it releases quickly it I have to correct her and it doesn't seem to destroy her coat like the sliding collar. What is everyone using??? Our fist class we are supposed to bring out stuff but not the dog. |
| Choke chains won't really work well if you have much coat on a dog - they will tighten, but not release. I don't usually recommend them for any of my students who have dogs with coat. I tend to not use more than martingale or buckle collars with my own dogs. I really work on relationships and teamwork, focus and attention. However, I'm not against them being used, if they are blowing you off. And then only as temporary, once you have the above attention and stuff worked out you can usually do well. If you need more attention getting help, my next choice is the pinch or prong. Once again - just as a tool, not forever use! If you can't wean from it, most likely it's because the human uses it as a crutch. In otherwords, using the collar as the only control, not using the commands you want and then the collar as the reminder. I see lots of dogs walking on a pinch with the humans giving no feedback any other way to their dog. So all the dog is learning is the collar makes me behave...not any actual learning. Hope that makes sense! Also - of all the pinch collars, I recommend a micro prong if you can find them. They are very small and lightweight, and makes the transition out of it sooooo much easier. They all need to be fitted correctly and instructed in their use (to use it properly - not like mentioned above). Any student in my class who uses the collar as control only and isn't actively engaging their dog with themselves gets yelled at! That isn't dog training.....that's just using a collar and getting no learning accomplished.... (OK, that's totally a pet peeve, if you can't tell!  )My goal always is to be a team, whether on lead or off, in the yard or at a therapy dog visit, doing off lead rally, obedience, agility, or out in front leading a team off sled dogs! A dog who works because they want to, are confident and happy and knows you are there for them is such a great feeling. |
| I guess that that is the question....I don't have an issue if they don't want me to use the prong collar, yes it is the one with the smallest size "prongs" but what to switch to that won't cause mats??? Bella has a harness that I use when we go cross country skiing. For that she has to be ahead of me so that I can move my arms to ski and ahead enough so that she doesn't get hit by the skiis. She has learned verbal cues "foward, wait, slow" and I use the heal command when walking in conjunction with the collar. I only hesitate using her harness in a class since it does have more risk of causing mats for her. She always gets brushed after we ski to fix her coat near her legs. |
| What do you use for a regular collar on her? And also, in a perfect world, what would you like to be using? For example, I use a martingale on Chewie. Not because it gives a mild correction, but because I like being able to just slip it on over his head. I have it adjusted so it fits like a buckle collar when a lead is attached. Because he never wears anything at all at home, using that is the simplest for me. I would use a buckle (or snaplock - same collar just different fastening), but I find it's more of a pain, as getting the hair out of the way or getting it tangled or pinched in when putting it on was an annoyance. So the martingale totally works for me. I would not use the harness for training, because it's a mat maker, and because it is one more big thing to wean out later. If you want to do any events like rally, herding, agility or such, running around in a harness isn't even allowed. So better just to keep it for the sports like bikejoring, skijoring, sledding, weight pulls, etc. Those sports are meant to use a harness...for obvious reasons.  If I was starting out with a new dog, I would try the regular collar that you want to use as an end product collar. If you are having a lot of pulling and inattention, then put on a prong. Work with that, get her attention back. Then use your regular preferred collar again. I have some who use the prong for a few weeks straight, then start switching back and forth as needed. Some may need to use the prong in exciting new situations for a bit longer, but otherwise are having longer periods with good luck in their preferred collar. It all depends on the individual team, and how they are progressing. |
sheepiegail wrote: I In the long run I was thinking of herd or agility and think I need this basic stuff for that. How far do I have to go in obedience before moving into the fun stuff.  Now, mind you, I LIVE for agility. And most OES live for herding. But if you're not having fun training obedience, you're not doing it right. Yes, basic obedience is a pre-req for other stuff. But it is a blast to train in and of itself. So....why not plan on titling in obedience and rally as you prepare for agility and herding and have a truly versatile dog? I use a buckle collar by the way. If I had a dog who pulled, a prong would be my next step. But like Dawn said, you have to plan to wean off of it. Off of any collar, in fact. In agility everything happens off lead, and, in some venues, collars are not permitted at all. In herding a collar is permitted, but try calling a keen dog off without a solid recall, and some times even when you think you have one I quote my Belle, whom I started in agility and obedience at the same time and added rally and herding later: Sheep - the ultimate distraction! Have a blast. Kristine |
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