# Feeling Discouraged at Obedience Class



## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Unless Begley is disruptive in class, I'd talk to the instructor again. But, as you have realised, one hour of training a week is not going to counter balance 167 hours of non-training (let alone accidentally reinforcing contradictory behaviours!). It could be that she genuinely thinks Begley might do better when he is a little more mature, or that you are finding the classes and homework difficult to keep up with. I would take her words as a challenge, and set out to show her just how much you can both improve over the next three weeks!


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I don't blame you for feeling discouraged. What your instructor says does not make sense to me. How could repeating the class till you achieve mastery be a bad thing? If she feels more practice is needed not attending class is surely a step in the wrong direction. This is a level one class after all. Lets face it most of us could do more training. Can you tell us what skills you need to master? is your dog distracting other dogs in class? Perhaps we can brainstorm ideas to help you finish up those last sessions and impress her with how far you have come. Training sessions should not take a lot of time short happy sessions work best. 

P


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## Rhett'smom (Sep 23, 2012)

We all could use more time training.. Brainstorming is on going to figure out how to impress the teacher.. Do not let this get you down. Rhett's teacher is so not impressed with him.. Family dog 1 is not giving him or me a chance to shine. But we are still having fun. 


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

Nickel has always been a star student so I was a little shocked (not hurt but surprised) when my well-respected instructor told me the similar thing. She took her time to explain to me and I have talked to a few other trainers about this after that and found out that most of them gave the similar advice. 

Here's their reasoning: It's a very good idea to repeat one of the older puppy classes (Level 1 or Level 2) but owners of smart dogs or smart dog breeds can wait until their dogs are in their rebellious adolescence months while socialization AND home practice should be continued or they can start their dogs with some fun classes like tricks or introduction to agility. 

They think that repeating one of the obedience classes is a good tool to refresh the memory of the young dogs. However, if you repeat the class (Level 1) now and take a brand-new class later, that means you will be taking a new class while your dog is an adolescent. That will require a lot of work and your dog and you might get frustrated and maybe even disappointed. Scenario 2 would be: You repeat Level 1 now and then again when he's an adolescent. Your smart dog will get very very bored and the owner/handler too. It's very difficult to keep a bored dog focus, let alone a smart adolescent. 

Our instructor said that's a good time to take a break and have the dog neutered (mine is a mini so he's neutered probably earlier than a spoo) so that he could recover without missing any class. I took her advice - we took a break after finishing 101 (he's about 6.5 mths old), neutered Nickel, did some home training and continued to practice what we have learned in 101 and took a short Tricks 101 workshop. Then we repeated the 101 when he turned 8 months old, the crazy you-call-my-name-I-go-opposite-direction phase. It worked out for us. He got distracted easily in class but since we were "learning" things that he already knew, he could still perform and I was able to give him praises and rewards and made it a positive experience.


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

Can you arrange play dates with other dogs? Maybe he will not be so riled up when he sees other dogs if it becomes a normal thing for him to have a scheduled play time with other canines.

We had a pup from the Betty/Jenny litters who had a definite personality clash with the woman who ran her obedience classes, who told her Mom she was a dominant dog who was basically beyond hope. Well, her family found another class with a different instructor and the pup has exceled in every endeavour that has been offered to her.

I think some of these instructors need better people skills and need to leave their personality clashes out of things!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Rusty, Begley is just ready to hit adolescence. This is a challenging time. I would take the instructor's comments as a challenge for you to step up on the training. Don't let them make you feel inadequate. You are paying them to help you, not to turn you off.

Things you can do to improve concentration during training would be to have a run or ball play session with him before you work on "boring" stuff like sit, down and stay. Scrubbing a bit of the older puppy type energy and distractions off Begley should improve focus during a session. Keep the training sessions short. Poodles are easily bored by being drilled and the really smart ones will decide they are doing something wrong if you ask for the same thing over and over. Play a bit, train a bit, play a bit, train a bit....keep it fun and light. Do this in the next few weeks and I am sure you will see improvement. Finish the class, you paid for it.

If you feel turned off by this trainer consider finding another one. As I said above you are paying them to help you teach your dog how to be a good dog. They should be helping you find solutions, not telling you to go away. Please keep updating and I am sure that you will get ongoing support and help here. If you want to PM me to get some concrete ideas, please do so.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

*Feeling a bit better*

Thanks for your comments so far; I do feel better talking it out with a more objective audience, and hearing about all of your experiences.

To respond to some of the good questions and ideas you presented, I don't think Begley is disruptive in class, but we're definitely not the star students. Some of the specific things we're working on in class are sequences of sit-down-stand, doing a good heel while walking at varied paces, sitting when stopping, stay, and come. 

A basic thing we need to master is having Begley sitting in front of us for more extended periods of time (such as when the instructor is explaining something or when other dogs are taking their turn practicing a skill individually). Begley will initially sit with us, but then want to get up and wander around to visit with the other dogs. The dogs are all on leash, so he can't go anywhere, but even standing and looking at the neighbouring dogs can be a distraction for them, I know, and I'd like to have him stay sitting with us in these circumstances instead of trying to wander off. 

Really, the biggest thing is maintaining Begley's focus and attention with the other dogs. Lots of the things above he's really good at when we're in our kitchen, but not so good at when there's more interesting things going on. And you know that the other dogs must be *really* interesting when not even cooked chicken breast can persuade him to return his attention to us!  

As for the play dates (a good point), I think that part of our problem may be that Begley's going to a half-day of doggy day care every week at the same facility we use for training. It's been great for his socialisation with other dogs and it's so much fun to see him learning to play really well, especially as we only know a few other dogs for play dates, and they're mostly fairly senior dogs. So half the time when we go to this place, Begley gets lots of playing with other dogs and isn't expected to "work." The other half of the time is when we're there for class, and we expect him to mostly ignore the other dogs. I can see where he could be confused by the difference, but I also don't want to use this as an excuse for not achieving something that we should be able to.

I don't know if it's a personality clash with our trainer yet or not. It could be a possibility, but I hope it doesn't go in that direction because I generally like her approach and have enjoyed her classes so far. This is the first time I've left class feeling discouraged, and I know I shouldn't be over-sensitive to comments that may have been well-intentioned in the manner that schnauzerpoodle mentioned. 

I guess for the last few classes we'll step up our homework training efforts and see how things go. I'll work at not being discouraged and taking this as a challenge to up our game, instead. Thanks for the comments and ideas, and for any suggestions you have for improving our obedience training.


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

Don't feel discouraged. Your dog is young. Honestly, taking time off for the dog to mature isn't a bad thing. I took my dog to Intro Obedience we passed well. We jumped into Advanced and he passed. Barely. He was no star. He was 14 months old and he was all over the place. The instructor told me that it's the friendly dogs that have the most difficult time with obedience and that was my poodle. I decided we'll hold off for about a year and it's been about 4 months and I can see a difference in his focus. I am doing all the things we learn in the class out in our backyard or the park. There is lots of time and keep up the home training.


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## hunny518 (Jun 5, 2012)

Aria is 10 months old and just finished her 2nd level of obedience last week. She did puppy kindergarten and level 1 obedience back in oct-December and then due to a family tragedy we didnt start level 2 until march. When I walked into level 2 I couldn't believe how insane Aria was, she hasn't had classes in months and because of the high emotions and crap we were dealing with after the tragedy I didn't really even bother with working with her at home. The first 2 classes I managed to fight back tears as Aria made me look like an idiot while the other dogs in her class appeared to be progressing. My trainer kept encouraging me, and kept telling me not to worry, she is a poodle and will pick up fast( she was aware of our tragedy and knew what I had been going through, she also owns a standard poodle) 

My the last class she put us each through individual tests to see our progress. It was all done off leash. Everyone struggled through it, but Aria did all of it perfectly. Everyone was so impressed on how she aced the test and I couldn't believe it either. Half way through the 6 week course it was as if a light switch flipped on and she made a complete turn around. It literally was a night and day turnaround between 2 classes. 

My whole point is, just keep applying what your learning at class. Spend 5-15 minutes a day practicing. My instructor keeps telling me that I need to keep it really fun and constantly changing it up so Aria doesn't get bored. Your dog will most likely get it suddenly too. I was discouraged too and ready to give up. I was becoming convinced that my poodle was skipped in the poodle factory when they were getting their brains put in.. Lol


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## ArreauStandardPoodle (Sep 1, 2009)

I agree with everyone. He is like a 12 year old with a major brain fart happening. And he likely is confused when 1/2 of the time at that facility it is all fun and games, and the other half of the time he enters and it supposed to behave like an adult. Hang in there. The attention span improves with time and consistency.


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## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

Just a suggestion... any other class you could join? A trick class or puppy agility? Or perhaps try a different facility with a new instructor with a method that you feel comfortable? 

It's tough but please try not to be discouraged. Every dog is different and learns at different levels. The wildest puppy may just turn out to be the most awesome dog!


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Since you have now given a little more information about what you see as the problems in class time I can offer a couple of other ideas. Try during your wait time while other dogs are working to make yourself more fun and interesting than the other dogs. Try teaching your pup some tricks to do to pass the time (or pass the time teaching the tricks). Make them little simple quiet tricks like give paw, play dead. Keep him occupied. He is young and distractible because of his age. You should make an opportunity out of his distractedness to proof against it. Try teaching watch me for longer and longer periods. Reward with praise and a trick as he extends his attention span. It may only be a second or so at first, but then it will be a few seconds, a minute, minutes....


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

lily cd re said:


> Since you have now given a little more information about what you see as the problems in class time I can offer a couple of other ideas. Try during your wait time while other dogs are working to make yourself more fun and interesting than the other dogs. Try teaching your pup some tricks to do to pass the time (or pass the time teaching the tricks). Make them little simple quiet tricks like give paw, play dead. Keep him occupied. He is young and distractible because of his age. You should make an opportunity out of his distractedness to proof against it. Try teaching watch me for longer and longer periods. Reward with praise and a trick as he extends his attention span. It may only be a second or so at first, but then it will be a few seconds, a minute, minutes....


This is what my instructor tells us to do. I actually find this a more challenging part of class because it calls for a lot of my focus. It is natural to relax and watch the other dogs work but then your dog's attention will wander too. This is a great time for mini training sessions. Also don't forget to pay well for a nice wait - as that is hard especially for teenagers.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I used to have a bag of snakes on the end of my leash at agility class. Lily was such a writhing, over excited, barking mess watching other dogs run that I used to put her in a crate. After doing this for a few weeks I decided that the crating wasn't really going to help her to learn how to relax while watching other dogs run (as has to happen at trials when you are on deck). I left the crate in the car and spent the time between our runs working on holding Lily's attention while sitting quietly. Then I moved up to working on training other things when I could keep her static attention. We do utility signals, mini directed retrieves and little sessions with articles at class time. Last week when I was waiting for her runs to come up at our Saturday agility trial I laid a short track and used the article at the end to work on teaching her a down for article indication. Now when she gets on deck she is attentive to the other dogs, but not crazy. Clearly she understands that seeing other dogs take their runs means that her turn is coming soon.

rusty I think you said at the start of this thread that eventually you would like to do agility. Working on keeping Begley centered and up for the work but not over the top will be important in helping you get there. I also recall that you were thinking you might try rally as a stepping stone. I have used rally to great advantage for supporting obedience and agility as well as a fun and rewarding activity unto itself.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

It's great to hear not only some general support, but some good ideas and strategies for us to work on! I think it's a good point that a few people brought up that it's just as easy for me to get distracted by the other dogs while waiting for our "turn" as it is for Begley. At our next class I'll work harder at making sure both Begley and I pay attention to our patient sitting/watching during those times.

Hubby and I have also been more intentional for the last few days about doing more practice, and I think that's making a difference, too. We're getting a great "stay" in our house and even our back yard, and that's encouraging.

Thanks all for your suggestions and encouragement. I've decided that we will at least finish the last few sessions of this class, work hard, and be proud of however much progress we make. I'll update after our next class on Tuesday!

I think I'm also going to look around to see if there's a puppy agility or trick class offered in our area over the summer. Those aren't things that our current facility does, but there's one or two other places in our area that do dog classes, so I'll ask around.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

Now move your stay to your front lawn!


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## schnauzerpoodle (Apr 21, 2010)

Rusty said:


> I think I'm also going to look around to see if there's a puppy agility or trick class offered in our area over the summer. Those aren't things that our current facility does, but there's one or two other places in our area that do dog classes, so I'll ask around.


If you can't find any classes/workshops near you, you can start clicker train your pup to do some tricks. It's really really fun. 

Oh, nose work and freestyle are fun too.


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

schnauzerpoodle said:


> If you can't find any classes/workshops near you, you can start clicker train your pup to do some tricks. It's really really fun.


Totally agree on the pet tricks..I've taught my dog how to 'say his prayers' (hilarious) and we're working on crawling (which is hard for him).


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## katbrat (May 8, 2011)

I did an obedience class with Lexi when she was about nine months old. It was the most exhausting hour of my entire life!  When we were working on something, she was right on it, but the minute it was time to watch or listen, all she wanted to do was to visit with the other dogs next to us. My hand would be tired from the death grip I would have on her leash. If I was a human Pez dispenser with the training treats, all was good or if I could keep quietly talking to her it was ok, stop and be quiet she wanted no part of. The instructor told me she was a super smart dog that just needed some time and it would click. We worked on things at home and I had dh and ds on board to use the same commands so we were all on the same page. Our last class when everything was off leash, I had visions of a wild spoo puppy running wild around the arena while all the other dogs sat nice and quiet. She performed like a star and had mastered all of her commands. Come, sit, stay and leave it to me were the big ones that could make all the difference in keeping her safe. Sometimes they just need time to settle in and have everything click. Just keep plugging away and working on things. It will all come together.


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## ChantersMom (Aug 20, 2012)

katbrat said:


> I did an obedience class with Lexi when she was about nine months old. It was the most exhausting hour of my entire life!  When we were working on something, she was right on it, but the minute it was time to watch or listen, all she wanted to do was to visit with the other dogs next to us. My hand would be tired from the death grip I would have on her leash. If I was a human Pez dispenser with the training treats, all was good or if I could keep quietly talking to her it was ok, stop and be quiet she wanted no part of. The instructor told me she was a super smart dog that just needed some time and it would click. We worked on things at home and I had dh and ds on board to use the same commands so we were all on the same page. Our last class when everything was off leash, I had visions of a wild spoo puppy running wild around the arena while all the other dogs sat nice and quiet. She performed like a star and had mastered all of her commands. Come, sit, stay and leave it to me were the big ones that could make all the difference in keeping her safe. Sometimes they just need time to settle in and have everything click. Just keep plugging away and working on things. It will all come together.


oh my...i'm laughing but it's not funny..you described my dog perfectly!


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

Just to celebrate a small success... yesterday we were walking and one of the parks we go through was empty, so we practiced some recall and sit/stay, and Begley did pretty good! Even though there was construction going on a ways away and undoubtedly lots of good smells, Begley did some good recalls and did a few "stays" that were really quite respectable (he even kept looking at us the whole time he was staying, which is great). We didn't get quite the same duration as when we do a "stay" inside our house or in our backyard, but it was still pretty good! What a clever boy.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

I am so glad to see you feeling more optimistic about things. Keep up the good work. You will be great.


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

So we had our obedience class again last night, and had some mixed success. On the good side, or more concentrated training efforts over the past week were showing payoff in the first 1/2 hour of class. Begley paid good attention when walking and sitting, and did some nice stays for us. He was paying attention to us quite nicely for the most part, and I think our more deliberate training efforts are already paying off. I worked really hard at keeping him interested in us during the little "breaks" in class by giving him ear scritches or acting as the human pez treat dispenser with kibble, and it seemed to make a difference.

At recess, though, Begley found one of the girls who was just coming out of heat, and spent the entire time trying to flirt with her. There was no persuading him to do anything else... play with the other dogs, play with his squeaky toy, nothing. And after that, we totally lost him for the last 30 minutes of class. He wouldn't watch us for any length of time, wouldn't listen to any of the tasks we were asking for, nothing. He just kept looking for this girl. It was discouraging, even though I understood the problem.

So... mixed success, I'd say. It was encouraging for us to see some progress for him and for Begley to not be the instigator of all distractions with other dogs (he actually ignored some other dogs trying to sniff him when we were working!).

On the other hand, is it normally good etiquette to bring a dog in heat to an obedience class? This girl was at the tail end of things so there wasn't a risk of her being accidentally bred, but still... she was obviously still a distraction for an unaltered male (we're planning on neutering Begley at 1 year old)! But maybe it's generally acceptable to do that? Poor Begley, being such a slave to his hormones in such a typically teenage way.


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## lily cd re (Jul 23, 2012)

So not your fault!!!!!!!!! You did great. There is no force in the world to keep a dog's attention when there is an in season girl around. I am actually surprised that she was there. It is unfair to expect guys like Begley to keep focused under those circumstances.


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## fjm (Jun 4, 2010)

Most certainly NOT etiquette to take a bitch in season the any training class! I think Begley did amazingly well under the circumstances. And an hour is a very long time to maintain concentration even without such a major distraction, especially for a young dog. I used to sit out some exercises, or even take mine outside for a relaxed wander around, if they were showing signs of being too tired to pay attention.


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## CT Girl (Nov 17, 2010)

I would say it was a success. I am so glad the training is working. I know you are suppose to train with distractions but that is ridiculous.


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## Minnie (Apr 25, 2011)

The club I belong to would have sent the dog/owner home immediately! Sounds like stepping up the at home training is paying off - chalk the rest of the class up to really bad luck.


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## pinkteaji (Dec 7, 2012)

I would personally say it was a success!!

Trust me, I've seen Mythbusters do a episode about distracting bomb/drug/police dogs and the only thing that deters these highly trained, no-nonsense dogs is a bitch in heat. Not even food or anything distracted these dogs till they had a dog in heat or the scent of a dog in heat. So, if a bomb squad dog can't keep their concentration, I don't expect any other dogs to. It's just hormonal instinct LOL. There's nothing you can do about that. (What the bomb squad or drug dogs do is actually the handler will ask the person with the dog in heat to leave the premises while they're surveying the area). 

So, if you think about that, your training session was a success!! D


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## Rusty (Jun 13, 2012)

So last night was our second class "post-discouragement." I'm happy to say that Begley did GREAT! Not perfect yet, but definitely great. At one point we were all lining our dogs up outside and putting them into a sit-stay. We were supposed to call our dogs one at a time to come, and everyone else's dog was supposed to wait its turn. Well, the first person at the other end of the line called their dog away from the sit-stay, and every dog there EXCEPT Begley took off running! My boy was the only one who sat waiting politely. I was so proud of him!

On the not-so-encouraging side, apparently Begley's 8 month old teenage boy hormones are raging wildly, and he's trying to mount every canine in sight at doggy daycare. Not sure what to do about that one.....


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