.

[anyastroud]

.

[cmeon]

Group obedience classes are absolutely awesome- we do them with all of our dogs. They help you bond, help you dedicate time to training, help you realize that you aren't alone- and they're really a lot of fun with a good trainer!

Stick to positive training methods, lure and/or clicker training work quickly with most dogs. We use a training club for our most recent puppies, DH donates a few hours of web work as a trade for 10 week sessions. We've done training at vet's offices, privately owned training centers, and even Petco/Petsmart (my least recommended).

[redheadbaker]

Absolutely worth it. I've had my dogs 6 years and 4 years, and we still take the occasional obedience class together -- it keeps the bond strong, and keeps them challenged. Just like learning is lifelong in humans, it is in dogs, too.

[callunafirefly]

I take my 7mo husky mix to a trainer every week. Mostly it's a private lesson, but he also takes dogs and keeps them to train them so sometimes he includes those dogs in the lesson. I don't know the method, but we don't use a clicker or treats. I guess maybe similar to Ceasar...but she's not being trained to be submissive. Being a husky mix she does have a high prey drive and my ultimate goal is to get her off leash.
I pay $35 a lesson. And some Saturday's he offered a group lesson. He has an agility course too and I like doing that with her because it gets her focused on listening to me. We did try petsmart and we "failed out". I wouldn't recommend them.

[redheadbaker]

Oct 13, 2014 19:50:27 GMT -5 callunafirefly said:

I take my 7mo husky mix to a trainer every week. Mostly it's a private lesson, but he also takes dogs and keeps them to train them so sometimes he includes those dogs in the lesson. I don't know the method, but we don't use a clicker or treats. I guess maybe similar to Ceasar...but she's not being trained to be submissive. Being a husky mix she does have a high prey drive and my ultimate goal is to get her off leash.
I pay $35 a lesson. And some Saturday's he offered a group lesson. He has an agility course too and I like doing that with her because it gets her focused on listening to me. We did try petsmart and we "failed out". I wouldn't recommend them.

Off leash where? Why? 

[callunafirefly]

Oct 16, 2014 9:20:18 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Oct 13, 2014 19:50:27 GMT -5 callunafirefly said:

I take my 7mo husky mix to a trainer every week. Mostly it's a private lesson, but he also takes dogs and keeps them to train them so sometimes he includes those dogs in the lesson. I don't know the method, but we don't use a clicker or treats. I guess maybe similar to Ceasar...but she's not being trained to be submissive. Being a husky mix she does have a high prey drive and my ultimate goal is to get her off leash.
I pay $35 a lesson. And some Saturday's he offered a group lesson. He has an agility course too and I like doing that with her because it gets her focused on listening to me. We did try petsmart and we "failed out". I wouldn't recommend them.

Off leash where? Why? 

I'm not sure what you mean by why? Why wouldn't I want my dog to be obedient enough to be off her leash and not run the hell away?

[redheadbaker]

Oct 20, 2014 7:03:50 GMT -5 callunafirefly said:

Oct 16, 2014 9:20:18 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Off leash where? Why? 

I'm not sure what you mean by why? Why wouldn't I want my dog to be obedient enough to be off her leash and not run the hell away?

Why would you want your dog to be off-leash outside of designated off-leash areas? Does your area have leash laws?

[callunafirefly]

Oct 20, 2014 7:21:43 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Oct 20, 2014 7:03:50 GMT -5 callunafirefly said:

I'm not sure what you mean by why? Why wouldn't I want my dog to be obedient enough to be off her leash and not run the hell away?

Why would you want your dog to be off-leash outside of designated off-leash areas? Does your area have leash laws?

Maybe I'm totally missing what you are asking but your question is coming across as judgmental and absurd. I stated that I have a husky mix with a high prey drive...as it stands now if she gets out of the house she is running, and running and running. So yes I am training my dog to come back and be obedient and be off a leash without just taking off. Am I saying I'm going to walk down the streets of Philadelphia with my dog off a leash...no. But where I do live there are instances where yes I would like my dog off her leash to be able to free roam and not be an asshole without being tethered to something every waking moment of her life outside.

[redheadbaker]

Oct 20, 2014 8:20:00 GMT -5 callunafirefly said:

Oct 20, 2014 7:21:43 GMT -5 redheadbaker said:

Why would you want your dog to be off-leash outside of designated off-leash areas? Does your area have leash laws?

Maybe I'm totally missing what you are asking but your question is coming across as judgmental and absurd.

::shrug:: okay.

[nomad100]

Chiming in with obedience classes are never a bad thing.

I also wanted to say I have to agree with redheadbaker on the whole "Why off leash?" thing since I regularly run into off-leash dogs on walks in an area that has leash laws and it pisses me off to no end. If that makes me judgmental callunafirefly, so be it. I have had too many off-leash dogs come up to my fearful (and strong) dog who reacts badly to any dog off-leash that approaches him head on. All their owner usually has to say is either "this has never happened before. XX has great recall," or "oh you don't need to worry, my dog is friendly." To which my response is "well keep your dog away because mine isn't friendly" Sadly, I firmly believe that if there was an altercation due to the other dog's owner breaking the law, my dog would likely be blamed since he is a Pit mix. So every day, because people think that their dogs are "friendly" or "usually have good recall" I have to be fearful that things will end badly for my dog, who is walking on a leash like he is supposed to.

If there are leash laws in your area, please follow them, even if you think you have good recall with your dog. It is rare that recall with high prey drive dogs is 100% and you never know how another dog will react to yours being off-leash.

[Deleted]

Dog obedience classes are absolutely useful in training you how to communicate with your dog effectively. The skills my dog learned at her puppy training class were useful, but what was most important was the training I got in how to teach my dog new commands in the future and reinforce what she already knew in new and different surroundings. I still practice her basic commands, such as "come," frequently with high-value treats.

ETA: The issues you mentioned, like snatching food and potty accidents, are common and definitely things that can be rectified. You just have to be consistent in your training and reinforcing of good behavior.