obedience

[Barney's Mom]

Just wondering how old a dog needs to be to start obedience classes? Barney is almost 12 weeks old.

Do the "big box" pet stores have good classes? I noticed PetSmart has classes, and my vet also offers classes as well. Is there any advantage to going to one or the other?

My husband is SOOOOO ready to start Barney in a class, or at least with the training collar so he will learn to walk at "heal". I walk him every morning and he is getting better at walking to the left, even without the heal command.

I have a Cairn book that says I can start teaching him to sit. I have tried, but the minute he smells a treat for reward in my hand, he is COMPLETELY distracted and won't even listen to me saying, "sit, Barney! Sit Barney!" He is focused on getting that treat and NOTHING else matters!

Any good tips for training little ones?

Thanks, everyone!!

[AmyRN]

Hi,

Our cairn, Maggie, is just 5 months. We started level 1 obedience classes 3 weeks ago. We are taking her to a trainer recommended by our vet staff. It is an 8 week course. There are 5 other various breed pups in our class. The trainer is so knowledgable, it's interesting to listen to her explain the psychological reasoning a dog uses for what they do.

I chose not to go to one of the "big box" stores. I was in one recently to purchase something, and I noticed the obedience training class was right in the middle of the store, it was roped off, but still I felt there were way too many distractions for any learning to take place.

I have to say, this breed is sooo smart! Maggie has caught on so quickly to every command we have learned and taught her so far. After all we are the one's who are truly being taught. The key is constant reinforcement. One thing our trainer has taught us, is not to "chant" the command. For example, "sit", "sit", "sit". Just say it one time, and stand patiently while they think about it. You will be amazed how they try to work out in their minds what you are asking for and finally figure it out.

As far as the reward, and Barney having a one track mind. Just stand firm, say "Barney, sit" (we also use a hand signal) and wait as long as necessary until he does this. Do not reward him if he does not do this. You may need to show him what sit is, the first time. Make sure you are standing upright while giving him the command, you always want to use the same body language when giving a command. That way they do not get any confusing signals.

I think it depends on the trainer as far as the age goes for getting started.

Hopefully you can get started soon. You will be amazed how quickly your little Barney will catch on. Good luck and keep us posted.

Amy

[Barney's Mom]

Thanks, Amy! Sounds like you have a good trainer to work with! Our vet offers a class, so I may go for that one. I know Barney is one smart pup. It doesn't take long for him to understand what I am saying "NO!" for. I do use a water bottle. That gets his attention, and he learns very quickly what he is not supposed to be doing. Just from the short time we have had him (about three weeks) I can tell he will be quick to pick up things.

Thanks for the training tips! We will start again with "sit". I think he might get it more now since the last time we tried, right when we brought him home. It is amazing how much they change in that short amount of time!

[Brody'sMom]

We had good luck with PetSmart training (though not everyone has) as far as the basic training went. Our biggest issue was the Brody was barky with other dogs and the trainer did not realize that not only did we have to keep him away from other dogs, but the other owners had to keep their dogs away from Brody! I can't tell you how many times, Brody and I would be working on a task and the Beagle next to us would wander into our territory (and we segregated ourselves!). Brody learned fine in the class, but for the next class we took him to a more experienced trainer who we liked a lot. Mia also went to that trainer and both Brody and Mia are Canine Good Citizens.

[SARpartner]

Might I suggest that before you sign up for a class you meet with the trainer first. If possible go to a session without your dog and see if you are happy with the way the trainer interacts with the dogs.

Since I don't live in your area I really can't speak of your big box store, but I am not impressed with the training of the personel in our big box store. I think the most important thing is that you and Barney are comfortable with the trainer.

Barney is old enough to start learning basic manners but group classes generally have some minimum age requirement. Because I have working dogs I do my own training. Generally when someone brings us a dog for help they have either come from an abusive situation or have serious socialization issues. Because of this I am not up to date on the requirements for comercial or group classes.

Enjoy your new fur baby.

[kjwarnold]

The only thing we have available in our area are classes through the local animal shelter. They have outstanding trainers though and Packy has been through 2 classes and earned his Canine Good Citizen award. They do have a minimum age requirement of 6 months because they feel that puppies are too goofy before then to really learn well in class. They did say though, that you can start training them on your own well before that. I know that our breeder starts training her dogs VERY early -- she's showing some at 6 months in local shows!

Good suggestion on meeting the trainer before signing up for a class. We didn't do that, but got really lucky with our classes. Good luck! I'm sure Barney will learn quickly and have you trained pretty fast!

[bradl]

We know a couple who are extremely active in obedience (as trainers and competitors). They mostly compete with Border Collies and are actively campaigning them still. The man recently got a Cairn pup. He had one as a youth - it earned a Utility title - and had long wanted another. We wondered when we would see his Cairn in the obedience ring. When he picked up his sixteen-week-old Cairn pup he told the breeders, "This pup probably won't see the ring for four or five years, but his training begins tonight."

It's never too soon, it's never too late, and home will do until you find a class you are comfortable with. I like a class that is focused on preparing for formal obedience trials even if I don't have the slightest intention of entering the dog in competition. I find having structure and a defined purpose or goal (say, a qualifying performance in Novice and Open exercises) is immensely helpful, for me and for the dog.

Six months is a common start time for 'classroom' training. Before then you can easily work on the basics and things like 'attention.'

Because of my preference for structure, I'd tend to go for classes offered by private trainers with recommendations from local obedience people, obedience club classes, all-breed club classes, dog organizations (animal shelter classes are likely to be pretty good), community organizations, pet supply stores, in that order. Our local PetSmart used to have the 'roped off section in the middle of the store' class and I agree that it was a terrible distraction (still better than no training, though). Our local store recently remodeled and added a glassed-in doggy day-care in the back, and glassed in obedience training area too. That looks a lot better for in-store training (quiet, out of the flow of foot traffic) so it might actually be just fine if the trainers are good. We used word-of-mouth to find a trainer we like only 45 minutes away - he's so good with Cairns his classes are chock full of them. I almost feel sorry for the occasional lab or dobe or rottie or bully that shows up and has to endure 4 or 5 Cairns clowning around.

[ParNone]

I took both Collies to Petsmart for Puppy Classes around 12 weeks. As training goes, they're so so. The classes are so big, it's hard for them to really give individual attention to every dog, which was fine with me. I already knew what training methods I was going to use. I was there for the socialization of my puppies and with that regard, a big class works quite well. Lots of different people and puppies for them to get socialized to. Definitely lots of distraction, which isn't much of a hindrance for a Collie puppy, but it would be for most Cairns. With my next terrier puppy, I doubt I would go that route.

For obedience and agility classes, I found an Agility Training Club and they were definitely leaps and bounds ahead of Petsmart in their experience, skill and training environment. I would try to get my next puppy in there from the beginning and skip Petsmart.

Les...

[curlyantillysmom]

Hello We took Curly our first Cairn Terrier to Petsmart and there were different size and breed dogs there and not only that they get to socialize too and how to walk past other dogs and good distractions also. We will be Taking Tilly our 7 1/2 month old Cairn Terrier to Petsmart too with the same trainer that Curly had.

The more distractions there are the better your pup is going to be.

Curly is very well trained from the petsmart trainers and are Highly recommended.

Jane

[mrskti]

Our trainer said I should have brought the girls to her as soon as we got them home. A few weeks ago there was a 9 wk old Westie there, oh my god was she cute. But they were starting her right out. Sure wish I'd done that...and kick myself everyday for not. But i'm working on it now...and they are better, even people have commented on it.

[Brittany&LuLu]

They have preschool classes for puppies of that age. I'm going to end up doign one of those. Good luck!

Our Vet clinic offers classes as well as the groomer places.

[CathyAnn]

Preschool???

Oh, that just cracks me up!!!

Cathy

[bradl]

Why? My dogs' piano teacher says it's quite normal

[bradl]

I admit it does sound funny. But after seeing that cool Canine Schoolbus I'm ready for anything. All kidding aside, puppy classes are really a form of pre-training, great for socialization and so on, so 'pre-school' is a great idea.

[mrskti]

Why? My dogs' piano teacher says it's quite normal

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Good one Brad, made me chuckle outloud!!!!!

[prandaj]

Brad I laughed out loud!!

I took my Cairn to Puppy Kindergarten at 6 months old. He has been going to classes ever since, he's 18 months old. I go to a private trainer, who has a school and classes have about 4-6 dogs. Believe it or not, I can now work with my Cairn OFF LEAD, in a room with 4 other dogs, and he stays by my side!!!

Regarding the sit, our trainer hammered this into our heads and it works. Only say the command once. Then put the dog into a sit, and treat him when he obeys. If you say the command 5 times, the dog will wait untill 5 times to obey (just like children - I wish they would have had classes like this when my kids were tiny!). It works like a charm, and they do get the hang of it quite quickly. Also if they don't listen, don't stop until they have done it. So you would say sit to the dog, then take your hand and push his tush down, and when he sits say GOOD BOY! and give him the treat. Eventually he'll get the hang of it.

Another things is to find a treat that the dog LOVES and use it only for training. That helps get their attention. You also have to practice practice practice. You can use this technique for any trick or obedience command you want to teach, "Come" of course being the hardest, especially if there's a critter in the backyard!!

[savannahsmom35]

Savannah went through PetSmart training and I was pleased. Our training was also in the middle of the store but I chose to sign up for a class on Wednesday night rather than on the weekend. The store was much less crowded. Plus, I found that the class was more to train ME what to do and I was the one that trained Savannah at home. I will admit that Savannah didn't learn much in the store and that most of our productive training was done while practicing at home BUT if not for the classes, i wouldn't have known what to do to train her on my own. I am sure that a private trainer is probably better but the cost of private training around here is far more than my budget can allow. Taking Savannah to a training class was the best thing that I did. She learned so much and it really created a bond of respect and trust that I am not sure that we would have if not for the class. You could really tell that she began to see me differently. It sounds crazy but working on Savannah's new commands that week really seemed to wear her out. The mental stimulation that it provided was great. Now she knows commands that are not only useful but are also fun to show off to other people, and believe me, Savannah LOVES to perform for others!