New family member

Yeah, I know what you mean. She is a character though. Definately entertaining.

Congratulations ! She is a beautiful pup.
Those eyes are amazing.
May you have years and years, of friendship
with her.


Ginger Ambrose

I used to show in obedience as well, but we just figured it was added socialization and "exposure" for our girls to take them to the classes. I also used to take them with me to help when I taught 4H obedience classes also. Luckily, the classes around here were only $40 for a 10 week session! Wow, I can't believe that you have to pay $250 for obedience classes, Wendy! Jeez, and people wonder why there are so many people who don't know how to properly train their dogs....at those prices, who can afford to take them???

Thanks Ginger.
I'm hooked on her already. I just hope she gets over this "have to be next to you" stuff soon. It is heart wrenching to hear her wail (("it's burning us") a little golem for you) when I have to go to work in the morning. And when I get home, she is still going strong. Poor thing. LOL
She seems smart though. I think she'll figure it out. In the 5 days I've had her, she already sits more than 1/2 the time with only being told once. Not bad for an 11 week old puppy.

Thanks again for all the nice replies, and the results have come back from the lab, and surprisingly, she has no parasites. Cool! After seeing the conditions they were kept in, I figured worms were a certainty.

Rick

lol Cat it is bad here, we have a $40 or $50 class but its a 1 day thing, I think its 4 hours 1 time. There is a guy here who does excellent training but you have to leave your dog with him for 6 weeks and the first 3 weeks you can't even visit then you get to go all day the next 3 weeks to learn the commands. He charges aything from a grand and up. Ive senn the dogs he has tranined in obed trials but Id never leave my dog with anyone for that long and not be able to see them daily.

Originally Posted by dragonflyreptiles

but Id never leave my dog with anyone for that long and not be able to see them daily.

Yeah, me too. I have talked to trainers who go that route, and they all say it is "because the owners will not enforce the commands for the first few weeks, until they (the dogs) learn them better."
But I always got the impression.... maybe somethings they don't want you to see??? No accusations, just protective father stuff. LOL
But it is the reason I would not do it either. I figure the dog needs to learn the commands from ME, the person who will be working with them the rest of their lives. Just My taste.

Rick

yes Rick, that exactly my thing, what are they goign to do to my sweet doggie that I won't see! And this guy does all German, I mix itup a ton and even use fake words for a command. Whats the point of training a dog in german if every trainer and every owner that their dog was trained in german knows those commands lol

OT but, I don't use any German My self. Lost all that when a child. Haven't spoken a German word since i was 9-10 yrs old. I doubt if I can even remember any. LOL
I just use basic commands accompanied by hand signals. I know they are common, but I have found that most dogs wont obey a command given by other than their master anyway. (So far that is.) LOL

Rick

I see both of your points about leaving a dog with the trainer......I could never do it with one of mine either, but when I used to do some show handling, I always required that the dog had to stay with me for at least 30 days before the first show they wanted them entered in, preferably 60 days if was a "coated" dog (I used to handle some Cockers). That was a bit of a different scenario though....not only was I training the dog, I also was responsible for the condition of the dog and coat (ever try to show-ready a Cocker Spaniel that no one has combed out properly in a month??? eesch!) I had a Frenchie I used to handle that would always get way overweight every time she went home, lol....then I got to be the evil one to put her on a diet and get her back in shape.....

The obedience classes around here......basic adult obedience was about $45 last I knew, and that included a 1 hour class per week for 10 weeks, plus a "graduation" obedience match with prizes. The puppy classes were cheaper, and they had conformation classes as well. When I was a member of the kennel club, I got them FREE.....but then you always got stuck stewarding and/or feeding the judges at the shows, lol.

Well, I may end up seeking some professional advice anyway, for a "protectiveness" issue we experienced recently. LOL

My friend Grim comes over and plays with her a little bit here and there. That's all she ever wants to do. Last nite, He comes over, I holler "come on in". He decides to play with her by opening the door quickly and stomping his foot when He entered. What happened next totally shocked the crap outa Me.

In like 1 second flat she raised her hackles, roared a fierce snarl like she was 200 lbs, lept off the couch at him and latched onto his leg above the ankle. SHE ACTUALLY BIT HIM!! And it left holes!
She is only going on 4 months. Puppies are not supposed to act that way. I have had 4 pitts that I raised from lil puppies, and as puppies, they acted like puppies do. Submissive.

She calmed down as soon as I could react and call her to Me, but that was actually kind of scary. And FAST!! Anyone have any advice? LOL
She socializes just fine, and likes people, and loves children, and cashiers with treats. She has displayed no agression in public at all.


Rick