# Puppy Class problems - sorry so long



## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

I appreciate your predicament... Both my current puppy and my previous one had terrible car sickness problems. I felt terrible taking them both to puppy class and no matter what I tried, it was a disaster. 

You can try training your puppy with SUPER SLOW baby steps by putting him in the car and not going anywhere, feeding treats, showing him that he doesn't get sick every time he goes in there. Lots of people have given positive feedback on this method. I am going to confess that I didn't have the time and patience to stick with it so don't know first hand.

Traveling in the crate will at least contain the mess and make clean ups easier. My poor boy would get sick on the way, eat all his treats and then get sick on the way home. I know it is miserable.

Try making sure the treats you take to class are very, very high value stinky treats. Try things like liverwurst, gooseliver, (my boy LOVES bil jac brand frozen soft dog food, it smells disgusting and is hard to find but he does back flips for it). Mix it up, you can even try leftovers from your own plate, tiny little bits of chicken or whatever will get her attention.

As for the attention span, try treating her more frequently. And just hang in there, she will mature, don't give up. The reward of a dog who is well trained is such a great thing and will be worth every minute of time you invest. I know this is probably not practical, but is there any way you can get to class 30 minutes or more, early? Give her a chance to adjust and possibly settle some before the class starts?

Keep practicing at home every day, but also be sure to take her places in public to work on training as frequenty as you can. It might help make the class atmosphere seem quite so novel. Whatever you do, don't get discouraged, you're not the only one and this will surely pass. She should eventually grow out of the car sickness. Hang in there!


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## Bella's Mama (Jun 12, 2011)

Bella was an utter hellian our first puppy class. She was disruptive and wouldn't listen. By the end of the class, she was the star puppy. She had more focus and better parents than the other dogs, and even though Bella had the most energy, she really learned so much. The trainer got Bella to focus and with the right treats, we could too at home. 

Be patient and keep up the training.


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

Have no fear!!!! a high energy golden can be very difficult to deal with but you're not alone!!!!! Try the car trick that was mentioned above, it's great advice! When the energy level gets too high you need to correct or ignore... I recommend ignore, but if you need to correct make it short and sweet and do it with calm energy... If you respond to your dog with anger or frustration then that energy gets fed to your dog... I have a 12 week old pup and when he gets to an energy level I don't approve of I ignore him and when he relaxes I reward him with affection... He's learned he doesn't get affection or treats if he's too hyper and is correcting his energy level himself now!!!! You're dog is very smart and will be wonderful! Pups are very difficult in the beginning, but with patience and consistency you can have the perfect dog!!!! Also, if his attention span is short, try training more frequently for shorter times and ALWAYS end on a good note, even if it takes another 5 min... If he still has a high energy level when he's older I would enroll him in obedience classes and that way he'll get a work out physically AND mentally which is very rewarding for both of you! Best of luck! Hang in there!!!!!


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

This is pretty typical puppy behavior. They have very short attention spans. See if you can take her out for a potty break mid way through the class time. 4 months is very young and she is just being a silly puppy. Be patient, be consistent, it will pay off as she gets older and will have a longer attention span and matures enough to listen better. But keep in mind, you may have several months of silly behavior before she starts to calm down even a little. Patience is the key.


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## My Big Kahuna (Dec 14, 2011)

I meant to say AGILITY classes! Ha


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Sounds pretty typical. If she pulls on an Easy Walk, try a Gentle Leader. Tucker was the same way. Tucker also ignored treats. Can you go to class early? Just go and hang out in the parking lot. Start in the back of the car. Dont let her out until she sits or lays down in the back and settles. It may take awhile, but she will. I have waited 15 to 20 minutes for Tucker to settle when he was a pup. Then let her out on lead. Let her sniff, but just sit and wait in one place. Don't move until she settles, even if she pulls. She will eventually settle. Give her treats when she does. If she is overstimulated, she wont take treats. Do this routine everywhere you go. She will soon realize she won't go anywhere until she settles. You can work thru this! Don't let it frustrate you. Just laugh it off! Don't worry what others think. We have all been there! A smile and a laugh goes way further then frustration when working with a dog! Hope this helps...


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

I think your puppy is completely normal. My puppy is also four months and also a bundle of energy in class. I just remind myself that I got a golden retriever because they love people and he will settle down. Mostly I try to not train him into any bad habits, because he learns really quickly. 

We don't try to tire him out before class. Just the opposite, we try to get a good nap in before class. When he's tired, he just can't pay any attention to us at all. We know "a tired puppy is a good puppy", but I also think "a puppy that needs sleep is wild." Taking our puppy on a walk when he's tired is just asking for misery.

By the way, I did once have the worst dog in class. I took my husband's 8-yr-old black and tan hound to dog obedience class. Heel? hahaha. We got "Most Improved." I'm not kidding.


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## Sally's Mom (Sep 20, 2010)

High energy goldens are the most fun to train. Maybe your instructor is not the right fit? The OTCH person I have trained with for years has methods she uses to get the focus on you. Sometimes a gentle leader helps as it takes them down a notch.. My Basil was returned to me at 8 1/2 months getting carsick every time she went in a car... what fixed it was daily carrides. I am able to bring my dogs to work, so every day, to work she came. Now, she loves to go to work and doesn't drool or vomit. With the correct help, I have found my busier goldens more fun than the laid back ones!


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

Nothing sounds far from the norm fortunately/unfortunately. 
Keep working with your pup and yes get her to as many places as possible to help make it a more normal experience. But be forewarned, that may not have much effect. 
Some pups stress "down" and others stress "up". Time will tell for sure but it sounds like yours will be one that stresses "up". And they can escalate their "up" as you get frustrated. Try as hard as it is to stay even keeled. And yes I do no how hard it can be. (I have a 3 1/2 year old that fits this bill and I am still trying to remember this myself. :doh But it WILL get better with time.
As for the car sickness. My youngest (18 month old) suffers/suffered from this. I could not take her any where with out her getting sick - often just as we arrived. It was uncanny beause it did not seem to matter how far we traveled - 15 minutes, 1/2 hour or an hour and a half - just as we arrived it would come up. I gav her 1/2 (12.5mg) a "Less Drowsy" Dramamine (25 mg) tablet. I usually gave it the night before and it worked great. I tried weaning her off this summer and all went well. On our multiple hour trips I did not take any chances and gave it to her those times. But the last few weeks she has again started getting sick as we arrive, even on our 15 minute rides. So I am again giving it for all trips. I tried the ginger, ginger snaps and even fasting. But nothing worked for her.


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## Mom of Maizie (Nov 11, 2011)

*Thank you so much!*

I really appreciate all the comments letting me know that Maizie is a "normal" puppy! It was soothing to me to read your replies and gave me renewed hopefulness. 

I have been taking Maizie for drives a lot of mornings before I feed her breakfast. I live near an interstate highway, very straight driving, so we get on that with the windows cracked just a little and I've been playing meditation music for us.  I've just tried going an extra exit every morning or two and she seems to be progressing, but that 45 minute trip to class is still a little too far for her stomach to stay settled. I will say we've seen some beautiful sunrises together because of this! LOL!

I also tried going early to class to let her settle in, but I didn't think to take it in slow steps like Phillyfisher suggested. We just went potty, then went right into the classroom where another class was being held. The instructor had me put her in a crate and I used most of my high value treats trying to keep her quiet for the 30 minutes before class. Next time I will try going early and just relaxing and taking it in slow steps, letting her have time to settle each step of the way. Heck, I feel like a new mom with some of the mistakes I've made with her like that!

I'm going to find the Bil-Jac food to try as treats. I think I know a store where I've shopped that carries it. And starting tomorrow, I'm going to take her more places. Even if she's beyond that magic window of time when learning new things is easier, I'm going to see if being exposed to more things helps. Today I had more people than usual at my house (usually just my hubby and I) and she did good with the frozen Kong and some other things I had ready, frozen banana, large carrot, bully stick. 

Thanks everyone, for your responses. They really helped me a lot.

Mom of Maizie :wave:


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I'm responding late here, but something I did to get my guy settled in was getting to class 20-30 minutes early. I called this getting acclimated and settled in. I still do this, though I'm fairly sure if we needed to go out on the floor right after arriving he would be over the top hyper but fine. 

Treats - the number one thing to keep in mind is that you want the food you give your puppy to be easy to break into smaller pieces, and you want it to be something the puppy (or dog) can eat quickly so you can move on. 

You are going to be giving a lot of treats through puppy class, so you want these treats to be something the pup's system can handle. 

I would recommend using a regular collar and a comfortable leash.

The other thing is when you get to class, pick a place AWAY from the other dogs and people. That helps prevent some of the major clowning and acrobatics. 

Also - pick 2 other days a week that you are going out to public places (pet stores) with your puppy to practice walking, attention, and even sits around distractions. 

And remember it takes time before your puppy learns to be settled and sane in public. They have a lot of growing up to do...


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## lgnutah (Feb 26, 2007)

I took Brooks to obedience classes for the first time at 6 months. He spent the whole class trying to get to this one dog that he was in love with, but she (apparently) wasn't interested in having him near her. So I would get him to lie down next to me but then he would soldier crawl on his belly and inch over to her (the owner moved her dog so she was never by Brooks). It was hilarious, in some ways, but I spent practically my whole class trying to keep him from getting over next to her (she was a GSD).


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## Mom of Maizie (Nov 11, 2011)

*More good ideas and a little humor*

It is good to remember that a little humor goes a long ways. Thanks for reminding me of that! I've been way too serious about this puppy class thing!! Also, I think I will look at more ways to get Maizie out and about, especially at times when I can take my time and enjoy introducing her to new places and the public. I haven't done enough of that I'm sure.

Mom of Maizie


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

I found the best thing to do if your pup starts acting up is to move out of the ring and into a corner of the room where you can focus on your dog and have your dog focus on you. Work on somethng that your dog already does well this will give your dog a boostbecause you will be praiseing her instead of telling her no and trying to correct too much.


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## quilter (Sep 12, 2011)

I've been thinking about your post since I took Casper to the park today. I took him to the bicycle/walking trail near the city hall. We sat a bench about 20 feet from the trail. Whenever someone went by, I had him sit and let him lick on a chunk of hot dog (very high-value treat). After a bit, we moved to bench about 15 feet from the trail. When he finished the hot dog, we left. So we watched about 30 people go by. One jogger said "You have a good dog." I was so proud. He also did a good job with one woman with a dog decided to play fetch with a squeaky toy practically right next to us. Arg. By the time we left, when he saw someone he'd look at me and want to know where the hot dog was.

So that's what he can handle for now. Maybe next weekend, we can do 15 feet and 10 feet. And another good thing is I didn't reinforce any wiggly behavior, because I didn't let him get too close. Just close enough to care, but not close enough to lose it. He does get to meet people up close, too. My son is in college nearby and the college kids always love to visit with him. He also settles down pretty quickly, but the initial meeting can be pretty exciting for him. The college kids are really tolerant of puppy greetings.


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

Mom of Maizie said:


> I'm going to find the Bil-Jac food to try as treats. I think I know a store where I've shopped that carries it....
> Thanks everyone, for your responses. They really helped me a lot.
> 
> Mom of Maizie :wave:


The bil jac I use is frozen and thaws out soft... it can be broken off in chunks and then formed into little bite sizes. Hard to find, but worth the effort because my Mack loves that old stinky stuff 

Glad the responses helped you feel a bit better, it's always nice to know you're not the only one


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## Deber (Aug 23, 2011)

We didn't get Kye until she was 4 1/2 mo old so had lost the prime time with her. Thankfully her breeder had her learn all the basics, but Kye is more high strung and was a terror on leash. We found taking her early to class, but we stayed outside, walked around, met other pups, worked on basic commands seem to get that hyper out of her, so by the time our class started she was better (not good, but better). Kye was/is an in your face kind of gal, and thinks all the dogs want her in their face. She was way too much for many of the shyer dogs. We started moving to the end of the line where she must wait for her time. Lots of treats and worked on her watching me even for a second. Was a long haul, but the trainer helped a lot and even used Kye as the example, because Kye learns fast and trainer likes this. She is still a handfull so we are trying to bike ride (with her trotting) every day. It is wearing her out and she seems to love it. She is almost 8 mo old, so this has been a long 4 months, but seeing better results now that her brain is maturing.

I do think the more outgoing dog is a lot of fun to train. Kye learns things easily, but just as quickly will push to the limit. She keeps us on our toes and we constantly try to think ahead of her. I am hoping on our next class she will be one of the better dogs, not the class clown as she was called in puppy class! But she did win the certificate as the "Best Advanced" meaning to start at a low level she learned the most. So know the brains were there, just hard to get her to use those cells sometimes. 

Car rides - is a work in progress. Both she and Coop get carsick on our rides to the farm each weekend. Kye is making it most times now, but little Coop...no. Hoping the more he goes, the better it will be.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

We had an issue with Tucker never taking treats when on walks due to over stimulation. What got us thru that was to take his meals and only hand feed him on walks. If he did not take food on walks he did not eat. He missed exactly one meal before he figured it out.


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## Mom of Maizie (Nov 11, 2011)

quilter said:


> I've been thinking about your post since I took Casper to the park today. I took him to the bicycle/walking trail near the city hall. We sat a bench about 20 feet from the trail. Whenever someone went by, I had him sit and let him lick on a chunk of hot dog (very high-value treat). After a bit, we moved to bench about 15 feet from the trail. When he finished the hot dog, we left. So we watched about 30 people go by. One jogger said "You have a good dog." I was so proud. He also did a good job with one woman with a dog decided to play fetch with a squeaky toy practically right next to us. Arg. By the time we left, when he saw someone he'd look at me and want to know where the hot dog was.
> 
> So that's what he can handle for now. Maybe next weekend, we can do 15 feet and 10 feet. And another good thing is I didn't reinforce any wiggly behavior, because I didn't let him get too close. Just close enough to care, but not close enough to lose it. He does get to meet people up close, too. My son is in college nearby and the college kids always love to visit with him. He also settles down pretty quickly, but the initial meeting can be pretty exciting for him. The college kids are really tolerant of puppy greetings.


I really think your post feels like a good reminder that I can slow down and accomplish more. Sitting a little ways from the path of people sounds much more delightful than my attempts to take Maizie on a walking trail near our house. When we are trying to move down the trail, she is pretty overwhelmed with new sights, sounds, and smells. We are hanging in there...slowly learning that we need to slow..way..down. Give Maizie time to adjust and get used to new things. I love the way your post helps me to realize what I've probably been doing and how to help Maizie deal with things better. 

LOL! I have had such unrealistic expectations!!! Like expecting a 2-year-old to be able to read and spell or something! 

Maizie especially will thank you,

Mom of Maizie


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## Mom of Maizie (Nov 11, 2011)

*An update*

Hi,

Just thought I'd check back here and let you all know that puppy class went better last week.

I tried the Bil-Jac food as treats and Maizie loves it!

I've really been practicing with Maizie at home and she was able to do some of the things in class pretty good. The instructor has been quite wonderful to be encouraging and positive with us and I love her for that!!

I overheard a gentleman that has been at class observing tell another person that Maizie has come a long way since the first class and that made me grin!!!

She still explodes into the room when we arrive, but I'm able to get, and keep, her attention more and a lot of that is me just learning how to do that!!!

Thanks everyone,
Mom of Maizie

P.S. Another perk of puppy class is that I discovered the person who has her sister, Daisey, and we have a play date so they can have fun together soon!!!!


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## AmbikaGR (Dec 31, 2007)

That is wonderful!!! 

Happy New Year! :wave:


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

Bravo! Good job, keep it up it will be worth the effort.


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## goldensrbest (Dec 20, 2007)

The thing with puppy classes, i have found there is not, enough time, for one on one.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Penny was ALWAYS a maniac in class. Yep, there's always someone worse but eventually you get to the bottom of the barrel and there we were!!

On night, Penny was having a contrary night...walking slow when I wanted to walk fast; sitting and not walking at all. Well, we had a substitute instructor who didn't know Penny. She was getting so frustrated with me that finally she said, in a loud voice, "C'mom, get Penny excited". The whole class, in unison, said NOOOOOOOOOO!!!! We were all so relieved that for once, she wasn't acting like a cat on a leash for the first time!

Glad to hear it's getting better. With practice, more classes and maturity, you'll get there!


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

That is wonderful new. Kepp it up and soon you will have the best behaved dog around.


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## softballmom (Sep 6, 2011)

Love this thread and such great news! Our last GR was not good in puppy class. Every week I feared the moment when the instructor said, "OK, let your dogs off lead and then get them back on recall"....OMG, what a disaster. I about had a heart attack! Didn't matter what level of treats I had, she just wanted to see EVERYONE! I could not control her and the instructor knew it. Looking back, I wish I had spent more time with her, she was such a good dog, mostly misguided at first, but what a big heart! I still miss her antics and she did eventually calm down, but it took a lot of patience....you sound like things have turned a corner and it will be so worth it. But I do feel your initial pain....


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

YAY!!! So happy for you! You never know who will read this thread and see themselves and find hope in your journey with Maizie!! You and Maizie are what makes the forum a special place!


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Great news! So happy for you! Keep working with Maizie. All the hard work definitely pays off and one day you will look at her and she will be the dog you always hoped she could be. We spent so much time on the outside of the class circle with Tucker. But we stuck with our trainers and did class after class with him. I remember one class where he was acting up with one of the trainers, reacting to dogs as she walked by with Tucker on lead. He did not want to listen to her. The next dog he did it to she gave him a quick leash pop and hustled him out a nearby door, and shut the door with her inside with us, and Tucker outside, leash in the door. There was no anger involved on her part. He sat outside in the dark with sad eyes, for a couple of minutes. He was a gentleman after that. It was very funny. He was like the kid who got pulled out of class by his ear by the teacher. That was almost 3years ago. Now when other dogs get worked up in class, Tucker just stops in his tracks and looks to me, with a "what the heck is their issue?" face. I have to go and give him a little pat, tell him it is ok and we move on. The trainer laughs, because when this happens she get the "hey, it is not me this time" face. 

I tell you this because I have so been there. You feel like you have a scarlet letter when you have to work with you dog on the fringes of the group. But I guarantee there are others in that class who were exactly where you are with one of their dogs. And you know what, they are silently cheering you on, because they know what a great dog is on the end of that leash...


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Great story, Phillyfisher. These pups are so shocked when they find out WE weren't having the great time THEY were. And then they're so proud when they behave. They DO know the difference!


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

My wife and I still wonder why our breeder gave us Tucker as our first dog. She knew exactly what she was giving us, too. We suspect when we showed up at her house for a visit with 2 young boys, 8 and 11 at the time, she figured we could handle him. She better give me a little angel when I go back to her for a girl next time. 

Once they know what behavior is expected, they do know when they are being bad, that is for sure!


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## nolefan (Nov 6, 2009)

So glad to hear you are surviving with a smile 
I especially love that you have discovered Daisey is close enough for play dates... that is AWESOME!!! I'm so jealous! We will expect photos, so don't disappoint!


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