# Our first obedience class...



## Rocky (Dec 28, 2006)

Yesterday Rocky had his first obedience class. He was the only golden there. But, I think he was the smartest one there. He already new everything that they taught. And he was one of the calmest ones there, too. Most of the time, he just sat right at my side. I think I am a bit hard on him at home, because he is just a great dog! I think he has A LOT of potential. The place we are going has all sort of doggie training and even teaches agility (which I would love to do with him some day). They even host a competition there every year.

My only concern is that he was the only one afraid of the other dogs. He was even timid of the little dog. He got a little better by the end of the evening, but still very timid. He was given to us at 6 weeks old and has not been around many dogs since, do you think that has something to do with it? Last week was the first time since he has been with us that he was around another dog (besides the vet). Ironically, he was not really afraid of the dog last week, but maybe having 5 other dogs around freaked him out. I really hope that this class will help him not be so afraid of the other dogs.


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## Brandy's Mom (Oct 5, 2005)

It's natural for puppies to go through fear stages, which is why socializing them frequently is so important. 

I remember when Brandy was in her first obedience class, she was also the only golden and the only one who got everything right the first time. 

But beware: when Rocky hits his adolescence in a few months, things may just flip flop and he'll be the one out of control for a while. You may even ask where your little angel has gone. That's when obedience classes can be a humbling experience.


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

Glad it went well! He is a little guy taking in a bunch of new input and processing it, and being a group situation is a bunch of info. I bet after he has been there a few times he will be less timid.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

His being a bit overwhelmed is perfectly normal. A little bit of stress is fine... It sounds like a good class size... 

It is not the class and other puppies _alone_ that will teach him how to cope. In addition, it is how you relay to him that, during times of stress, he can look to you and you will help him understand what to do and reasure him that it is ok and that he can indeed cope....You can do that by really being focused on him during the class (try not to use the class time to visit with friends - that is fun and one of my reasons to take classes, just do it after class)....When you see him getting a bit too overwhelmed (some signs are ears down close to his head, panting, lip licking, yawning, tail held low - that kind of look in the eyes that they give you....) I am not saying rescue him EVERY SINGLE time he looks at you funny, but when you can see that he is frazzled.....help him out...

Move to a different place giving him some more personal space...and ask him to do things he knows well (sit, down--whatever) then make your approval of him exaggerated...big smile..very happy tone in your voice...repeat...

Reward his attention to you....give him lots of feedback when he is doing well in class....for instance say he knows "sit" very well and you no longer offer him a treat everytime he sits at home..... During class, reward him everytime... really up the frequency of rewards... if the class seems to be moving a bit slow....and the other dogs are getting wound up, keep him busy focusing on you....you can quietly amuse him without distracting the other handlers....

In class, try to position yourself near a pup and handler that are somewhat respectful of Rocky's space (not as yippy, jumpy...not as much 'in his face' or 'sniffing up his butt' ) Again some is fine and necessary...too much is obnoxious..

Being on the young side leaving his mom and littermates surely has something to do with it as they learn so much about how to read doggy body posture and expressions... BUT most young pups are overwhelmed at this stage by certain experiences....so it is not fair to place all the reason there....


His experience is all the more reason to keep up the classes...as well as meeting other FRIENDLY dogs in other settings....Really be his advocate at this stage of his life...it is ok (and dare I say even necessary)for other dogs to give him a correction if he is being obnoxious to them, but dont allow Bully Dogs to beat him up...repeatedly pin him, bark, growl or intimidate him with their stare. Again, it is all to degree...some is fine....too much is too much....if the other handlers are blind to the situation, remove him from the situation...

I like to teach my dogs a comfort touch....for my dogs it is a slow firm stroking between the forelegs while speaking softly ....I have done it since they were young....so during times of stress I stroke them that way to reassure them...

Classes are fun and if you like your trainer...can be a great resource....
Enjoy your sweetie....

Regards,


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## Rocky (Dec 28, 2006)

LibertyMe, Thanks for the wonderful response.
Whenever he was nervous, a bit too nervous, I would come to his level and try and reassure him. I would pet him and say "good boy" over and over. He was mostly just content staying by my side and when he finally left my side he got real nervous and ran under the gates to the other side of the room away from all the dogs.
There was another dog owner, who had the little dog, was trying to get our dogs to play, thinking that maybe Rocky wouldn't be as afraid of him. Maybe we will try and stay by them next time.
I really enjoyed the class and I think Rocky liked having some one on one time with me. And it really made me see just how well behaved he really is. He seemed to know a lot more than most of the other dogs there. 
I am so excited to continue to bond with Rocky. I have been practicing the things we learned and using some of the suggestions with other things and I can start to see a difference. I just hope it sticks.
Thanks again for your response.


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## Baileysmom (Aug 5, 2006)

I'm glad that you liked the class. I wouldn't worry too much about him being timid in the beginning. In Bailey's class there was the cutest little girl lab puppy "Molly". She was afraid of all the other puppies the first time. Every week we saw her get less and less timid. She LOVED them after about the 5th night. When Bailey graduated, she was the one greeting the puppies wanting to play.


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## njb (Oct 5, 2006)

I spent the first night of Julies class persistently putting her back by my side--the trainer had us all seated with dogs by our sides to give us some lessons on 'who runs the pack' and the like--so while we are seated--every dog BUT mine is quietly sitting by their person--I must have re directed her 50 times back to me--but OH--when it came to free off leash play time--where did she run? All I could say, was "oh--so NOW you want to sit by me"-

Julie has always been around other dogs from the day I brought her home--but a bunch of dogs can be overwhelming for them to process--there was one dog she never did want to play with--but that dog zoomed and zoomed and zoomed--no particular direction--just liked zooming. Julie would just sit firm with her nose in the air and turn her head when the dog would zoom by her. 

Just for a good laugh--so the trainer brings in his border collie for lessons in how to manage meeting dogs--in particular dogs that don't like other dogs (which his dog did not) --and what does Julie do? Steal his tennis ball...poor dog, he was looking at his person for the next command and Julie snuck up from behind and took off with it--she even had the nerve go to the other side of the trainer and want him to throw it for her--such a girl. 

Moral to this story? A. you get to learn a bunch about your dog when you watch how they interact with other dogs and b. it is very good for them to gain confidence dealing with strange dogs.


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## vicki L (Jan 18, 2007)

Our Max is 13 wk - so we should go ahead & find a class for him?? He does ok on the retrieveing - he doesn't drop but he will ring it back for the most part. He will sit for a treat - well it's as best as he can do given he's so thrilled w/getting a treat & he slips on the hardwoods!!


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## Lil_Sandy (Oct 31, 2006)

Thanks for sharing your experience. I'm enrolling Sandy in her first obedience class that begins January 31. I was a little concerned with how Sandy acted around other dogs when we were out on walks. She was very submissive, even to much smaller dogs. I decided to take her to our local dog park this weekend so she would have a chance to interact with other dogs in a more mutual environment. On Saturday she was very scared and would not leave my side. We went back on Sunday and after about ten of fifteen minutes she really came out of her shell and started playing with all the other dogs. I know that each dog is different, but I think the more your dog is exposed to other dogs the better he or she will be around them. I'm not sure if you have a dog park in your area, but if you do you should check it out.


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

Hey Vicki,
Heck yea start looking now! Most wont let you start until his puppy shots are complete. So it is a good time to get on a list. I have been through basic obed housemanners classes it seems like a hundred times, but always learn something new from different instructors and other handlers! Ive made great friends too! Puppy classes will focus on building confidence and socialization with other dogs, loose leash walking, simple recalls, sits and downs and problem solving (jumping nipping) and basic health. Basic Obed covers the main 5: sits, downs, stay, recall, loose leash walking, plus attention training and a trick or two as well as basic health...

There are lots of different places that offer classes...when you see well behaved dogs...ask their handlers if the took classes and where...but note that the well behaved dogs usually had handlers that put in the hours to learn what was offered to them....

Have a ball!
Mary


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## monomer (Apr 21, 2005)

Rocky said:


> ...Whenever he was nervous, a bit too nervous, I would come to his level and try and reassure him. I would pet him and say "good boy" over and over...


Oh please don't do that... if you are reassuring him that tells him there really is a reason to be nervous... you are re-enforcing his nervous behavior in that situation. You should ignore him and never intervene unless another dog is being very aggressive or highly dominate. Your little one needs to learn canine language... something you will never be able to teach him, only other dogs can do this. Please let this learning happen naturally. Socialization is very important for your pup. Many classes do not allow or promote dog-to-dog interactions... I think its 'cause they are afraid of the possible legal repercussions if something bad happens... whatever the reason, if your dog is always being kept just out of reach from other dogs for long periods of time, this can lead to anti-social behaviors forming. Bottomline here... Dogs need to learn how to socialize with other dogs.


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## Rena (Jun 21, 2007)

*I have a question*

Hello,
I am new to this site and I have a question. To start I will tell how this came to be. We had two goldens that we had from the time they were born first we had Indie she took our hearts away instantly after having her for a while we decided to get her a friend I got ginger for the family for christmas. We had these two dogs Indie for 9 years and ginger for just 6. Ginger got a hold of a dish towel and chewed a piece off it became lodged in her small bowel and 5 thousand dollars later she died leaving us devastated. This happened on January 28th 2006 Indie lost her best friend. So after a while we got Lilly from a breeder she is so great her and Indie got along fantastically. for 7 months things were great we missed ginger but lilly helping to fill the void. Then in November of the same year Indie died unexpectedly from cancer that we did not even know she had she was almost 9 years old. I did not think I would smile ever again. I did not think I could live without her. but again Lilly helped to fill the hole in my chest. Lilly started to be lonley so we thought we would get her a friend we went to the local rescue and got a big male golden he is a great dog but he was raised by a single women he was not with other dogs much if at all so now he thinks everything is his. He is too rough with Lilly. He has hurt her already and I am afraid to leave them alone. Lilly is a small golden female she seems more sad than if she were alone. She is afraid to play with her toys and nearly everytime she moves he jumps on her to play but he is just so big and rough. I love him but I need to protect Lilly I don't know what to do we are considering giving him back. Could someone give me some advice.
Thank You,
Rena


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## mylissyk (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm so sorry this hasn't been a good match for Lilly. Sometimes it just isn't. I don't think this is going to improve, and you probably are making the right choice not keeping him. But don't give up, if Lilly is lonely you can still find a friend for her that will be a good match. Maybe another female since she did so well with Indie.

You should call the rescue group though, and and discuss the problem with them, they might have some suggestions.




Rena said:


> Hello,
> I am new to this site and I have a question. To start I will tell how this
> came to be. We had two goldens that we had from the time they were born first we had Indie she took our hearts away instantly after having her for a while we decided to get her a friend I got ginger for the family for christmas. We had these two dogs Indie for 9 years and ginger for just 6. Ginger got a hold of a dish towel and chewed a piece off it became lodged in her small bowel and 5 thousand dollars later she died leaving us devastated. This happened on January 28th 2006 Indie lost her best friend. So after a while we got Lilly from a breeder she is so great her and Indie got along fantastically. for 7 months things were great we missed ginger but lilly helping to fill the void. Then in November of the same year Indie died unexpectedly from cancer that we did not even know she had she was almost 9 years old. I did not think I would smile ever again. I did not think I could live without her. but again Lilly helped to fill the hole in my chest. Lilly started to be lonley so we thought we would get her a friend we went to the local rescue and got a big male golden he is a great dog but he was raised by a single women he was not with other dogs much if at all so now he thinks everything is his. He is too rough with Lilly. He has hurt her already and I am afraid to leave them alone. Lilly is a small golden female she seems more sad than if she were alone. She is afraid to play with her toys and nearly everytime she moves he jumps on her to play but he is just so big and rough. I love him but I need to protect Lilly I don't know what to do we are considering giving him back. Could someone give me some advice.
> Thank You,
> Rena


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## Brinkleysmom (Dec 17, 2005)

LibertyME said:


> His being a bit overwhelmed is perfectly normal. A little bit of stress is fine... It sounds like a good class size...
> 
> It is not the class and other puppies _alone_ that will teach him how to cope. In addition, it is how you relay to him that, during times of stress, he can look to you and you will help him understand what to do and reasure him that it is ok and that he can indeed cope....You can do that by really being focused on him during the class (try not to use the class time to visit with friends - that is fun and one of my reasons to take classes, just do it after class)....When you see him getting a bit too overwhelmed (some signs are ears down close to his head, panting, lip licking, yawning, tail held low - that kind of look in the eyes that they give you....) I am not saying rescue him EVERY SINGLE time he looks at you funny, but when you can see that he is frazzled.....help him out...
> 
> ...


I think Mary gave you great advice. I couldnt agree more


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## Brinkleysmom (Dec 17, 2005)

mylissyk said:


> I'm so sorry this hasn't been a good match for Lilly. Sometimes it just isn't. I don't think this is going to improve, and you probably are making the right choice not keeping him. But don't give up, if Lilly is lonely you can still find a friend for her that will be a good match. Maybe another female since she did so well with Indie.
> 
> You should call the rescue group though, and and discuss the problem with them, they might have some suggestions.


Absolutely. I also agree, not to give up. The rescue group I am sure will give you some insight and help. Keep us posted.


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