Yep its true I use to hate going to dog training classes and I have tried a fair few in my time. Years before I become a professional dog walker and started studying to become a dog trainer I adopted a one year old, Old English Sheepdog called Flash (he’s the Practically Perfect Logo).
Flash was a happy soul but clueless at walking sensibly on a lead, he literally dragged me everywhere, he did what he wanted when he wanted and he couldn’t lie down when I asked to save his life. So I joined a dog training class I wanted Flash to be a well rounded dog who I could take with me when I went out for coffee and who I could let off lead on walks.
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The trouble is Flash and I had to go through a few training classes to find one we both liked. First up the trainer that liked Kennel Club Competition level Obedience, we did endless drills in class, every turn had to be done with precision, alot of time was spent sitting and watching the owners who could get their dogs to do what they required with a mear hand signal. Talk about making the rest of us mere mortals feel like dunces plus it was boring sitting and watching. These trainers also use to like to use force to get the dogs to behave and I was actually handed a check chain collar to use on Flash to stop him pulling.
It Gets Worse.
Next was the would be dog trainer who wanted to do dog training but as it turns out didn’t know anything other then how to read instructions from a piece of paper oh and it was the same exercises over and over.
If we made a mistake or struggled with anything we were ‘told better luck next week’. Somehow in the space of week Flash and I would magically grow the few extra brain cells needed to conquer the problem…. that never happened.Then there was the trainer I found the most annoying, although she used positive re-enforcement she was hell bent of showing off everything she knew. This meant that we learned the beginning moves to LOTS of exercises but never once mastered any. Whats the point of knowing how to start something if you’re never going to learn how it ends.
Don’t get me wrong Flash and I learned from these classes but they weren’t consistent, they weren’t fun for Flash or I at the same time and I god forbid I asked for help outside of class time.
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Finally Fun and Success.
The last classes Flash and I attended were held by a Trainer who showed her Collie dogs at Obedenice Dog shows and had many champions to her name. But this didn’t mean she taught us in precision way instead she broke down each exercise to bite size pieces so both the dog and owner had a chance to learn it.
She made absolutely sure every dog had fun by using play and toys in between exercises and most of all she would happliy show you how to improve the exercises. All the dogs and their owners showed improvement week on week.Well Flash never mastered ‘retreive’ he would always go and get the toy, he just never brought it back instead he paraded the toy around the room for everyone to see! But that was never treated as a problem we just excepted he would never do it, ask him to do a recall and it was flawless every time.
Unfortunately these classes came to an end, but when I decided to start learning to be a trainer I knew my classes would be like these.
So Practically Perfect was born bringing fun and simplicity to dog training classes along with giving both owner and their dog skills to get them through every day life.t
Want to know more about my classes then get in touch!
Take careSuzanneChief Canine Happiness Officer