Dog class trainer etiquette?

[Narci]

He's a volunteer, as is everyone else who "works" for the dog club. It's a communally owned property maintained by membership dues and class fees. The people who do the scheduling, teaching, bill paying, etc are all volunteers. I think it's a very neat structure but it does mean I have no idea how to go "over his head" and I don't have much grounds to complain since he's doing this as a volunteer.

This is the only training school other than basic classes, here in my area, for things like agility or advanced obedience.

I think we'll talk to him on Tuesday and if he's really adamant about it, we'll switch instructors to one who'll let us both train. Is it reasonable for us both to be in the ring simutaneously, or just accept that we can switch off and on. (This is a compromise we're willing to do for the good of the class/other dogs that might get overstimulated.)

 

[DPSheltie]

He's a volunteer, as is everyone else who "works" for the dog club. It's a communally owned property maintained by membership dues and class fees. The people who do the scheduling, teaching, bill paying, etc are all volunteers. I think it's a very neat structure but it does mean I have no idea how to go "over his head" and I don't have much grounds to complain since he's doing this as a volunteer.

This is the only training school other than basic classes, here in my area, for things like agility or advanced obedience.

I think we'll talk to him on Tuesday and if he's really adamant about it, we'll switch instructors to one who'll let us both train. Is it reasonable for us both to be in the ring simutaneously, or just accept that we can switch off and on. (This is a compromise we're willing to do for the good of the class/other dogs that might get overstimulated.)

Riley's puppy class recommended that anyone in the family who will be working with the dog be at classes. Then at his beginner & intermediate classes they allowed 2 handlers, but they both had to attend all classes and both people had to work on each component in the ring. I did not see any issues with the other dogs when my husband and I (and others) were switching.

In addition, one of the activities in class was for us to ocassionally switch dogs or greet another dog and ask for a sit, down, etc so they would work for others and learn to greet people politely. (this was called pass the puppy in puppy class and just an activity in regular classes)

 

[Emmasmom]

It wouldn't matter if they are all volunteers. Someone has to head it up. Find out who and talk to them.

 

[Terry]

I would be very upset also. We are trying to train Blysse the simple things but want to take her to a class eventually. Even at home, we(hubby) both do it. When it is time to take her to classes that is the first thing I will ask. I never really thought about it but with your post it has made me think about your situation. We just don't have a lot of places to take her. Petsmart, Petco(I have watched their training, right out in the store in a middle aisle) Also our local humane society has classes also. So I am not sure where she will go, but will decide after I have talked to both places.

Terry & Blysse

 

[OntarioSheltie]

I would also be annoyed. I think that is ludicrous.

First of all, it's a basic obedience class. Second of all, that is doing your dog a disservice to say that he is incapable of learning/understanding commands from more than one person. If you walked into my house and asked my dogs to sit, I'd expect them to do so.

My husband and I have both handled our dogs through advanced obedience classes as well as handled both dogs to advanced agility titles.

I had an agility instructor say that we were ruining Lexi by both handling her. We found a new instructor after that.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the best part about taking classes is learning to be consistent. I think it's commendable and extremely helpful for multiple members of the family to be there, and be committed to being consistent with the dog. If one of you stayed home, you'd be transferring information to them second hand, and it would become watered down. You're obviously both going to ask Beau to do things (sit, stay, etc...) why not be able to practice it in a helpful, learning environment?

Sorry, but this got me fired up!

I agree with corbinam 100%. Anyone who will be handling the dog should be at the training classes so that they can all learn and keep training consistent. My trainer recommends this.

Alright, glad it's not just me who thought this was unreasonable! I was steaming but this class is at the end of a 16 hour day for me, so I wasn't exactly at my best. I'm going to try to find out if this is standard policy for all the dog club classes, or if it's just this one instructor's preference. I would MUCH rather go through the dog club than some teenager at PetSmart, though.

Or if it's one of those things that they prefer but won't try to enforce. He said he prefers not to use choke collars but it's fine if it works for us. That's what Beau is used to for walks. If he was a feisty doberman pup pulling at the leash, fine, but he heels and has a huge ruff. I'm not putting a pinch collar on him to get tangled and break his fur.


Okay that was a huge digression. I guess my point is I need to find out if this is a preference or a hard rule, and if it's a rule, if it's this instructor or the entire club. There ARE other classes but they're full.

eta: We frequently train together already for fun. We'll do recall games and chases and namegame and trade sit/stay/comes. Beau has zero issues responding to either of us, and it gives him something to process and think about when he gets to switch between our voices/hand movements. I could accept one at a time for the benefit of other dogs who are more hyper and space considerations.

If this trainer condones the use of a choke collar I'd be dumping him as a trainer. You do not want a trainer that uses anything but positive training techniques.

Honestly, I'd choose the Petsmart dog trainer any day over this trainer because at Petsmart they only use positive reinforcement training (At least in my area, you might want to look into it in your area if its an option).

If you aspire in dog sports like agility, do the Petsmart basic and advanced obedience training first so that he learns all the important basics in an appropriate way, then go back to the club for dog sports.

 

[Silaria]

This is ridiculous! My husband and I can both work with both dogs. Admittedly CJ runs better for Glen and Edan for me but that's more because CJ's a "daddy's girl" and Edan's a "mamma's boy" than that they won't work for us. Just last night I took CJ to her agility class because Glen had a prior commitment.

When I teach our Intro to Agility class, we touch on basic obedience skills to reinforce them. When other members of the family are there, I encourage them to participate so they are all on the same page with the training. Training breaks down if everyone's doing something different.

He's a volunteer, as is everyone else who "works" for the dog club. It's a communally owned property maintained by membership dues and class fees. The people who do the scheduling, teaching, bill paying, etc are all volunteers. I think it's a very neat structure but it does mean I have no idea how to go "over his head" and I don't have much grounds to complain since he's doing this as a volunteer.

This is the same structure my club has and there IS someone you can go to. At the very least their should be someone in charge of registration and/or curriculum. At our club, curriculum is responsible for the content of the classes AND the instructors. If you can't find the name of someone in that role, go to the President of the organization or send an email to whatever general information email they have.

 

[k9kreationz]

I just wanted to say that I support you and hope you and the trainer agree or that you can find a new trainer.

Even with Koji, when I'm too sick to move, I usually have hubby take him to class, NOT to run him, but to have someone else there run him. Usually at that point, it's just fun for Koji and to get my money's worth.

Trust me, I did ALL the training myself. Hubby did nothing. I can tell you who Koji listens to more.

 

[Toffee's Mom]

two warning bells for me... 1. Condoning any use of choke chain and 2. not wanting dog handled by more than one handler...

In agility your dog has to trust you and you have no training aids in the trial ring, no choke chain, nothing! Your dog is naked, lol Not sure how a dog trained with a choke chain would be wanting to be at your side without flinching and showing appeasing, stress signals... Makes me so cross... you don't need this for any dog, not even a Doberman

It seems off to me, I would try and find a Instructor that is positive and would welcome you and hubby!!!!!

 

[Caro]

I'm secretary of a large volunteer based obedience club so I can shed some light on things from the perspective of a club.

While the curriculum and philosophy are set by the club instructors are given leeway to organise the classes themselves, so it could be an instructor preference.

However, beginners classes are usually big and you have a class of excitable dogs and inexperienced handlers. The big issue in beginners is you are training the handler more than you are training the dog, and you want to reduce disruptions for the dog.

I tell people they need to have one lead handler, but the others in the family can come along. The reason we have a lead handler is so we don't have situations where one person turns up one week and another the next. Otherwise you end up having to catch up the other handler while the rest of the class is moving ahead. So the lead handler does most of the training and we teach the lead handler, but the family can have a practice in any down time and certainly they can watch what is going on to practice at home. When people try to have turns in class it tends to get very messy and ends up disruptive - for the class, instructor and the dog.

Btw - after beginners, when handlers are a bit more experienced and its not such mayhem you will probably find more flexibility on who can do the training.

So I would suggest saying to the instructor X is going to the the main handler and Y is going to sit in on the class. I can't see a problem with that. If you are concerned about talking to the instructor you can speak to the President or Secretary and put the proposition to them, instructors are usually fine about things that come from the office holders.

 

[3Stars]

I agree with *Caro, and I want to emphasize this is a volunteer position, and the trainer should be appreciated and respected for being willing to volunteer. In my town, without volunteers it would be impossible to run classes or any type of trial.

As a volunteer instructor, I've always said I will teach until it's no longer fun - at which point I will happily walk away and focus on my own dogs. If volunteering results in a negative experience for this trainer, you will end up with one less volunteer, which means that there will be less opportunity for you and others to train and trial your dogs. It's very difficult to find competent dog trainers - it requires a skill set most people don't have, and requires a time and financial commitment most people aren't willing to give.

Should you address this issue? Absolutely - but in a respectful manner that reflects the fact that you appreciate his time and expertise. If it's not resolved, talk to the person in charge (who is also probably a volunteer).