First Day of Rally Fundamentals for Beau

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Pam

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Ok so we went to Rally Fundamentals class. The space is a bit tighter than previous classes so we had to sit quite close to other owners and dogs, and Beau was great. But the person on my left had a nice Rotty and put these huge bags of treats (chicken and cheese cubes) on the chair between us, out in the open. Everytime we went back to our seats Beau tried to maneuver toward the treats, eventually he got quite stubborn and really wanted them badly and started to bark. The other problem with the Rotty was the owner allowed him to sit perpendicular to his feet--directly facing and staring at Beau. I don't think it was necessarily aggressive but after seeing and smelling treats sitting out in the open maybe 1.5 feet away and a Rotty in a lying position staring at him, he started to act up a bit about 45 minutes in. I took him out for a break and he came back and behaved but I could feel the stress level high, and he took treats with that stress induced harder mouth.
Is this normal in classes? In other classes I've been in the trainer would advise the owner to turn staring dogs away and keep treats in pouches or pockets.
 
I feel for you! The last two classes I too Baron to had dogs that went after him!

The second class was a bit better... They were very strict about not letting one dog face another!
Everyone had a pouch in our class on their bodies so that never came up as an issue!

Good luck! You might want to talk to the trainer about your concerns...
 
Unfortunately there are too many unqualified trainers and good trainers are hard to come by. I would make a point to sit elsewhere next time and if it's still an issue talk to the trainer. If I had to I'd mention something to the owner of that dog (my dogs safety is the most important and unfortunately some people who take these classes have absolutely no clue). If the trainers don't do anything or don't take your concerns seriously I'd start looking for a new trainer but make sure you ask them what their qualifications are...most important is what level have they titled a dog in Rally/obedience...too many teach but haven't titled in it and don't tell their students all they need to know.
 
That's why I am surprised. She has titled dogs. Her dogs are: MHR OTCH-C MH UDX-C CDX RA, OTCH-C WR SH UDX-C RN. She is older but very nice. But although I am impressed by her credentials and some tips she gave, I was unimpressed with the way the class was run. The simple general obediance classes we went to were much more structured and we got much more time to practice, etc.
I was really surprised she didn't tell the owner to turn her dog away or put the treats away. I will definitely sit some place else next time. I am just curious, is it normal to leave clear, big bags of cut meat just out on a chair that dogs walk past?
 
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I've never seen anyone do that but most classes I've attended everyone kept them in a bag out of sight or in their pocket. By her credentials (if I'm reading it correctly) the highest she's titled a dog in Rally is Rally Advanced?
 
"is it normal to leave clear, big bags of cut meat just out on a chair that dogs walk past?"

NO. this should NEVER be allowed... it just seems like a recipe for disaster!

After all the years I have done obedience, I am shocked at how much less structured the classes are. They seem to spend more time on problem dogs and less on the ones who practiced between classes and took the class seriously. The last two classes I just completed had this issue!

Hopefully, the new class, Advanced Beginner Obedience / Canine Good Citizen (CGC) that I have Baron enrolled in will not have problem dogs like the Beginner classes.
 
I'd have no problem saying, "Would you mind awfully putting those yummy treats out of sight? They're driving my dog nuts."
 
Piper's mom said:
I've never seen anyone do that but most classes I've attended everyone kept them in a bag out of sight or in their pocket. By her credentials (if I'm reading it correctly) the highest she's titled a dog in Rally is Rally Advanced?
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Yes, only Rally Advanced but she has Obediance Titles, so I thought she would have structured class. Since I am new to Rally and only getting Fundamentals, I thought this would be good class--Rally is very very hard to find around me. I'm new to all this, so I don't reall know what I am doing LOL. All advice is welcome.
 
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ghggp said:
"is it normal to leave clear, big bags of cut meat just out on a chair that dogs walk past?"

NO. this should NEVER be allowed... it just seems like a recipe for disaster!

After all the years I have done obedience, I am shocked at how much less structured the classes are. They seem to spend more time on problem dogs and less on the ones who practiced between classes and took the class seriously. The last two classes I just completed had this issue!

Hopefully, the new class, Advanced Beginner Obedience / Canine Good Citizen (CGC) that I have Baron enrolled in will not have problem dogs like the Beginner classes.
Click to expand...
Do you think I should email the trainer and ask her to request all owners have food out of sight? I would rather it come from her--as I feel it should. Also, should I mention Rotty that was lying directly staring at Beau? I kept turning Beau into my legs or facing other direction but Rotty stayed put, and owner did not seem to get hint.
 
I would absolutely email her and mention the food issue as well as the Rottie staring. That's aggressive behaviour the staring....when Piper and I were in Thunder Bay at a trial two weeks ago our trainer noticed a bigger dog aggressively staring at Piper and she told me to keep away from that dog, that this dog wanted to 'get' him...we steered clear of him! Hopefully she'll say something about it in class but she will probably keep a closer eye on the Rottie's behavior.
 
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