How much would you pay to train?

[SheltieChe]

Dogs are not allowed in children's playgrounds, but you are allowed to stand in front of the playground. When I take Bailey to the park, we stand near the entrance gates to the playground. Bailey can see and hear all the kids on the playground equipment and see all kids running and screaming in and out of the playground.

In other places that dogs are not allowed off leash like certain parks and beaches, I put Bailey on a 20 foot leash to practice recalls. It's perfect. There are distractions for her to take off, but she can't cause she still on a long leash.

So there are definitely ways getting around the no dogs off leash issue.

dogs are still segregated from children by fence, even if you stand by the gate. It has a lot of thoughts to it. On one hand- there is no day goes in ER without dog bite, and most dangerous injuries are children bitten in the face/ proximity factor/
On the other hand- 99% of all people get bitten by their own dog of family dog or dog they know...
Justicemom, I am soo moving to MN! Our eldest lives in St Paul and youngest wants to move there as well after she done with school.

 

[SheltieChe]

and what is australian labradoodle? Am going through introductions on new recallers... 15 lbs?

 

[Goggle]

I think the majority of dog owners want an friend/4-legged member of the family… they don't want the dog to become their life. Right or wrong… I sort of understand it. Yes, a dog requires attention, training, exercise, proper diet and some sort of stimulation… BUT that doesn't necessarily mean that dog training, or activities have to be the focus of your life.

For many of us, it is enjoyable and is our hobby or even our occupation. But not everyone has the same interests. They have a dog… they care for said dog by exercising it and giving it basic training… they include the dog in their family life… Isn't that enough? (assuming that they've done the basics and that the dog isn't "ruling the roost" and causing problems)

Having said that… training is relatively expensive here. I paid $150 for 8 sessions of puppy kindergarten. The fly-ball club I plan to take Miko to charges $25 for new dog training… I'm not sure how many sessions that gets us… if there's a membership fee to the club, etc. I haven't had a chance to find out yet.

Oh I wasn't suggesting that every dog owner should make dog training their number one focus - if a dog knows the basics and is well behaved in public then the owner has done their job well. Not every dog needs to know everything under the sun - some people just don't enjoy training which is absolutely fine. However, there are too many badly behaved dogs as a result of NO training or a lack of exercise. A dog is a commitment and if you are not willing to commit to the minimum training and exercise required you should not be purchasing the dog in the first place.

 

[k9kreationz]

I pay $20 per agility class and that's about the going rate here. Most training classes (puppy, obedience, etc) range from $15-$25 per class. Depends on the trainer/facility/length of class, etc.

When I first started out learning how to train, I took classes. Classes are great because the prices can be lower than private training, you can still get personal help, and I think they're more about training the person, not the dog. BUT, you have to have the time (outside of class) to really keep up. I never had that time, so I'd fall behind.

DVD's and online courses are great, if you don't have good trainers in your area. I personally think if you have great trainers in the area, you don't need "famous trainer" training classes. DVD's are the cheap man's route and I like those for when I can't afford the real thing. Granted, it's hard when you have questions though.

Which leads me to what I AM willing to spend my money on. Private sessions. Why? Because I can go at my own pace. I learn what I need to do, do it, train it, work on it, then have another private session to work on the next thing. This way, I'm not overwhelmed, and I am doing it at my own pace.

I also learned that I REALLY REALLY REALLY work well off of a "training plan". I have NEVER seen any trainer hand something like that out. I have to admit, I was so impressed with my training plan and how far we got in such a short time. Granted, that could be due to the way I am/learn. As we all know everyone learns differently. It's just too bad trainers don't outline what to train as you would in a training plan. I think if they did, people would understand when to move on, and when not to.

 

[Mikos_Mom]

Oh I wasn't suggesting that every dog owner should make dog training their number one focus - if a dog knows the basics and is well behaved in public then the owner has done their job well. Not every dog needs to know everything under the sun - some people just don't enjoy training which is absolutely fine. However, there are too many badly behaved dogs as a result of NO training or a lack of exercise. A dog is a commitment and if you are not willing to commit to the minimum training and exercise required you should not be purchasing the dog in the first place.

I agree!!... I think the problem isn't so much lack of commitment as it is, lack of a clue! I'm quite certain that people meet dogs on the street, in the park, people's houses, etc and just assume that the dog behaves the way they do all on their own. I think there are TONS of people out there (usually the ones surrendering their dogs to the SPCA at about 9mos of age) that don't have the slightest clue of how to train or that training is even required.

 

[OntarioSheltie]

My trainer is on the expensive side at closer to $180 for a six week advanced obedience course (same price for an 8 wk beginner obedience class).

I don't mind paying more money for her class because I learn so much. I learn a lot about positive training and dog psychology and Toby gets some much needed socialization. Most importantly, I have a professional who can watch what Toby and I are doing, give me pointers (and tell me what I'm doing wrong) and who can also give me some input on Toby and his behaviors.

Its interesting that this topic came up because we were just talking about Susan Garrett last class. My trainer as it turns out is friends with Susan Garrett. We all agreed that she's an amazing trainer (my trainer uses pretty much the same methods), but we didn't agree that online classes were better for the majority of the reasons I listed.

Each to his/her own I guess. But personally I would NEVER pay that kind of money for a class that I didn't attend in person. Maybe it would be different if I were more experienced at training or if I was competing.

 

[Calliesmom]

I agree!!... I think the problem isn't so much lack of commitment as it is, lack of a clue! I'm quite certain that people meet dogs on the street, in the park, people's houses, etc and just assume that the dog behaves the way they do all on their own. I think there are TONS of people out there (usually the ones surrendering their dogs to the SPCA at about 9mos of age) that don't have the slightest clue of how to train or that training is even required.

when we were at Petsmart on Sat- lots of people commented on how well behaved my dogs were. I did tell them that Cran did puppy class right there and all three had been to classes. every little bit- right

 

[SheltieChe]

My trainer is on the expensive side at closer to $180 for a six week advanced obedience course (same price for an 8 wk beginner obedience class).

I don't mind paying more money for her class because I learn so much. I learn a lot about positive training and dog psychology and Toby gets some much needed socialization. Most importantly, I have a professional who can watch what Toby and I are doing, give me pointers (and tell me what I'm doing wrong) and who can also give me some input on Toby and his behaviors.

Its interesting that this topic came up because we were just talking about Susan Garrett last class. My trainer as it turns out is friends with Susan Garrett. We all agreed that she's an amazing trainer (my trainer uses pretty much the same methods), but we didn't agree that online classes were better for the majority of the reasons I listed.

Each to his/her own I guess. But personally I would NEVER pay that kind of money for a class that I didn't attend in person. Maybe it would be different if I were more experienced at training or if I was competing.

Great to see that you and Toby get to enjoy Say Yes training through your trainer. There are lots of dog trainers that take recallers course so hopefully they change what and how they teach too so change goes around for many students.
"I know we all can make a difference even if it is just one dog at a time, because to that one dog, it is all of the difference in the world". SG

 

[2GoodDogs]

I will spend as much as I can afford to take private lessons from people I admire and respect. In attend as many seminars as I can, buy the books, rent the videos (thank you for the post about bow wow flix, btw!

Unfortunately when money gets tight, I have to take my dog, leash and treats to the park and that is where my dog gets trained, and I become a better trainer. Can watch what works for you, but I stll have to apply it to me and my dog....