# First Puppy Class - Issues



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Sorry for the length, I really need to vent

Yesterday was Delgado's first puppy socialization class, and there are six dogs in his class including him 

After the first obedience period ended the "socialization" period started and well, it all went  He's been around dogs his whole life both at the breeders and my house and he's normally very respectful of other dogs and just wants to play. I've never seen any extremely dominant or extremely submissive behaviour from him, he's always just been a happy go lucky playful puppy with any dog he meets

We were told to sit in the chairs and we were not to touch or talk to any of the puppies while they played, so the trainer could observe them. After a few moments of playing Delgado goes up the dominant puppy in the class and tries to play but instead gets growled at and the puppy slammed him with his chest a few times, so Delgado put his head down and avoided eye contact and when the other dog didn't give up he ran away.

Suddenly 4 of the dogs ran up and ganged up on him and were pinning him in a corner for a few seconds, the entire time I'm looking from the puppies to the trainer and she's just watching them and not intervening. Thankfully the session ended just moments after the "pack attack" and we took the puppies back to our chairs and worked on obedience again. 

Before the second socialization period started she came over and told me I could block the other dogs just using my hands gently if they were ganging up on him again. Immediately after the puppies were let loose the same pack ran up and ganged up on Delgado again, and I had my hands full pushing puppies away, none of the other owners were helping, and finally the trainer comes back and tells me I should walk away and hopefully that'll get Delgado to come out and get him away from the pack. He tried a few times but they kept hitting him back and he started to growl so I intervened without the trainer's consent and took him to the other side of the room and didn't allow any puppies near him until the session ended.

At the end of the class she came up to me again and told me there was another trainer doing the second class and that she would place a note in my file that Delgado was "nervous" and needed a one on one socialization rather then the group

Now I'm really upset, the fact she allowed Delgado to have to growl and *I* had to intervene was careless in my opinion. I'm upset with myself for allowing her to control the situation where she was obviously failing and allowing Delgado to have to be put in that situation

I'm going to go early next week and talk to the second trainer about either doing a one or two dog play session or just skipping it entirely and having a play session outside with just me and him.

Honestly, should I even try the group socialization again, or just one other dog, or just skip it entirely and just do the obedience? The main reason I paid to do the classes was the socialization aspect

Any opinions or comments would be welcome


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Our first puppy class (STAR program) there was "puppy playtime" offered after class, we went one time and skipped it moving forward, I did not see the benefit for us personally.

There were puppies of all different breeds, small & big. It was a mess, my boy appeared like a mad puppy. LOL and all the gasping from the other owners turned me off. There was an Australian Cattle dog who matched the energy level of my puppy and they had fun but knocked over and scared some of the other puppies. Some of the owners were treating the playtime like they would kids on a playground.

My boy is now two and we have been in group training classes since he was a puppy, it's nice that he can work around other dogs but knows there's no greeting and I like it. The only dog he plays with is our neighbors lab, who I trust. One day we will add another and he will have a playmate all the time


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Courtney said:


> Our first puppy class (STAR program) there was "puppy playtime" offered after class, we went one time and skipped it moving forward, I did not see the benefit for us personally.
> 
> There were puppies of all different breeds, small & big. It was a mess, my boy appeared like a mad puppy. LOL and all the gasping from the other owners turned me off. There was an Australian Cattle dog who matched the energy level of my puppy and they had fun but knocked over and scared some of the other puppies. Some of the owners were treating the playtime like they would kids on a playground.
> 
> My boy is now two and we have been in group training classes since he was a puppy, it's nice that he can work around other dogs but knows there's no greeting and I like it. The only dog he plays with is our neighbors lab, who I trust. One day we will add another and he will have a playmate all the time


He's in a large breed class, there's two GSD, a lab, a St. Bernard, and a large terrier, and also a smaller Shiba Inu (sp?)

I brought his blanket and he sat or lay on it while not working and he was very calm and watched the other dogs but mostly ignored them until the play time


----------



## fuzzybunny (Apr 29, 2011)

I'm sending you a PM.


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I had a similar experience with Masi when she was young, very similar

It did NOT go well, and I 'knew' in my gut this was NOT a good thing for my , up to that point, very social, happy girl. After the 3rd week, I pulled her from the class. At the 3rd week, she did NOT want to enter the building, she became very defensive, and I was seeing behaviors out inpublic that I did not want to encourage. So I pulled her.

Took my 9 year old aussie who can hold her own has good calming signals, she finished out the session with no problems.

I could KICK myself for even letting it happen once, it took me a few months to deprogram into this 4mth old puppy, that not every dog was 'out' to get her.

What I'm saying is this, if you like the class itself, have no problems there (I had probs in class to), stick with it, but forego the free for all thing..just leave when class is over.


----------



## jennyp (Jun 18, 2011)

Wow. This makes me really angry! The trainer should have had the other owners step in! I wouldn't trust this trainer and would not return!


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

JakodaCD OA said:


> I had a similar experience with Masi when she was young, very similar
> 
> It did NOT go well, and I 'knew' in my gut this was NOT a good thing for my , up to that point, very social, happy girl. After the 3rd week, I pulled her from the class. At the 3rd week, she did NOT want to enter the building, she became very defensive, and I was seeing behaviors out inpublic that I did not want to encourage. So I pulled her.
> 
> ...


The obedience part is fine, the school itself has a good reputation which is most of the reason I was so shocked. I think this is the only class that specifically has playtime so after this one the next level probably just has obedience. There is another school which I'm looking into which was recommended

The thing that sucks is the "socialization" time is included in the class itself, so I'd just get up and leave when she mentions that and come back when it's done. I'll talk to the second trainer and see what she says and maybe try the first playtime, but if it goes wrong even once I'm taking him out of the play times

I may try the one or two dog playtime, there's one dog in the class he likes, and one more I think he would so I might ask to have them have just one playtime with the three of them and try that. I do want him to be comfortable in a pack of dogs, but a bad pack can cause more problems then help and I think that's what I'm stuck with in this class


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

jennyp said:


> Wow. This makes me really angry! The trainer should have had the other owners step in! I wouldn't trust this trainer and would not return!


I know  She really seems like she has no idea how to deal with dog behaviour! Hello, is that not majority of what dog training is?!  She's been a trainer for over 20 years!


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

How old are these puppies? Sorry, but you're already labeling them as a bad pack which is probably not true. They're just acting like they would if they were all litter mates. I think you should've definitely stepped in sooner, but your dog might be on the timid side. This exercise in socialization didn't cause it, your dog was more timid. You probably only saw him one on one and so you thought he was fine, but in a big group of dogs he might be the more submissive one. I don't think this will affect his behavior towards dogs, they are still all young enough to where it was probably all play. I'm surprised any kind of growling was allowed, as this is usually a sign of fear in a puppy and not dominance.

It's a very delicate situation, pulling him away from dogs like that can teach him that no matter what mom will save him and so he can react however he wants and you'll step in to protect him, but it can also teach him that its not proper behavior around dogs. If all the puppies are around the same age, the older ones will be more "dominant." They just know better, they've been through it, they have more confidence.

Also, I don't know your dog, but I know mine bounced back from things like this without any problems. We had one really barky/dominant type puppy in our puppy class and so our instructors stopped allowing off-leash puppy socialization (part of that was that the owner was proud of his "dominant" pup and wouldn't listen when they told him that its not good behavior, didn't see that guy after the puppy classes were over). If you're truly worried about your dog having issues later I would stop with the socializing in that environment. Clearly other people's dogs developed issues that later had to be worked through due to these kinds of experiences.


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Shade said:


> I know  She really seems like she has no idea how to deal with dog behaviour! Hello, is that not majority of what dog training is?!  She's been a trainer for over 20 years!


Actually it isn't. Dog training is making a dog do what you want from it. Most trainers are not behaviorists and unless they've gone through a certain behavior (most likely with their own dog) they don't know how to fix it. Behavior modification is not the same thing as obedience training.


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

martemchik said:


> How old are these puppies? Sorry, but you're already labeling them as a bad pack which is probably not true. They're just acting like they would if they were all litter mates. I think you should've definitely stepped in sooner, but your dog might be on the timid side. This exercise in socialization didn't cause it, your dog was more timid. You probably only saw him one on one and so you thought he was fine, but in a big group of dogs he might be the more submissive one. I don't think this will affect his behavior towards dogs, they are still all young enough to where it was probably all play. I'm surprised any kind of growling was allowed, as this is usually a sign of fear in a puppy and not dominance.
> 
> It's a very delicate situation, pulling him away from dogs like that can teach him that no matter what mom will save him and so he can react however he wants and you'll step in to protect him, but it can also teach him that its not proper behavior around dogs. If all the puppies are around the same age, the older ones will be more "dominant." They just know better, they've been through it, they have more confidence.
> 
> Also, I don't know your dog, but I know mine bounced back from things like this without any problems. We had one really barky/dominant type puppy in our puppy class and so our instructors stopped allowing off-leash puppy socialization (part of that was that the owner was proud of his "dominant" pup and wouldn't listen when they told him that its not good behavior, didn't see that guy after the puppy classes were over). If you're truly worried about your dog having issues later I would stop with the socializing in that environment. Clearly other people's dogs developed issues that later had to be worked through due to these kinds of experiences.


All but one of the puppies are between 13-15 weeks, and he's middle in the size department between them all

I met him at 3 weeks, 5 weeks, 7 weeks, and took him home at 9 weeks. The breeder has several adult dogs and he was raised in the house with them, along with her two children and cats and of course his siblings. He was the first in the litter to go home, and there's 8 dogs between my family and he's been around all of them almost every day of his life since we all live close together. He plays with my sister's small 4 lb yorkie to my other sister's 80 lb doberman with no issues. Until yesterday he has met every dog I've introduced him to with no issues

There were two dogs in the "pack" that caused the issues, the other GSD was dominant, and the lab was hyperactive which ramped up the whole group. Delgado acted submissive to the pack "leader" (the GSD) and got swarmed for it by the other dogs 

He's got a great temperment and nerves, he was running around playing until he tried to play with the other GSD and it all went downhill


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

martemchik said:


> Actually it isn't. Dog training is making a dog do what you want from it. Most trainers are not behaviorists and unless they've gone through a certain behavior (most likely with their own dog) they don't know how to fix it. Behavior modification is not the same thing as obedience training.


I'm not talking about behaviour modification but understanding dog behaviour tells you HOW to train a dog. Not every dog is made with the same cookie cutter obviously and how can you teach a group where each dog is different to do the same thing UNLESS you understand the behaviour of each and a way to trigger the behaviour you want?


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I went through those puppy play times with Cyra and with Toby and wound up with dog agression issues. With Grim, he was an adult when I got him and was fine but he was raised as a working dog so I doubt he had that kind of playtime. 

Beau has had ZERO puppy free for alls outside of his initial litter. He only got one on one time with a few grounded adults of my selection while he was growing up. Now at 10 months he is GREAT with other dogs. He wants to play and initiates a play bow, but can ignore them as well and I have yet to see any signs of stress or hackles. So he still does not get doggy play but I make up for it.

I honestly think it is a better way. We just started our first obedience class a few weeks ago with 8 other older puppies around his age, two of which are a bit fear reactive. Trainer has us keep reasonable distance and has enough helpers everything is in control. I am impressed - there are 4 helpers, one trainer for 8 dogs. Oh, there is no free play.

I guess what I am saying is maybe Cyra and Toby were predisposed (I personally think Toby was but other issues were at play with Cyra) and maybe it is all genetics with Grim and Beau but they sure seem to be able to deal appropriately with other dogs without puppy play time.


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

jocoyn said:


> I went through those puppy play times with Cyra and with Toby and wound up with dog agression issues. With Grim, he was an adult when I got him and was fine but he was raised as a working dog so I doubt he had that kind of playtime.
> 
> Beau has had ZERO puppy free for alls outside of his initial litter. He only got one on one time with a few grounded adults of my selection while he was growing up. Now at 10 months he is GREAT with other dogs. He wants to play and initiates a play bow, but can ignore them as well and I have yet to see any signs of stress or hackles. So he still does not get doggy play but I make up for it.
> 
> ...


Delgado's the same, he hasn't been around another puppy since he left the litter 4 weeks ago, it's only been with dogs I've approved where the youngest is almost a year.

Maybe I'm just being possessive but when I see my dog being swarmed by a group of puppies who are jumping and biting at him the mama bear comes to the forefront...my dogs are like my kids and if my kids were being bullied like that there would be major issues


----------



## Sir Bear (Mar 9, 2012)

It's tough finding the right trainer, try not to let the labels they put on puppies scare you....my trainer told me bear was really dominant and I'm probably going to have issues on my hands later...I was worried sick about a comment like that. But months later he's just fine, don't worry!


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Shade said:


> He's got a great temperment and nerves, he was running around playing until he tried to play with the other GSD and it all went downhill


I'm not saying you don't have a great dog, he might just be submissive for now. Especially with an older puppy. With grown dogs, they are all "expected" to be submissive (would be stupid to dominate an 80 lb dobe), but with puppies, their true personalities tend to come out. He's fine playing with a dog smaller than him, but he's not that great with a dog a bit bigger, and one with the same kind of "energy" as he might have. I'd give it another chance with the group though, he might build up his confidence and play just fine with the other dogs that caused issues before. Just be ready to step in and pull him out if anything goes wrong that you don't like.

I don't like recommending no socialization because unless you really know what you're doing, you might end up with a dog that doesn't like other dogs instead of a dog that is neutral to other dogs. My boy loves all other dogs, he'll play with anything, it gets annoying at times when I want him to concentrate on me, but he's getting better at it. Lets just say, I'd rather have him be like this, than on the other end of the spectrum, and not knowing your ability to socialize I don't want to recommend that you pull him out of class.


----------



## Lilie (Feb 3, 2010)

I think as an owner, I wouldn't want my puppy being dominant towards other puppies either. Even if running in a pack, I wouldn't want him/her to get the idea that attacking a single dog is something that should be considered fun. 

If my pup was among the ones in the pack ganging up on one pup, I would have pulled him/her.


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Shade said:


> Maybe I'm just being possessive but when I see my dog being swarmed by a group of puppies who are jumping and biting at him the mama bear comes to the forefront...my dogs are like my kids and if my kids were being bullied like that there would be major issues


But that is how puppies play...its not how kids play. Its also how big dogs play and the puppies tend to be rougher. Without being there, I can't tell you if I would react the same way you are, but I would try to take a step back and remember that this is a dog and not a child. Unless there is true stress, or yelping, and the other dogs aren't stopping, this might not be that bad of an experience. There are very few puppies that I've met (including my dog) that won't stop whatever they're doing if the other dog yelps.


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Lilie said:


> I think as an owner, I wouldn't want my puppy being dominant towards other puppies either. Even if running in a pack, I wouldn't want him/her to get the idea that attacking a single dog is something that should be considered fun.
> 
> If my pup was among the ones in the pack ganging up on one pup, I would have pulled him/her.


Agree with this 150%, but sadly there are people that think it will help their dog turn into a meaner/better GSD or whatever else they have. Then these people bring their dogs to the dog parks or walk them off-leash on park trails and you get the issues we discuss on the forum.


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

martemchik said:


> I'm not saying you don't have a great dog, he might just be submissive for now. Especially with an older puppy. With grown dogs, they are all "expected" to be submissive (would be stupid to dominate an 80 lb dobe), but with puppies, their true personalities tend to come out. He's fine playing with a dog smaller than him, but he's not that great with a dog a bit bigger, and one with the same kind of "energy" as he might have. I'd give it another chance with the group though, he might build up his confidence and play just fine with the other dogs that caused issues before. Just be ready to step in and pull him out if anything goes wrong that you don't like.
> 
> I don't like recommending no socialization because unless you really know what you're doing, you might end up with a dog that doesn't like other dogs instead of a dog that is neutral to other dogs. My boy loves all other dogs, he'll play with anything, it gets annoying at times when I want him to concentrate on me, but he's getting better at it. Lets just say, I'd rather have him be like this, than on the other end of the spectrum, and not knowing your ability to socialize I don't want to recommend that you pull him out of class.


I'll never stop socializing him, but I don't know if this group is the proper group if people aren't able to step in and the trainer won't stop bad behaviour. I want him to be comfortable in all situations and pushing him isn't going to help, if it was just one dog that was the problem I'd remove him from the one dog but because there's two and the pack mentality set in the only could I *could* do was remove him

I'm no trainer and I was trusting the trainer to keep my dog safe in that situation and she failed. If I left Delgado alone like she was he *would* have bitten. He tried being submissive, he ran away, he growled...what else could he have done?


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Lilie said:


> I think as an owner, I wouldn't want my puppy being dominant towards other puppies either. Even if running in a pack, I wouldn't want him/her to get the idea that attacking a single dog is something that should be considered fun.
> 
> If my pup was among the ones in the pack ganging up on one pup, I would have pulled him/her.


Totally agree, if my dog was in that pack as well I would have removed him as well

The funny thing is, not ONE person in that class at any time did or said anything to me about how their dogs acted towards mine, they all acted like it was normal! Not even the trainer said that it was wrong or bad what the other puppies did


----------



## Jax08 (Feb 13, 2009)

How horrifying that must have been


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I just want to say that I'm really not trying to say I was right and the other owners and trainer was wrong, that's why I'm asking for other people's opinions on what to do

Thanks again to everyone that's replied, I appreciate your input


----------



## martemchik (Nov 23, 2010)

Shade said:


> I'm no trainer and I was trusting the trainer to keep my dog safe in that situation and she failed. If I left Delgado alone like she was he *would* have bitten. He tried being submissive, he ran away, he growled...what else could he have done?


But puppies play bite...if it causes him to yelp, the other dog will most likely stop. If that other puppy doesn't stop, then there is an issue with the other puppy. I have yet to see puppies try to tear each other apart, I've seen puppies that play rough and the other puppy can't match the roughness, but I don't think I've ever seen or heard of a fight to the death between two puppies.

Maybe this next time he'll have the confidence to play rough with this other pup, and everything will be fine. When they're puppies you can test these things because IN GENERAL they won't hurt each other. I think this is just one of those "how comfortable are you?" situations. In my opinion, I wouldn't worry about it when they're that young. They really can't hurt each other and its pretty easy to come in and sort things out. But if you're not comfortable, or that worried about a problem in the future because of these kinds of experiences I think you shouldn't go back.


----------



## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

I had a friend who taught puppy k several years ago. Actually the class where Toby got "mobbed" and she eventually saw enough of these dogs as they advanced to other training that she put an end to it. She did recommend puppy play but she suggested that small groups of 2-3 with matched pups get together and play outside of class. 

I defniltey agree with the need for socialization but think exposure to strange neutral dogs is a great way to go about it. Now that we have never had a bad experience, Beau is able to just shrug off snarky dogs...


----------



## Courtney (Feb 12, 2010)

Shade, I'll be honest the way the class is set up if I understood correctly just seems odd. Obedience, puppy play, back to obedience. That sounds confusing. I liked our puppy class because I was able to work with my pup on focus with distractions, it was fun for both of us. Like I mentioned the facility offered puppy playtime afterwards but our trainer was not part of that.

When I have a puppy, a baby it is my resonsibility to protect him. I certainly don't want him thinking he should be on the defense at that age. I don't blame you for being upset, I would have been too if that happened to my puppy.

The one puppy playtime we went to the other owners just had different breeds of dogs and my GSD puppy was horrifying to them, but he was being normal. But I also didn't think it was nice that he ran over some of the other dogs, again energy levels were not matched, it was a free for all that we could & decided to do without.

Don't beat yourself up over this but maybe look at other options. Again, nothing wrong with wanting to protect your puppy.


----------



## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

I am going to stick up for the trainer in this one. She saw immediately there was a problem, gave you advice, and then saw there was still a problem, and has made a reasonable plan for how to deal with it next time. I agree with your trainer, one on one play sessions are probably going to be more enjoyable for your dog. I would stick with the trainer, and not participate in any more free for all puppy play sessions.

When Niko was a puppy, we did those classes too and had the same problems, except our trainer forbid us from intervening, and went as far as to have us LEAVE the room so Niko had to fend for himself against all the other puppies who were jumping all over him. All it taught him was that other dogs suck and if he growled/barked/lunged at them, they would leave him alone. So now we have a three year old, 85 lb muscular male who wants to kill all other dogs he meets, which makes for some scary situations when I try to take him places.


----------



## childsplay (Jan 28, 2012)

These situations can occur outside the puppy class as well. I arranged for Uther to have a play date with a yellow lab pup of the same age today. I met the pup last week and he seemed to have a balanced temperament. He's owned by a friend of mine who lives down the street. Uther is pretty rough and tumble so I thought their similar size and age might make them a good play match.

The play date was pretty rough. Uther stood his ground, but had hackles up quite a bit and the snarling from the lab got out of hand quickly. My friend and I decided to end the play date very quickly and call it a mismatch. 

I think it is up to you to decide the line between puppy rough housing and real aggression. I've been around dogs for 40 years and my comfort level was not good with this particular situation.

I wish the best for you and your pup!


----------



## JakodaCD OA (May 14, 2000)

I also agree IF there is a puppy that gets along well with yours,go for the one on one, or even two.

When you get a bunch of wild unruly puppies, while they may mean no harm, just allowing one to get picked on and bullied is doing damage.

The free for all sounds EXACTLY like what I went thru, the trainer did nothing , the owners did nothing, the trainer stepped in on the 2nd week when masi had had enough of being bullied and got a little defensive (and I couldn't blame Masi one stinken bit!) 

Masi DID have a couple pals in the room, a bichon that was also being bullied (I shouldn't say bully, I should say wild rough bigger puppies deciding to pick on one vs play with others),,those two got along great, and when I removed her from the room, the bichon came to, and no problems. 

It's not a matter of 'not socializing' your dog, it's how that socializing is going, when you have a young puppy and everywhere they turn they are getting 'picked' on it is going to leave an impression.

You want your young puppies to have alot of positive experiences not negative ones.

As I said, if you like the training/trainer stick with that part and forego the free for alls


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

Delgado graduated from his puppy socialization classes yesterday, they had a little ceremony and he received a certificate and a large dog cookie  I was so proud, he got a Tim Horton's Timbit (or doggie crack as my family calls it) as his treat from me along with a new toy 

What a difference 6 weeks makes. The first class is described in detail already and I'll fill everyone in for those who posted and helped with the final result

Week two was with a different trainer, one who normally does puppy classes. I went in early and spoke to her and she told me she would help, instead of having two "play periods" she ended up only having one. She started with splitting the class in half, allowing the lab, St. Bernard, and other GSD to play first then had their owners take them to another corner and work on obedience and allowed Delgado, the Shiba, and the terrier to play. Delgado was very timid at first, watching the other three dogs but once he realized they were being restrained he played with the other two, slowly gaining more enthusiasm as he went. I was so pleased to see him playing happily, and I spoke to the trainer after class and thanked her for helping him have a good experience with the class

Week three the original trainer came back, I went in early again and spoke to her and described what the second trainer had done and how well it had gone. She allowed two puppy play periods, the first one she had the quieter three start, and then added in the more hyper ones one by one. A rough start at first with all the puppies running around but soon it turned into two groups, with the more hyper ones playing in a group and the quieter ones playing in a group. The second period she told us to allow all the dogs off leash at the same time, and the same thing happened, a rough start but eventually harmony as the dogs paired off.

Not a perfect solution but a vast improvement from week one so I was happy. Each week he got better, he adored the little Shiba who was his special friend and they loved playing, and the terrior played well with them as well so I was very pleased. He even played with the GSD and the St. Bernard a few times off and on, if they got too aggresive in their play then he would just run back to the other group and play with them. The trainer also improved and kept better control on the hyper bunch, seperating them as needed. The lab didn't show up for the last three classes so that helped with the energy level being more manageable

Yesterday was his graduation and the Shiba wasn't there, so at the play time he looked a little lost at first. The terrier wanted to play but he wasn't as interested in her as the Shiba and actually played for a while with the St. Bernard and GSD. The St. Bernard and other GSD would get really rough and before the trainer could step in Delgado would run up and bark at the GSD and the GSD would back off from the St. Bernard and play nicer. The trainer agreed with me that he was "refereeing" the two and it was quite interesting watching the other GSD who was bigger back down to Delgado. 

What a different from week 1 to 6, going from cowering under a chair and showing teeth to playing happily with the whole group. I'm really happy I kept with the class, it helped boost Delgado's confidence and allowed him to learn how to play with more "difficult" dogs which is a scenario he'll run into several times in his life.

I have to give the trainer some credit, she did take ownership of her mistake and tried to correct it. But I really believe it was Delgado himself who made the difference, learning to stick up for himself and showing off his good temperment in the end  I knew he could do it, and he proved me right

I'll be posting pictures tonight when I get home. He excelled at the obedience and the trainer and even the other owners would comment on how steady and smart he was. I couldn't be prouder of my little guy :wub: He's really exceeding all my expectations


----------



## Shade (Feb 20, 2012)

I forgot to mention that the trainer was talking last week about our plans for the future and classes they were offering. Now I'm planning on doing his CGC, tracking, agility, and maybe Rally O which this place offers but the prerequisite is their intermediate obedience class. 

Last week she said that since we had finished the puppy class and there were so many graduates at this time that instead of doing a basic obedience class, they were looking at doing a basic obedience class just for puppy class graduates which would entail more work since we already knew the basics. 

Now I'm already committed to continuing his obedience with another centre, but I was intrigued at doing this class and then possibly switching over later for the intermediate obedience at the other centre. But when I spoke to her this week she denied it, stating that it was just a basic obedience course and when I spoke to the other owners all but one weren't going to be continuing anyways so that kills that theory

The other centre would allow me to skip to intermediate but I think I'll stick with the basic course, especially since I'm switching centres to make sure I'm proofing the basics and also getting a good feel for their teaching.


----------



## Good_Karma (Jun 28, 2009)

That's really wonderful news! I am so glad Delgado ended up making friends. It sure is a beautiful thing to have a GSD with a nice stable temperament who is able to bounce back after a bad experience. You have a great dog!!


----------

