# Pimg graduated Novice Obedience!



## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

This Monday, Pimg graduated novice obedience class. So very proud of my pup! I'm really shocked how much I've gotten out of a professional trained class. I had done all of her training myself, and at 4.5 years- I wasn't sure how much we would get out of a novice class- she certainly already knew how to sit/stay/down. But wow- doing all that in heavy distraction, doing it with much more focus, healing loose lease, the list goes on and on! I'm really blown away by it. 

Here we are during the testing stage on graduation night:









...Now- on to advanced obedience and agility classes!


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## Stosh (Jun 26, 2010)

What a great picture! And a great job- congratulations


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## Cassidy's Mom (Mar 30, 2003)

Great job! :thumbup: 

And it just goes to show that even if you pretty much know what you're doing regarding training, a good class can still be very beneficial. The thing about group classes is that it's an environment that's very hard to duplicate in real life.


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Thanks guys!


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

Congrats! You look really proud and she's beautiful! 

Do you mind if I ask what made you decide to take her to class after training her youself for 4.5 years?


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Whiteshepherds said:


> Congrats! You look really proud and she's beautiful!
> 
> Do you mind if I ask what made you decide to take her to class after training her youself for 4.5 years?


Not at all. I never considered a pro trainer, seemed frivolous and just plain over the top to me. I had the opinion that only unmotivated, lazy owners would need such guidance. "Real" owners do their own researh and training. On top of that- pro training is expensive! So it just wasn't something I ever felt to be worth while.

But then a friend of mine told me about a local trainer/GSD breeder and thought I might be interested. She knew I had done my own training, and had met my dog on many occasions. Never the less, she thought I might enjoy it. I gave it some thought, and came to three conclusions:

One thing I hadn't been able to teach is loose-leash heel. I really wanted that, and if nothing else would have been happy if that's all we learned. [Pfft! We got it down only two weeks in!]
I figured it simply couldn't hurt- it could only help reenforce what Pimg already knew, even more so around distractions
This trainer does no advertising at all- only word of mouth. And at only $99 for an 8 week session of 1.5 hour classes and class sizes well over 40 dogs- I figured he was both reputable enough and cheap enough to give it a try

That's really it. It was those three specific things that swayed me into giving it a go. SO very happy I did! The bond that I've deepend with Pimg is truly remarkable. My dog has always been really happy and seemingly satisfied- but now; wow! There is a clear, marked, difference in her demeanor in that she is noticibly _even more_ happy than ever before. I'm sure by now it sounds like I am giving a sales pitch- All I can say is that it's honestly drastically changed my opinion on what a pro can offer. I've recommended it to more than a few friends, and a couple of them have actually signed up. It's helped me to understand my dog's needs, and gotten me motivated to be more proactive about meeting them. On top of all that- I found that it's actually fun!


___________
BTW- her name is pronounced:
"Pim" as in pimp + "gee" as in Jesus


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## Whiteshepherds (Aug 21, 2010)

wildo;1957190
It's helped me to understand my dog's needs said:


> On top of all that- I found that it's actually fun![/B]


And addictive!


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## wildo (Jul 27, 2006)

Indeed! I'm pumped to start advanced obedience and agility!


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