Obedience Classes

For some reason I had always imagined that when I got a dog I would take her to obedience classes. I thought people who did this always had well-behaved dogs.

Even with those good intentions I ended up not taking Elli to a formal class. Sometimes I wish I had, but I truly think training a dog comes down to consistency. I decided against taking Elli to class because of the cost, I was also concerned that I would take her and she wouldn't really learn anything like some other dogs I know.

Elli knows tons of tricks. The problem is she really only does them consistently when there is a delicious treat in front of her nose. She also has a tendancy to get distracted. I need to take time to work on her obedience on a more regular basis. I know with a bit more consistent training she would be able to do anything I ask her to.

I have taken Elli to a couple free classes at the local Petsmart. She liked these and seemed to have fun with the other dogs. I also felt that her training was at least on par with the other dogs there (who most likely also did not take formal classes).

When I think about my next dog and if I would take that one to classes, I'm not sure. I think it depends on the type of dog. A larger dog would probably need better training since he would have the potential to do more damage. Anyway it's something to think about. In the meantime, I'm going to work with Elli and get her to do her tricks without a treat. That's the goal at least.