I hated puppy class...

[pinkpuppy]

....is that normal? I just found it so stressful - I walked out nearly in tears. I don't think they were doing anything wrong; and I don't have false expectations of Chloe being the perfect student. It's just that she kept pulling on the lead so hard: she wouldn't heel - and I don't blame her... and they were telling me to hold her tight and close: but she just wanted to chase the puppies in front of her - she was excited & I felt so evil. I felt like I was chocking her & preventing her from having fun. I was told to hold the leash nice and tight - my hand still hurts.

... but school is supposed to be good for her...

 

[Oscar's Home]

Stay with it

I wouldn't say it is normal to hate puppy class but it can be hard and or frustrating at times. All your puppy wants to do is go and play and have fun but you are also there to start to train her. One thing you might want to try is getting a Gentle Leader that will help with the pulling so hard on her lead, it works very good for Oscar and it is not painful to them at all I would strongly recommend one and the earlier you start using one the easier it will be to get her used to one. Just make sure you reward her and give her plenty of treats when trying to get her to wear the gentle leader, at first it will seem like she hates it but she will get used to it and it she will still have just as much fun with it on.

 

[Gruntsmom]

I found Grunt's puppy class a bit stressful in the beginning, even though my husband was the one out on the floor working with Grunt. His vet had recommended the Gentle Leader early on, so we used that and it helped quite a bit - Grunt was so rambunctious, and like your Chloe, just wanted to run and play with all the other puppies ALL THE TIME!! Each class got a little better, and by the end our boy "graduated". It did take a lot patience and also doing homework in conjunction with the classes. I was hoping that there would be other boxer puppies there, but there weren't. Maybe you could give the GL a try. Some people use the Halti, too, and have a lot of success. And don't give up! Give the class another try.

 

[Scrapper's Mom]

I feel your pain. When I first took Scrapper to obedience class, he was just the same. And I was lucky that our teacher knew about Boxers. She was very understanding. All the while, the goldens and labs and schnauzers are going through their paces so nicely..... But if you stick with it, and practice when you are home helps too, you will see results.

 

[SoleilBxrs]

Yep, Cassius was the "naughty" one in the class.. good thing, like Scrapper's Mom, our instructor knew boxers. The first few weeks were very hard, as all Cassius wanted to do was play, but half way thru it something clicked, and he was understanding everything.. he was even used as the example of what to do. In advanced class, our instructor commented on how great Cassius was doing, and that "it doesn't get any better then that" (commenting on how good Cash was doing with the heel command w/ distractions) Just keep w/ it. Boxers are a fairly stuborn breed, but at the same time are very smart. Keep it up, she sounds like she's a smart girl, just being a boxer. good luck!

-Kat

 

[Glenys]

You know, you are in such a priviledged position...........very much like training skinkids. Here is a little puppy mind waiting to be filled with the all the good things that will shape its' life and bring joy to their owner. Perserverence now reaps such rewards in the future. And the confidence that Chloe will radiate wellbeing to other dog owners and influence their choices with their dogs. I know Cinda and I have done that with others we know who for varying reasons have yet to try obedience, and regret not doing so. Keep the classes up--you'll be so proud of her achievements. (and yours)

 

[Angie K]

Keep it up. Especially working at home with her. My female didn't go to the Puppy Kindergarden because she had her ears cropped at 12wks. Well no one wanted her in a puppy class while she was first getting her ears taped. So we were finally able to get her into Beginning Obed. at 16wks old. Looking back I think she was to young but she did learn to have leash manners etc. Try telling a 16wk old she can't play with 10 other big dogs around her. They didn't have a play time so we used to walk her before we took her and kind of get her a little tired out. She was much easier to handle then. We were even separated from the class once or twice because she just would not settle down. In the end after 6wks she was able to pass the final testing and we were all amazed. The classes really are for YOU not her. I think the more you work at home you will notice a change. We would take our girl to PetsMart at least once a week for about an hour of walking around and learning the simple things like stopping when you do and learning how to greet people without jumping and even how to properly greet other dogs. We would ask people with other dogs if they could sniff and put her in the side by side position first then allow them to go from there. It really helped. All is not lost because even though she has her moments We always get comments on how well behaved our furkids are. Keep up the good work.

 

[Hberry23]

Paula don't feel bad Sadie and I went through the samething, puppy class was hard for me as well, I felt so mean...it does get better we are now in the second Obe class and doing well, she still tends to pull on the lead a bet and plays with it sometimes...but I have read that boxers like to play with there leashs. Reading the other post has helped me alot, I know training is good for both of us...Keep your chin up Holly & Sadie

 

[pinkpuppy]

Thanks you guys for the kind, encouraging words... We will stick with the classes and we'll practice at home. She's very bright and we want her to learn the right things. She's also strong (already) so it's best to do these classes now - it will be very rewarding for all of us. It was just so hard for me to watch her pull on the leash, and correct her, and growl - I never had to do that with her before - but then again she's never been so overwhelmed to such an uncontrollable point... I also thought that the puppies would get some playtime... I think I'm just being overprotective...
Next class I’ll bring a different leash; with a better grip – hopefully that will help too.

 

[heartsong12]

If it gets too much for you, try checking a having a trainer come to your home and train with you one on one. Your puppy may not be a distracted while learn the basics. This is what we did and it ended up being much cheaper and my baby was happy. It was all about her!