Nickie

We are waiting to confirm but we are expecting to bring a new lil girl Dobie pup home at the end of Feb 2013.

I am considering getting involved in either agility, tracking or therapy dog training. I am looking to get into something that will be fun for the dog & an activity for me! I know most of these activities we will need to wait till she is older to get involved in. But I was hoping to get some info on where are some of the better places to go, pros & cons of certain activities. And just some general information of your experiences.

Thanks

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Yes I do love my dogs as much as you love your children!

CalamitysHuckleberry

Twin cities as in MN? We used the CanineCoach, we loved Jordan!


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CalamitysHuckleberry

Actually the owner of CanineCoach has Dobermans and competes in Mondio Ring.


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KissNme

Welcome to DT. Congratulations on your baby!

Nickie

Yes sorry Twin Cities in MN. I should have been more clear. I will check out Canine Coach. Thanks.

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Yes I do love my dogs as much as you love your children!

honda123

We are in MN right now looking at different areas, we saw this Canine Coach building, just today.

What a coincidence.

I can't tell you exactly where we were, though.. -?-

We don't get lost. We go "exploring!"

CalamitysHuckleberry

Well welcome to MN!


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AgileDobe

Gah, my post keeps getting eaten, let's hope the 3rd time is the charm.

Not all training schools and instructors are equal. There are many who claim to "train" dogs, but really don't have that much experience, talent or knowledge when it comes to dogs. Even on the list below, not all instructors are equal, some I LOVE to train with, others not so much- it's just something you have to figure out.

The places I would recommend:

Animal Inn Training School: www.animalinntraining.com
On The Run Canine Training Center: www.ontheruncaninecenter.com
Agile Canines: www.agilecanines.com
Total Recall School for Dogs: www.trdogs.com
St. Paul Dog Training Club: www.spdtc.org
Twin Cities Obedience Training Club: www.tcotc.com

All of these places have some great instructors, but Animal Inn and On the Run are my top picks. They have wonderful instructors there who are extremely talented. I train (and instruct) at Animal Inn, they have an incredible agility program with many talented students, dogs and instructors. TCOTC and On the Run offer a variety of unique classes including Nosework and Tracking. Agile Canines on the other hand offers only agility I believe.

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MACH7 Delta Duchess of Davenport CD RN MXC2 MJB3 MXF T2B TQX CGC - Delta
CH MACH3 Mandre's Grace Under Fire MXC MJB2 XF T2B - Grace
LH's Heart of a Dragon MX MXJ MJB - Draco
Dancing Star's Born To Prevail NAJ (major pointed) - Reva
U-CH Tri-Star's Avalon Sunset MX MXB MXJ MJB OF WAC ATT CGC VCX - Ava

Juneau Duchess of Davenport OA AXJ MXP3 MXPB MJP5 MJPS PAX - Juneau
11.22.1999 - 10.6.2009 - DCM/CHF

CalamitysHuckleberry

We have used Canine Coach for several classes and for both dogs. They also have been voted Twin Cities best training yada yada yada. We absolutely love Jordan there and would only love her more if she went on her own.

I think it's a great place to go for amateur, non-competitive needs and to A) learn the basics and B) maybe get an idea of what you and your dog might like. If you want something more advanced and maybe something a little more personal then you probably should go elsewhere. Especially if you have behavioral needs.

Throughout the couple of years that we have been going there they have suffered what a lot of "boutique" businesses have; they outgrew the caring in order to make money. IMHO.

But I still think its a great place to start!


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CalamitysHuckleberry

I would love to check into the nose work and tracking. Do you or do any of them do any training for diabetic alert dogs?


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AgileDobe

Noeswork and tracking can be a lot of fun. Nosework is relatively new and is just starting to become known. A few places are starting to offer it. Meadowcat (she trains in it) may know of some places besides On the Run. Tracking can be harder to find and is a bit seasonal- considering our winters here. There is a place called Active Dog Sports Training that offers both, but I don't know anything about them beyond what their website says. TCOTC

As far as diabetic alert training, you are probably going to have to go to some type of service dog school for that (that would be my guess). As far as I know there are no open enrollment classes any where that offer that type of thing, considering it is rather specialized. You could contact Service/Guide dog schools and see if they have recommendations or options available.

__________________

MACH7 Delta Duchess of Davenport CD RN MXC2 MJB3 MXF T2B TQX CGC - Delta
CH MACH3 Mandre's Grace Under Fire MXC MJB2 XF T2B - Grace
LH's Heart of a Dragon MX MXJ MJB - Draco
Dancing Star's Born To Prevail NAJ (major pointed) - Reva
U-CH Tri-Star's Avalon Sunset MX MXB MXJ MJB OF WAC ATT CGC VCX - Ava

Juneau Duchess of Davenport OA AXJ MXP3 MXPB MJP5 MJPS PAX - Juneau
11.22.1999 - 10.6.2009 - DCM/CHF

AgileDobe

I don't know a lot about The Canine Coach, and they may have some very good instructors/trainers but it really irks me to see places offering boot camps that train your dog for you. Another thing that bugs me is all of those so called "awards" they get, it's more marketing than anything when it comes to those. They really mean squat in the dog world, but they look good to the inexperienced people looking for someplace to train.

This applies across the board (in general) and not specifically to The Canine Coach. As far as "amateur, non-competitive needs" I hate to see people settle for less than the best. It may be because of my experience in dogs that I can see so much potential in dogs and want the absolute best, but I feel in general some of the places that have lots of pet and "just for fun" classes don't really strive to be top notch. Even dogs just going to obedience class for good manners should still get great training. That's just my 2 cents. It's a bit like your last statement, where the money starts to trump the dogs.

__________________

MACH7 Delta Duchess of Davenport CD RN MXC2 MJB3 MXF T2B TQX CGC - Delta
CH MACH3 Mandre's Grace Under Fire MXC MJB2 XF T2B - Grace
LH's Heart of a Dragon MX MXJ MJB - Draco
Dancing Star's Born To Prevail NAJ (major pointed) - Reva
U-CH Tri-Star's Avalon Sunset MX MXB MXJ MJB OF WAC ATT CGC VCX - Ava

Juneau Duchess of Davenport OA AXJ MXP3 MXPB MJP5 MJPS PAX - Juneau
11.22.1999 - 10.6.2009 - DCM/CHF

MeadowCat

Nosework is an absolute blast! It's the most fun I've had with Shanoa. We're actually getting ready for her to do her first ORT (Odor Recognition Test) in February.

I take Jane Fallander's Nosework classes. Her website is: Minneapolis Dog Training – Dog training classes, clicker training, dog obedience I'd drop her an email to chat with her about the sport. The first person to get a Nosework title on their dog (and only, so far, I think?) trained with Jane.

One place you can do some great foundation training in the basics is the Animal Humane Society. They use clicker training and their trainers are good for foundation work. If you are interested in more competitive stuff definitely take a look at the places Shannon recommends. As far as agility goes, I don't think you can do better than either On the Run or Agile Canines.

There are many, many trainers and "behaviorists" in the area, and you do have to be careful about who you work with.

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CalamitysHuckleberry

Thanks AgileDobe and MeadowCat!


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honda123

Well, Thank you so much!

We can't wait to move.