Would you or wouldn't you?

I would like to put Hank through a CGC test and theoretically while I could get it done myself I know I will probably not. Mostly I would have issues with the greeting other dogs portion and supervised separation portion and I don't have an easy access way to practice those. Mia and I took a CGC class and it was great. It was all positive based (but the trainer was a friend and I know was not opposed to corrections and e-collars in certain circumstances, they just didn't have a place in the CGC class/doing basics)

So I've been asking dog friends here and the only place to do rally and CGC I am finding is an obedience school. They use choke chains but I have been assured they also use clickers and also that with Hank being so good I could probably bring him in on a flat collar. But choke chains are part of their methodology.

I'm just kind of torn.... I really just want access to practice the exercises and structure to know what to practice at home. I am not a person that describes myself as 100% positive but I do not like the idea of a choke or corrective collar being a 'go to' tool for my dog. I do not want to diminish Hank's drive for working either and don't want to have to end up with a situation where the instructor tries to calm him down too much/squash his enthusiasm.

I'm leaning towards no but maybe I should go and watch a class? I have friends that go to this place and they all like it and also do agility. I am just not sure.

I wouldn't; it goes against my own values enough that I know I would be uncomfortable. Not only do I not enjoy that, but I have two dogs who are very attuned to my moods, and working them when I am upset or uncomfortable doesn't go well.

Do you have any training savvy friends who would be willing to help you practice outside of a class setting?

I don't think there's anything wrong with going and watching a class, but I know that I probably wouldn't be comfortable with it. Even if I could keep my own dog in a flat collar, I wouldn't really want to watch other dogs on choke chains. Especially if there were people using it incorrectly before the trainer got to them to correct them. We walked past an outdoor training class once and a woman was delivering several harsh (well, harsh looking, I've never used one so I don't know how harsh it really was) corrections in row before the trainer ran over to her corrected her approach.

I would go and watch a class before deciding. I've been to classes where the instructor will use chokes or prongs for some dogs but not all, but it wasn't "yank and crank" style. Although it wasn't my cup of tea it wasn't distressing either.

I'd go to watch. I might participate if the instruction seems solid, I was able to incorporate marker training and I was allowed to participate on a flat collar.

I'd go watch.

I have pretty limited options as far as obedience classes go in my area, and I go to a trainer who uses corrections and tools that I wouldn't be comfortable with, but he really is a good trainer and a great guy, and he lets me do my own thing. It's a pretty loosely formatted class, and it's never really been an issue.

I also did a CGC class with Elsie at petco; the instruction wasn't great, but we did work on all of the exercises in a public place, so if you're really strapped for options that might work.

Agree with the go and watch crowd. See how much they'd let you do your own thing.

It is also interesting reading that the CGC class is the third class in their schedule and you have to have the other two as a prerequisite. I wonder if they'd let me skip? I have no desire to do the 'dog pulls on leash, door dashes, and jumps up on me' class.

Lmao they might not like his rebound.

I think I'll email and just tell them what I'm looking for and see if we would fit in. I also don't want to come across as a brat that knows more than the trainer (probably not something I should worry about).

I'd go watch.

I've found a lot of the good balanced instructors realize that not everyone believes in the same things as them and they tailor their suggestions to the comfort level of the client.

Yes, this. I have seen trainers who use prongs and choke collars but the methods aren't old school and the dogs aren't shut down and miserable. And then I've seen the opposite where the dogs are completely miserable.

I personally wouldn't take that class, but it has more to do with my personality than anything. I would have a very hard time being the only one not using corrections and would struggle to go against something the instructor was telling me to do. Plus it would kill me to see people giving collar corrections all the time. So I'd either be super uncomfortable in class or I'd start giving corrections myself so as not to feel like I the instructor and the other members of the class were judging me for always doing everything differently.

I've used prongs and ecollars with Carm and she's anything but shut down It's not just about equipment. It's about understanding how to use them for training. I wouldn't write off any kind of training that I'm not entirely familiar with.

How many weeks is the class? I feel like a lot of CGC prep stuff is less teaching and more just practicing. If people are at the point of considering taking the test I can't imagine there'd be much reason to put choke chains on everyone.

I have had bad experiences in the past with obedience clubs being very far behind the times and wanting to squash a dog's drive. I am fine with other people using chokes and prongs but I do not think I will have much in common with a place where it is their main strategy or a part of their main strategy.

That said I'm confused a bit because I was told they use choke chains + clickers but it was more about conditioning the dogs to the 'sound' of the choke versus anything else. But the website talks about their methods being positive.


Dog people and terminology... never know what anyone is talking about.

Another issue is that their classes are really expensive compared to my agility classes!

Back when we did UKC obedience I used a martingale with a chain loop for the variety of sounds it could make, but never for collar corrections. For me it was also a nice reminder that "this is our obedience collar, we are doing obedience". Not sure if Brisbane picked up on that or not.

I'm with the others - I'd go and watch, but it's unlikely I'd be OK with the class. I've watched many trainers and classes in the city I live in, and it was all I could do not to interrupt the yanking and choking and offer to take the participants dogs and use a clicker for a couple days. LOL!

I'd watch and try to talk to a trainer. I think most classes would allow you to skip if you demonstrate ability to train and your dog their skills, but the choke chains would worry me. I'd be unlikely to attend a class there based on ethics even if the trainer gave me permission to skip it.

This is kind of random, but I just got hired at petco, and I've seen a lot of criticism of their training on Chaz, but honestly after going through company training I'd be very comfortable bringing my dog there. It's not the half-sales job no training horror story I've seen here - lead trainers all undergo Karen Pryor training and no negative reinforcement or corrections are allowed whatsoever, stores even stopped carrying choke/chain and even martingale?? Collars based on their philosophy. They're expanding classes and don't have a CGC yet at my store but will be starting one soon. It may be something to look into.

Like others have said, I'd go and watch a class first before making any decisions.