Okay, so I heard about the Five Valley Kennel Club and thought, “Why not give it a shot?” I’ve got a Golden Retriever, Max, who’s pretty well-behaved, but I figured some extra training wouldn’t hurt. Plus, I was kinda curious about the whole dog show scene.
First thing I did was check out their website. It looked legit, you know, not some shady operation. They had all sorts of classes listed, from basic obedience to agility training. I decided to start with the basics, just to see how Max would handle it.
I signed us up for a beginner’s obedience class. It was a six-week course, meeting once a week. I paid the fee, which wasn’t too bad, and marked the dates on my calendar.
The First Class
The first class rolled around, and I loaded Max into the car. He was super excited, tail wagging like crazy. We got to the location, which was a big, grassy field. Lots of other dogs and their owners were there, which was a little intimidating, I’m not gonna lie.
The instructor, a woman named Sarah, was really friendly. She explained the basics of positive reinforcement training – lots of treats and praise. We started with simple commands like “sit,” “stay,” and “come.” Max did pretty well, although he got distracted by a fluffy white poodle a couple of times.
Week by Week
- Week 2: We worked on heeling, which was a bit of a challenge. Max wanted to pull on the leash and sniff everything. Sarah showed me some techniques to keep him focused, and it slowly started to click.
- Week 3: We introduced distractions, like toys and other dogs. This was tough, but it was good practice for Max. He learned to (mostly) ignore the other dogs and focus on me.
- Week 4: We started working on longer stays and recalls from a distance. Max was getting better at staying put, even when I walked away.
- Week 5: We practiced everything we’d learned so far, adding in some new challenges like walking through a crowd of people.
- Week 6: The final class! We had a little “graduation” ceremony where Max got a certificate and a ribbon. He was so proud of himself (and so was I!).
Overall, it was a great experience. I was able to complete basic obedience class with my dog. Max learned a lot, and I learned how to better communicate with him. I’m even thinking about signing up for the agility class next. It looked like a lot of fun, and Max definitely has the energy for it!
