Dog Club

So we are coming to the end of these sessions of Dog Club and I am unsure whether to book the next 8 weeks or not.

It's really good and we both enjoy being there, but I almost feel I have enough things to do with her to occupy those times when mental activity is required. The other dogs are collies, spaniels and a vizla all of whom are younger and have come through the puppy classes learning to do spins, twists and leg weaves as a matter of course but of course Cass never did and I can't catch up with them all! It's getting quite advanced now and as I don't intend to do competions etc I wonder how much more there is for us! It's true to say, as a true Labrador she spends a lot of her day sleeping now and she isn't constantly looking for things to do -- often a trip out with friends or visiting the library , as well as a good scenty walk, satisfies her.


Socially, it's great for me, a lovely bunch of people, and I'm very proud of Cassie, how hard she works to fathom out what is required of her,. Especially today when we were teaching them to "bow", she got it surprising quickly. We practised waits with duration which is not a problem for her.

So I will have a think !:hmm:
 

HAH

Moderator
Location
Devon, UK
So we are coming to the end of these sessions of Dog Club and I am unsure whether to book the next 8 weeks or not.

It's really good and we both enjoy being there, but I almost feel I have enough things to do with her to occupy those times when mental activity is required. The other dogs are collies, spaniels and a vizla all of whom are younger and have come through the puppy classes learning to do spins, twists and leg weaves as a matter of course but of course Cass never did and I can't catch up with them all! It's getting quite advanced now and as I don't intend to do competions etc I wonder how much more there is for us! It's true to say, as a true Labrador she spends a lot of her day sleeping now and she isn't constantly looking for things to do -- often a trip out with friends or visiting the library , as well as a good scenty walk, satisfies her.


Socially, it's great for me, a lovely bunch of people, and I'm very proud of Cassie, how hard she works to fathom out what is required of her,. Especially today when we were teaching them to "bow", she got it surprising quickly. We practised waits with duration which is not a problem for her.

So I will have a think !:hmm:
It sounds like the best of dilemmas in that you win either way! If you decide not to continue, you’ve learned a lot and developed plenty of fun activities to work on together, and if you carry on it’s a fun group and you both enjoy the activity. It sounds like the main issue is pressure; if you can be happy to go at your own pace and let the others go at theirs, then why not carry on having fun? But if it feels a level beyond what you’re interested in, maybe it’s given you all you need and you can move on with a cheery wave 👋
 

Atemas

UK Tour Guide
Yes all of a sudden they are well and truly grown up. Red has a whole load of tricks in her memory. We occasionally do them but really she’s happy with her walks, ball time and just chilling/sleeping these days. If you’d miss the social time then do it but otherwise don‘t worry
 
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Joy

Location
East Sussex
As you enjoy going then I think you should feel free to continue without feeling under pressure to work at the same level as the other members of the class. But if you decide to have a break of course that's fine too and you may find a different course later on that interests you.
 
Thank you all for your thoughts :)
if you can be happy to go at your own pace and let the others go at theirs, then why not carry on having fun?
Yes, this is one option, I just wonder sometimes if that's fair on Cass if I haven't really practised stuff with her.

Red has a whole load of tricks in her memory.
Yes, I remember you doing a similar thing with her as a puppy. I would definitely recommend such a class for young dog. We've done

But if you decide to have a break of course that's fine too and you may find a different course later on that interests you.
I think I will probably do this, going back to the same group. You book for 8 weeks at a time, so you can opt back in for future sessions when open for booking , likewise you can cancel and be refunded also.
 
So today was the last of this 8 week block of Dog Club and a super session it was too. We used placeboards to get good heel positions with various exercises and also a nice sit in front of us. Not new stuff for Cass but all good sharpening up exercises, she certainly loves a placeboard, I guess it helps them clarify things. We also used them to extend duration of wait and ensure they haven't moved. Which Cass won't - she's rock solid on that, unless anyone approaches her. (Or cuts a cake, but that's a whole other story :giggl::giggl:)

Then we went back to back foot targetting - which we tried with little success a few weeks ago. But By Jove the lightbulb came on and she got it! So very pleased she was too, I love it when that happens. I think a case of "latent learning" - going back to something half learnt and it coming together.

I have decided not to book the next sessions but will have a few weeks out and go back again later in the summer. (That's if we get one).

Although it is past her teatime she's curled up asleep -- a sure sign her brain has had a workout !
 
So today Cassie and I have been to a new class (!) called Fun Fridays. And indeed fun it was.

It's just 4 weeks, following on from the Rally day we did, I am keen to carry on with what we learnt that day. The idea of Fun Fridays is to give a mix of Hoopers, Rally and Scentwork and more general stuff like we did at Dog Club. Dog Club is not on at present due to the trainer having a baby in December. But this class is great, run by 2 delightful young girls.
This was the second week - last week we did Hoopers which Cass thought was a blast! We also did scentwork but I am not keen to pursue this -- I do stuff at home and I think gundog stuff and retrieving satisfies her in that regard. She found the scentwork classes over stimulating.
Today we did Rally stuff, Stand, which is challenging for us, no idea really, but other things she has a good grasp of really. Not to say she doesn't have to work at it! Which she seems to enjoy, I love that she is 8 but still up for doing new things.
 
This is lovely to read Helen. I am impressed you give Cassie all these opportunities. I confess I have lapsed badly into just walking with Red and not playing games. Yes I interact with her a lot but I have become lazy in that respect
I don't think it's lazy ! Red gets a great life, I am surethat all her outings are interesting for her, I know Cass gets a lot out of going out and about. Sometimes I look at her and think it's dull for her with just me in the house!

Sounds a super class, wish we had something like that here.
Yes Sonia I am so lucky to have these classes locally! Back when Cass was a puppy I was crying out for +R classes close to home and as you know used to travel to Worcestershire! Thinking of that you do have a certain well known gundog trainer not so far away, would you think of going there?
 
Yes Sonia I am so lucky to have these classes locally! Back when Cass was a puppy I was crying out for +R classes close to home and as you know used to travel to Worcestershire! Thinking of that you do have a certain well known gundog trainer not so far away, would you think of going there?
Do you mean BR? Or the one you went to? I haven't thought of doing gun dog training with Flicka, though will do bits of gun dog training myself. Training is so expensive these days! I had one lesson yesterday with a chap to build her confidence up. We walked round a busy 'small town' and had coffee in a cafe. It was all pretty scary for me, loads of traffic and people (even if all the shops seem to have closed down!) but she coped well, had a little stress diarrhoea when we got home. It must be a tremendous wide world out there for her.
 
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