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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

This puppy class is fucking ridiculous

93 replies

PuppyChoos · 17/03/2020 15:52

I’ve paid £100 up front for a 6 week course. It seems that everyone else in my class is redoing the same class for the 2nd time as they all know each other and know the trainer. I get there and find a seat. Everyone else does the same. All of a sudden the trainer bursts into the room and screams “puppy party!” And everyone stands up and starts running around around the room screaming. The puppies all start going crazy and a few of them almost get trampled on by the over excited humans. It was fucking bizarre. I remained seated, mouth gaping trying to protect my dog from the madness. All of a sudden the trainer screeches “STOP” and everyone stands dead still, the puppies either look totally confused or carry on attacking each other. She then looks at me and says something about “awww no puppy party??” Confused so I actually said “I’m sorry, I’m confused as to what is happening ... “ and she replies “oh that’s ok! You get used to us!” And they all laugh.

Now after that the first part of the class involved Q&A game such as “where would you take a puppy when it’s po po??” There was a little boy in the group so he had fun answering all the ridiculous questions.

The shenanigans went on. Then the boy was asked to demonstrate something which his lab pup. He literally got a handful of treats and threw them across the class. I thought he was being naughty but no, this is what he’s been told to do. The pup then runs off searching for them the trainer runs around in circles screaming “hungry hippos”

I came out with a headache. I have obviously questioned it all and they tell me they use the most recent science based training methods and there are no refunds. I simply cannot do another class of that shit.

My dog is a working breed. He needs proper training and now I’ve wasted £100 on this shite. AIBU to take it further and maybe even take to social media to make people aware of what they’re paying for?

OP posts:
motherheroic · 17/03/2020 22:46

Yeah, I would get a refund. Although to be fair I trained my dog to leave food by throwing a handful of treats on the kitchen floor and getting him to wait while I did the washing up/made breakfast Grin

Rubyupbeat · 18/03/2020 06:03

Very weird. When mine was a puppy, puppy training was just that basic commands, moving on to more complex tasks.
Your sounds more like socialisation classes, although a bit to manic.

Rubyupbeat · 18/03/2020 06:03

Too

magicfarawaytrees · 18/03/2020 06:10

Sorry this made me laugh Grin I adore dogs but some ‘dog-people’ do seem a bit odd to be honest- this does nothing to quell my internal stereotypes of them 😂

PuppyChoos · 18/03/2020 07:46

I got an email back. They say the puppy party bit is to teach the pups an off switch when they’re overly excited as well as to get them excited about being at the class.

The Q&A is to ensure than owners have basic knowledge of how to care for dogs (really? With questions such as “what might your like want to chase if he’s off his lead?”
“What might happen to your dog if he runs into the road?” Come on now ...

The hungry hippos thing they’re getting back to me on as they need to check with the trainer!!?

They have asked if I’d like to transfer onto their advanced obedience course so I’ve asked for a full run down of the nature of the class!!!

OP posts:
ClientQueen · 18/03/2020 07:48

My cat played hungry hippos once. I dropped a tub of feta cheese cubes. He was v happy, I was not, and then he refused his tea as "not cheese mama. Minging" HmmGrin

frostedviolets · 18/03/2020 08:13

They say the puppy party bit is to teach the pups an off switch when they’re overly excited as well as to get them excited about being at the class

That is very, very different to how I taught my dog an off switch...

CoraPirbright · 18/03/2020 08:19

Sounds like utter nonsense to me. All that shrieking - exactly what not to do around a puppy! And then the inane questions! And why on earth do they all have to do this course again for the second time? If the attendees are all friends, surely they could just arrange to meet in a park without paying £100!!

AtLeastThreeDrinks · 18/03/2020 10:06

Wtf?! Speaks volumes that everyone else is redoing the class. That alone tells you it's a load of rubbish.

ExServiceWoman · 18/03/2020 10:08

I don't think you should ask about the Obedience Class I think you should go watch it first!!!

DontBiteTheBoobThatFeedsYou · 18/03/2020 11:43

It sounds like toddler group.

WiddlinDiddlin · 18/03/2020 14:46

That still sounds barmy.

As an example of a game I have done at puppy classes I've run...

We might, by week four or five, let a selected mix of puppies off lead, whilst others stay on lead.

Chuck a few toys around and get the owners moving around the room.

The ones with puppies on lead sit in their seats and their job is to keep rewarding their puppy for focus on them.

The owners moving around with off lead puppies milling about will be asked randomly to call their puppy to them, reward and send back to play.

Then we stop, everyone chills out, we do a different activity perhaps, and then switch around to repeat the game with the other puppies.

This is all clearly explained, calm, and with a group of puppies/owners who have already been together several weeks and done a fair bit of prior training.

It sounds like the class you have joined is a rolling class rather than a set course, and the instructor hasn't prepared new owners for the class content, or really thought about things. Thats being polite, it sounds dangerous and stupid!

Deathraystare · 18/03/2020 15:51

I wonder what Caeser Milan (Dog Whisperer) would say about that!!!

VetOnCall · 18/03/2020 23:56

I wonder what Caeser Milan (Dog Whisperer) would say about that!!!

Nothing worth listening to. I'd take a crazy hungry hippos lady over that menace to dogs any day: www.apbc.org.uk/press-release/apbc-continues-to-challenge-cesar-millan/

PinkDaisyRoses · 19/03/2020 00:17

I went to a class where all we did was have to suffer our pups biting and scratching our hands to get treats out of them, it was to teach them that they couldn’t have things.

It was painful, the place was a dirty barn, so we got filthy, I never went again.

With our previous dog, we went to useful, normal puppy training classes

You have my sympathy

Morgzmum · 19/03/2020 13:22

@Flowersmakemyday I had the same with mine, she was a dogue Dr Bordeaux so I knew she needed proper training as she was going to be a giant (70kg and over 6ft stood on her hind legs when she was fully grown) but as she was the runt of the litter she didn't have much confidence in herself, less than 5 minutes into the class she was attacked my 2 smaller breed dogs that were bigger than her and from that day on she hated dogs out of fear Sad. I managed to train her just fine without anymore classes and she was an amazing drool machine

Juanbablo · 19/03/2020 14:32

Wtf?! That does NOT sound like the classes we have just been to. I think you've wasted your money!!

LittleMissTeacup · 20/03/2020 20:19

Oh my! My dad is a dog trainer and I’ve never heard any of these! I might ask him about “hungry hippos” though Grin

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