One to one a disappointment..

[Aprilshowersandhail]

So, pre lockdown ddog here.. Classes cancelled last year.. Managed to keep her on the straight and narrow ish!!
Was suggested a new class and trainer... Had a one to one today. Took my normally scatty /hyper /barky /teeth flashing nervous ddog and she made me out to be A Mahoosive Liar.... Didn't event raise a brow at a flock of week old chicks running loose! Didn't bark at either of the 2 test ddogs walking past.. In fact she wagged her bloody tail at one!!

Apart from the embarrassment I don't know how I feel. The trainer mentioned a class starting but she can do all the required tasks. Mixing with the group won't happen so is it worth going? I am not on fb so can't find a ddog walking group and the ones I have seen out are feral. The walkers not the ddogs...
Classes or persevere with walks and hope she remembers she isn't afraid of ddogs?

Well, your Ddog obviously likes the trainer, sounds like she had a fab time.
Can you cope with going?

We go on walks with a dog group, usually just 2-4 of us. If the adolescent delinquents are out, it can get a bit feral. But there are also some very nice grown up people and dogs.

Are you lucky enough to have a local pet shop?
They generally know the local groups, trainers and classes.

We see lots of sight hound owners and I am dying to ask for a meet up!! Will ask at the pet shop! She didn't like the trainer as such - her snacks maybe!! Nobody but us have ever touched her except the vet!

I would say it’s worth giving it a try. With my youngsters I’ve always found the discipline of working with me, alongside other dogs, but not actually interacting with them helped a lot with focus and impulse control. It also helped with my undersocialised rescue for him to learn that dogs can be close by but not be a threat.

My last rescue couldn’t mix with other puppies until he was over 20 weeks, as he came to us with an illness that he could have passed on. I had already done a lot of training with him at home and he didn’t need to learn the tasks, but it was definitely worth it for him to learn to do them with other dogs nearby as a distraction. I suppose it was extra ‘proofing’ for the skills he’d learned and building his focus on me, rather than what was going on around him.

It was a great class though, not all field and hall training, but we actually went on road walks as well, so useful in rl situations.

Even though she can do all the tasks in the class can she do them when other dogs are in view? She won't be interacting with other dogs but presumably you will all be in the same field/Hall so I still think it sounds worth it.

After today I am quite confident it won't be as bad as I expect.. The dm with the naughty toddler at play group was my thinking!! She was really good tbh! Then slept the whole afternoon!!
Will woman up and book!!

The sooner you can get into a good group class the better. "Lockdown dog" is definitely a thing and the sooner you can normalise her life, the better. It isn't all about "mixing" but more being happy, confident and still responsive to you when other dogs (and people) are nearby.

We are seeing more and more dogs - even of the traditionally bolder types - who are finding it really difficult to cope with the world in general.

It took me nearly an hour yesterday (and many treats), sat quietly on a blanket, to make friends with a one year-old Jack Russell terrier who had hardly been out and just ran in panicked circles at the end of his lead; it was literally like taming a wild creature. Not that he is fierce or savage, he's just so scared of everything. He was able to happily sit and watch the other dogs and handlers from a distance. Next week he'll be better.

They can't learn when they're that fearful so it's important they have good, positive experiences at first, until they're ready to take in the training.

In short, yes it's well worth doing.