Left the training session!

[Ilikewinter]

So im after your thoughts really.....got a 4 month old border collie who is rather noise sensitive, he loves people but likes a minute to suss you put before he'll then be your best friend....dogs hes met on walks has been ok with and just seems to ignore, not interested in playing, no barking etc though.
Hes been going to puppy classes for 3 weeks, its a professional set up, puppies are kept apart and its all kept as calm as possible, he does great.
Last night I took him to a local doggy training class, it was in a small hall and there were 7 other dogs ( not all puppies), it was very loud, lots pf barking and lunging on leads.
Winterpup freaked out, tail under legs, hiding behind me clearly not happy.
After 10 minutes i left, a couple of people there said i should stay and he'll get used to it but I didnt see that as a situation he was going to thrive in - already being a bit skittish around people anyway.
Did i do right in leaving or should I have encouraged him to settle and enagage?.

You absolutely did right to leave. Quickly identifying and leaving a class that is causing your dog stress is something more owners should do, imo.

Training classes are only any good if they are an environment where your dog can relax and learn and I am not convinced they suit every dog. For some, they are just too stressful and it sounds like that might be the case here. On top of that, the 'all in a room making a noise' sort are just awful, imo. The 'spaced out and everyone encouraged to be calm' sort suit more dogs and are usually run by the better trainers.

That doesn't mean you can skip working on getting him calmer around other people and dogs (but I suspect you know that . Just that you might have to find a gentler way of doing it than a chaos-reigns kind of class. The old class you went to sounds much better suited for him.

Well done for keeping an eye out for his best interests.

Ah thanks, i dont have kids but felt like i went into 'protective mum mode' ! Ill definitely stick with his other classes as he seems to enjoy them and its expose to new things.