Ann Arbor Dog Training Club

I'll begin by saying the "Household 1" class is not a class I would recommend for sensitive/reactive dogs. Before taking the class, I emailed the club multiple times asking when beginner classes would be offered and if I needed to take this class before other higher-level classes since my dog had previously taken obedience classes and had taken some other sport classes. The club said I had to take the "Household 1" class so I could take the other introductory classes for nose work and rally at their facility. Unfortunately, it took me a year to get into this class because it was never offered when I went to sign up, and the club could never give me clear dates on when I could begin signing up for classes. In the "Household 1" class, the instructor seemed to fly by the seat of his pants every class and do whatever he felt like doing that day. Every other dog training class I have been to and paid for had a well laid out syllabus and the instructor was very clear on what they wanted to teach the dogs and owners for each class and what we should be working on at home. In "Household 1" the instructor seemed to assume the dogs knew every beginner trick in the book and didn't teach any beginner tricks or any manners that I would consider necessary for a well-mannered house dog. Also, this class is set up to fail reactive and sensitive dogs. By the second class the instructor had dogs walking around other dogs and there were so many tussles and fights between dogs because the owners didn't know what to do and the instructor wasn't teaching them how to train their dog before the reaction took place. To me this shows a lack of understanding of reactive dogs and how to manage their reactive behavior before it happens. An owner should be able to be proactive rather than reactive to their dog so that they can help their dog manage their feelings around a reactive situation. Lastly, good luck getting into any introductory or beginner training classes because they're rarely offered. My whole reason for taking this "Household 1" class was so that I could finally do scent work with my dog as well as rally. Unfortunately there were no beginner only courses offered for either by the time I was finished with "Household 1", so I feel like I just wasted time and money by doing a very unstructured "beginner" training class and will no longer have the benefit of being enrolled with the club in order to get first dibs on any beginner classes offered for nose work or rally in the future. Overall, my experience was negative between my emails with the club, how the "Household 1" class was structured, and the lack of available beginner classes, which makes me hesitant to take any other classes with this club in the future.