Hi D Ho Dog Training

In short, I strongly recommend going elsewhere for dog training. Here's why: I got my dog when he was a small puppy. He is a very high energy breed that can be destructive when not trained well. During his first vet visit, the vet recommended I read "Doctor Dunbar's Good Little Dog Book" (about $12 on Amazon at the time of writing). I ordered it and gave it a try; it was quite an inane (and short) read, but teaches you a lot about a dog's psychology and why some training methods are better than others. The book also gives very specific examples on how to teach your dog various tricks (sit, down, leave it, shhh, etc). Fast forward six months, and my dog is very well behaved for the most part. He is quite intelligent and picks things up quickly. I make sure to exercise him several hours a day so he is not destructive. However, I was having one main problem with him: he would not listen well outside. He would pull on his leash with the smallest distraction and often make walks unenjoyable. He is also very easily excited when in the presence of a number of other dogs/people. So I decided to take him to Hi-D-Ho training classes after several recommendations from frequenters of the Blacksburg dog park. Here are my impressions having completed the seven-week beginner course: We did not actually work on training during the classes much. Most of the classes were just us watching Rosie demonstrate things, and she would give you a handout for "homework". The expectation is that you work on your own at home, rather than her helping you in-class. What this turned into was most of the dogs getting restless and pulling/whining for the entire class because you're just supposed to stand there among the presence of other people and dogs for an hour. The class mirrors the contents of the aforementioned book almost exactly. If you buy the Good Little Dog Book and are consistent in your training, you will not learn a thing in this class. Rosie is quite rude. She will occasionally take one person's dog for a demonstration. At one point she took my dog for a walking demonstration and he pulled on the leash some. The next class she announced to the class that Fido pulled her back out last class and it had been hurting all week, so she wasn't doing demonstrations with him again. I found this to be rude and unprofessional (not to mention embarrassing), especially considering that my dog was by no means the only dog that pulled during demonstrations. None of the problems I had with my dog were addressed during the training sessions. At one point, Rosie criticized me for not working on the homework because my dog was pulling during a class. I had in fact worked on the homework, but my dog behaves very differently when in the presence of a dozen other dogs and people. When I told her this, she either seemed to not care or not believe me. To wrap things up, I would personally recommend "Doctor Dunbar's Good Little Dog Book" as a training guide. My dog did not improve whatsoever after taking Rosie's course. He has, however, improved gradually over time because of my persistence and consistency (and perhaps because he's becoming older and less of a puppy). The book is cheaper and more thorough than this course, with the added benefit that you don't have to put up with rude Rosie.