Silly Season

Whew! The first week of the new session of classes at CCSC is over! I don't know about you, but I've started thinking of the last week of registration and the first week of classes as "Silly Season."

All the people who've been wanting to take classes but keep forgetting to enroll suddenly realize it's almost too late, so the last week before Orientation is full of emails and questions. My inbox goes from getting a message or so a day to 15 or more. We get everyone sorted out and at Orientation go over the basic rules and what equipment we want everyone to bring.

The first actual week of class is sort of like your first day at high school, except that not only are you dealing with your nerves but your dog's nerves too. Students are getting sorted into rings, instructors are evaluating dogs and everyone is excited and jittery. Often new students have forgotten to bring the requested leash or have an inappropriate collar on the dog, so there are cries of "Oh no, I forgot!" It's loud and chaotic. Even though we've reassured everyone that it's normal, people are sometimes horrified at their dog's behavior on that first night. "He's never this way at home!" Of course not, but he's not at home. He's in a place with lots of strange dogs and people with a lot of noise and visual stimuli, not to mention the smells. Canine and human adrenaline soaks the air.

And I'll walk around and mutter, "Oh my God, Silly Season," in dire tones while secretly, I really like it. I like the energy. I like looking at all of those bright dogs and knowing that if their owners just stick with it, they'll be seeing huge progress.

By week 3, the classes are amazingly calm and organized. Most of the dogs have settled and are attentive but not hysterical. Owners have realized this is something they can do and that instructors really do understand that dogs don't come pre-programmed.

A few of the dogs though, are still pretty over the top. And sometimes owners get embarrassed, decide their dog must be untrainable since everybody else in the class is doing great and they've still got Mr. Bark At Everything on the end of their leash. And unfortunately, even though we assure them that they're normal, some of these students drop out.

One thing we instructors do have to stress continually is that if your dog was perfect, you wouldn't be spending the money to come to CCSC. You'll hear us say it in person and probably write it in this blog again and again—each dog is an individual. All dogs learn at different rates. One reason why we don't put "Beginning" "Intermediate" and "Advanced" in our class titles is because sometimes dogs need to repeat a class, and owners need to know that it's perfectly fine to do so. It's far less pressure to say "I'm taking Pet Manners 1" than it is to say "I'm still in Beginners" like you flunked grade school or something.

And let me tell you something else. Those over-the-top dogs? The ones that have tons of energy that you don't know how to direct? Well they may require more time and effort from you up front, and they will challenge your abilities and knowledge. They will make you work. But if you stick with that dog, if you will just keep coming to class and working each week, that is the dog that often has the most potential to be successful should you decide to do agility or any of the other dog sports. Because that dog has drive and attitude and spark. And I love that kind of dog. Give me an overeager brat who occasionally gets into trouble over a plodder any day.

The first week is over. We're starting to buckle down. Sooner than we think the last week of class will be upon us. And I bet you'll be shocked at how much difference you can see in your dog in these six short weeks.

Happy training!
--Robin