Night 1 of Obededience Class

Tonight was Chester's first Obedience class, but he didn't go. The first night (of the eight weeks) was for the owners only. I was a little surprised by it, but they do this to establish the rules, give some background, and make introductions.


These were my first reactions from the class:
- The place smelled very strongly of dog urine. It gave me a headache.

- There are a few dogs in the class that don't like other dogs. My biggest concern is the four year old pitbull mix that "hates other dogs and tries to kill them" per its owner. I think they should be required to take one-on-one classes to start...

- Harnesses aren't allowed. You have to use a collar. She encouraged the use of a Gentle Leader, but if you use one, the dog also has to have a regular collar on. This means we have to go out and purchase a collar because we don't have or use one for Chester. And then we have to get Chester used to it, because he's never had one on. Great. Collars are not recommended for pugs (except for just having their tags on), so I'm not exactly thrilled about having to use his leash with a collar. It can cause a collapsing trachea among other issues.

- We are supposed to find a different confirmation word than "good" or "good boy/dog" and a different correction word than "no." Apparently these words are overused and lose their meaning. Won't the same happen with these new words?

- There was a couple there that breed mixes. They will be bringing one of them to the class. It made me want to puke.
Why does this bother me so much? No reputable breeder would EVER breed a mix. They are obviously backyard breeders (BYB) and contributing to the overpopulation of dogs.
This is a great article on BYB's-   What is a Backyard Breeder (BYB)?
Another good link about the different places you can get a dog from -
Different types of breeders, people and facilities where puppies and dogs can come from 
Prospective buyers should keep these definitions in mind when seeking a puppy to add to their lives.

- There are two "goldendoodles" in the class (separate owners). When the owners said this, I wanted to SCREAM.
Why does this bother me so much?
 A "goldendoodle" is NOT a breed. It's a golden retriever/poodle mix. Same goes for puggle (AHH!!!!). I think that one bugs me the most because sometimes people will ask if Chester is a "puggle" when we say he may be a pug mix. We don't know what he is because his pug mom came into the rescue pregnant. And we don't care. I'm not a breed snob. I just think it's ridiculous when people pay hundreds of dollars for a mix from a breeder when they could adopt from a rescue or shelter. It makes me ill. These designer dogs aren't special, they are bred to make money. This is unnecessary when there are so many dogs out there without homes, dogs that are put to sleep everyday because their owners gave them up.
I just cannot believe someone would actually buy a puggle from a breeder. No reputable breeder would EVER breed mixes. Reputable breeders have litters for the betterment of the breed. They take into account the pedigrees, and breed for health and to conform to the breed standard. These designer breeds can't conform to a breed standard BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT A BREED. I am going to lose it if one more person starts telling me about their "puggle." I say, "Your pug/beagle mix?" and get a weird look. Whatever. I'm not the stupid one. I could go on for a while. This is something I have very strong opinions on. /rant
Here's a great article about these "designer" breeds - "Poo" Dogs and Designer Mixes

- Almost all of the other dogs in the class are bigger dogs. I hope this will help Chester's fear of larger dogs. I think he has this because the big neighbor dog constantly and aggressively barks at him and us whenever we're in the backyard. It's really annoying and I'm sure intimidating for Chester.

- I think I'm a pet snob now. I think everyone should adopt or at least purchase from a reputable breeder. I think everyone should do their research and feed their dog a quality food without filler. I think everyone should avoid raw hides.

I hope Chester learns a lot from this class. I'm just not thrilled with some of the other dogs and their owners. It will be good for him though.

And I would be remiss if I didn't leave you with a photo or two of Chester! Here's the little guy modeling his new teal hoodie.

I like how his little mane is sticking out of the top of the sweatshirt. He's a furry guy!