What does this community think about Susan Garrett offering a running contacts class that costs $5,000?

I had her 2 x 2 Weaves, Crate Games, and Success with One Jump DVDs, but I gave them away because they just didn't work with my training methods. I felt like there was a lot of steps, ideas that were not included in the material.

I am worried that this very expensive class will cause other trainers to raise their prices so that ordinary people will not be able to take lessons.

At the same time, I am seriously considering Michael Ellis's immersion course...even though it is more expensive I think it would be worth it. The only obstacle standing in my way to taking Michael's 22 week course is that I need to find a way to take that much time off from work.

I feel like this offering from Susan Garrett is a slap in the face to other, more effective trainers like Michael Ellis, Diane Bauman, Silvia Trkman, and Daisy Peel. But I am curious what other people think about it.

Robin Clark
Cincinnati, OH

I think the market will determine whether the class is worth the price. It may have the opposite effect to what you fear-- her expensive class could drive people to lower priced classes.

People who can't afford to go to Yale don't skip going to college altogether.

I'd never pay $5k for a class. But if others do, and feel they got their money's worth, more power to her.

Exactly Tracy. Susan has a large following of people who swear by her training methods. This project was more of a test pilot for her and this method of contact training. She actually explains her reasoning in her most recent blog post, and the fact that she is actually making less money than she could be by offering it in this format..... http://susangarrettdogagility.com/2012/02/did-i-make-a-difference/

I also will not be paying $5000 for any dog training course, but there are people out there with the disposable income to do it. Susan has been a prominent instructor and competitor in the agility world for a long time now, and she knows that a lot of people want to train with her.

Tracy, I love the Yale analogy. I'm about to start running contact training all on my own, and will likely meet some of these course participants at trials in the future....I look forward to it.

Also, I openly admit that I am a fan. I have audited a few seminars at her place, have the DVDs, and absolutely love her training methods. Sure, I am not a diehard fan, and I learn from as many sources as possible that appeal to me and my training style.

I personally don't fault her for capitalizing on her success and the status that she has worked hard to build.

A couple of my dogs were missing contacts too, so I struggled with teaching them a new command, using a piece of wood on the floor to mark "feet." But I wasn't having much luck.

Then it occurred to me that all my dogs know "wait." For them it means stop dead in your tracks and wait for a release. So I just use that now on contact obstacles. Problem solved.

This has been quite the subject of conversation in the agility world this week!! Interesting that before this came about she did a survey of how much people would be willing to pay for a course. I guess $5000 was the lucky number.

IMO, charging that much for that course is way over the top. She's only really used the method with her youngest dog that hasn't even competed yet. So it's largely unproven in every situation except her training center. It's almost like she's getting 5 people to pay her $5000 for the honor of testing her theory. And how can she promise that its the greatest thing ever if it's unproven? It's almost as if she's saying it's worth $5000 simply because she says it is

She can charge whatever she wants of course, but the idea of charging that much money to test an unproven theroy is rather mind boggling to me.

I thought her 2x2 weave training concepts were really cool but they didn't work worth a d@mn with my dog and me. You've got to have a high-drive dog and mine just doesn't care about it all that much. We have great fun doing agility, but it's just a fun game for us to play together - we're not heading for the World Championships or anything. I guess if you're *really* into it, the class might be worth it, but $5k is a lot of money. Like you Robin, I'd rather spend $ on Michael Ellis if I was going to do something like that. He's all about teaching you fundamentals to interact and motivate whatever kind of dog you have. I think for Susan's classes, you've got to have a high-drive, motivated dog to start with.

For a limited time only, I'll come up with a BETTER training theory if you guys will pay me $4999.99 once I come up with the preliminary idea.

It'll be awesome. Promise.

I like your Yale analogy and it is precisely why I am offended by SG's offering. It implies that she is better, more elite, worth more than other trainers. I've watched 3 of her DVDs, read Ruff Love and read many of her blog posts. She might be, and probably is, an awesome dog trainer. But she is not entirely honest in her training material. There is no way she can get the results that she gets by doing what she says in her material. She always holds back key information that she must only share with certain people. I think that this is cruel and disceitful.

I am also offended by her "holier than thou" attitude about not using corrections. I do correct my dogs, but they are allowed to hang out and be dogs when we are not training. Susan's Ruff Love program is the canine equivalent of a concentration camp or maximum security incarceration.

Although I have absolutely no evidence of this, I'd be willing to bet $5,000 that she does correct her dogs when there is no one around to see it.

Instead of comparing her to Yale, I would compare her to a TV infomercial selling a diet that allows you to lose 20 pounds in 10 days.

Robin Clark
Cincinnati, OH

I'm offended by lots of things. $900,000 watches, $10,000 handbags, and $5,000 designer dogs are just a few that pop to mind.

But I suspect that if what you say is true about this agility class, it won't be around long. The glow of a premium price tag won't cover up an inferior product forever.

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I like your Yale analogy and it is precisely why I am offended by SG's offering.

Eh, I'm not really offended by it or other high priced items. I mean, I'm sure there are many people that could be offended by the money/time I spend on my dogs. I see tht more of a different strokes for different folks sort of thing.

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She always holds back key information that she must only share with certain people.

I've heard this from other people, too.

She's still in it to be #1.