So I've been watching some Forrest Micke videos... absolutely awesome. I really wish someone of Ellis or Micke's experience was local to me and willing to work with me haha

Just figured I would throw that out there and make a useless post haha

Good idea, Rob. This post gives us a chance to offer some more tips.

Obviously, the trainers making these videos are good and it would be ideal to work with someone of that caliber. However, don't write off being able to find trainers who are talented in your local area. There are a lot of trainers out there that don't have as much exposure as the big names, but are just as good in their own way, and some offer alternatives that you don't get by subscribing to a particular system.

Also, if you familiarize yourself with the dog people in your area, you can get info about seminars that the big-name trainers might be helping with and are accessible to you..

Thanks Duane, I've been considering joining a local dog club but my concern is their training methods. I have yet to attend a training day with them - I'm trying to avoid going back to compulsion training because I like the idea of marker training better.

i was lucky enough to actually stay with forrest when i went down to the michael ellis school for the puppy foundation course with " henry " back in '12 .

great guy , great trainer . got to spend time with him after hours . actually shot some video for him at one of the local parks that he frequents .

very professional , which is what you would / should expect from someone who is actually making a living working with dogs and their handlers .

here is what i would like to add to the thread : while i can't say enough good things about leerburg , michael ellis , and forrest , at the end of the day each individual handler has to become an expert at handling their own dog . sure you can pay someone to do the work ( and have all the fun ) but you sound like the type of guy who is prepared to learn from others , take what works for you and your situation and put it into practice to develop the best relationship with your dog .


by all means , take advantage of every opportunity you get to work with the master trainers , but remember that you are the one who gets to reap the rewards of your relationship with your dog , so the responsibility of how he turns out lies with you .

i've said this before on this board . i spent many hours studying the dvd's before i went to the ellis school , but the benefit i got from the in person , hands on coaching was worth every penny and every sacrifice i made to get there . i hope to go again someday , but every day henry and i reap the rewards of the time i spent with michael and forrest .

Thanks Ian, I learned the hard way that building the relationship with the dog and actually doing the training is worth way more then what I spent on the in-board training. Although the trainer did great, it's the working relationship in which is lacking right now between my dog and I.

I got the email from Leerburg about Forrest Micke's online university class "Teaching Engagement Skills - Engagement is the Foundation for ALL DOG TRAINING"... I have been meaning to pick up the video called "The Power of Playing Tug.." but I'm not sure if it would be smarter to do the online class first?

 Quote: Rob Maltese

Thanks Duane, I've been considering joining a local dog club but my concern is their training methods. I have yet to attend a training day with them - I'm trying to avoid going back to compulsion training because I like the idea of marker training better.

I'd be surprised if the club was composed of strictly compulsion trainers. That's a dying breed. You'd have to visit a session and see for yourself what you think of the members and their training. One of the benefits is that you see different methods and idealogies being employed.

You can sometimes get more benefit from the exposure to different systems than from the specific training.

Ditto. And you now have far more knowledge ... this will be a big help to having confidence in your gut reactions.

Rob;

This is a reach, but I don't guess you live near Joliet, IL?

http://leerburg.com/webboard/thread.php?topic_id=34156&page=1#391148

Far from it, I'm over in Connecticut.

That's Anne's neck of the woods Maybe she can let you know when she hears about seminars near you.