I'm pretty convinced I need to find some local help for training my dog. I'm making progress, but not near as much as I could if I were going to regular classes and had someone watching what I was doing. I don't know if it's better to just join a local club like http://www.qcdtc.org/ or whether I should find some trainer to pay for regular sessions. To be honest, it seems like it'd be a lot of work to find a trainer locally that works in the style that I've learned here. When I google for dog trainers, I find a ton of hits for what looks like individuals with crappy web sites. I can't learn very much at all from them about their style/philosophy. It's like finding a needle in a haystack.

I still don't really know what my long term goals are. I don't think I want to actually do herding. After reading Dogged Pursuit it makes me think that agility training would be fun. I don't know how competitive I want to be with whatever I do (OB or agility). My main goal is to not have a crazy dog; to work her enough that she's calm and content. Of course, also having a dog as smart as she is it'd be nice to be able to show off how clever she is to guests and such.

Doug, When I first started training I worked with the obedience group of an AKC Club. The instructors were volunteers and they had all titled their dogs. You will most likely find the same thing at Queen City Dog Training Club. Most such organizations will certainly let you watch and then you can decide what activities you want to participate in.

Usually these groups are low pressure.

Does anybody know of a reliable trainer in Kansas. We have a two year German Shepherd?

Tresha Flanary