# Professional Training Confusion?



## DonnaC (Jul 31, 2011)

Hi

I have two puppies, a dachshund, who is six months, and my havanese, who is five months. I have worked with both of them at home on simple commands -- sit, shake, up, etc. They are both pretty well trained to use the dog door to potty. I have not done much leash training, and neither of them is inclined to either stay or come on command. 

I want to put both of them in obedience classes. I paid for the dachshund to start the basic class at Petsmart this week. Then, I thought I'd start Baxter next month. THEN, I want to put them both in a more professional program and maybe work up to agility training. 

Here's my concern -- will they get confused with so many different approaches? Is there a better way to do this?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

If you are seriously interested in advancing their training, I'd skip Petsmart. It's very much luck of the draw whether you'll get someone who is any good, (the good people are more often at private facilities or work on their own) and from what I've seen the training space is typically VERY small, with too many puppies (many of them large) and too many distractions with shoppers looking on outside the ring.

As far as them getting confused with different approaches, there is absolutely NO problem with working on both obedience training and agility training at the same time. They compliment each other nicely. Time spent on obedience training before you start agility is TREMENDOUSLY helpful later on in agility. 

I'd re-think doing agility with your doxie, though, they are SO long and SO prone to spine injuries, I know my agility trainer strongly discourages doxie owners from trying the sport with their dogs. Havs are GREAT at it... our whole "small dog" class (it just so happens!) is ALL Havs! But Baxter has plenty of time for basic obedience work first. No dog should be doing agility, especially jumps and weaves, but there are dangers even with contacts, before they are a year old.


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