off lead control

[Zebbie]

my instructor tells me I need more off lead control before moving into the intermediate class. Dakota just turned 9 months old today and in class he likes to visit the other dogs after he does a couple obstacles. Is this normal for puppies and will he sort of outgrow this or do I need to work on recall more? When we go for walks he is not on lead and comes back readily enough, but class and walking are 2 different things. so how do I get him to respond in class?

[Shiloh]

I can understand how you feel. Shiloh is almost 4 years and he will still run off to sniff and/or see his friends. His agility instructor, Ginny, explains it as such.... Imagine you were taken away by aliens and were the only human on the planet for many years. Now think of how you would feel if they brought another human. Apparently, this is how dogs feel when the go to class. They are excited at having their own kind around them and would rather socialize than be with the two-legged, slow humans. Anyway, you could work on the recall because it will help but they will eventually grow so they listen better to you.

I commend you for being able to walk off-leash with your BC because I still can't do it with Shiloh.

Good luck and have patience

Sandi

[SMcNairnTurn]

I would never expect my 10 month old pup to constantly sit at my side and have total self-control. Jeez...they're still pups. She gets continually better as time wears on, but I don't expect her to be perfect. Especially since she can't even compete yet. I train privately for agility, so I don't know about the levels, but my dog and I have been working very slowly doing the same things over and over again. I think that repeating would probably be good. No sense in demanding too much over their ability level from a pup.