Here is another trainer seach web directory.
Do not waste your money on in home obedience training. Go to Petsmart and take their basic obedience class. It runs around $99 for 8 weeks of classes. The socialization and disctractions in the store are important to teach your basenji to focus.
I did Petsmart training with my basenji and it was worth it! I have my puppy enrolled in the Dog Training Club of St Pete for a little less. $80 for 8 weeks.
Where are you in Orlando? I take my boys over there for a visit to the parents and we always go to the dog park.
OUCH! That is kind of a blanket statement. In-home training is what I do, mostly. I don't charge anywhere near what the OP stated. I doubt that my clients think they wasted their money. Their dogs are trained in their home, where their dogs exhibit the behaviors they wish to change; they can schedule their training session at their convenience; and they and their dogs can focus much more easily without 15 other puppies running around.
Chain stores can indeed be a good place to take training classes, but be aware that their trainers need no actual experience training dogs…they only need to read the training manual. Some are great, some not so much. While $750 is completely unreasonable, and I can't imagine someone paying that for basic training....there is an element of 'you get what you pay for' with dog training.
Some dogs do well at Petsmart-some do not. I have done both group training and in-home training-there are advantages and disadvantages to both. You mya be able to get other training classes with experienced instructors, but as Andrea states-'you get what you pay for.' Look around and ask for references-if they refuse to give you references, ask why.
As a PetSmart trainer, I'd like to clarify…
Yes, we have to do a lot of reading. And watch a lot of videos. 16 hours, in fact! Then we get quizzed by our managers before they approve us for a two week on-site training with a district trainer (that's 80 more hours). Then the district trainer gives us a test and written evaluation. It's a lot like student teaching. You start by observing and helping out where needed, and by the end, you're running all the classes.
Associates are generally picked to be trainers because of their rapport with dogs, ability to sell classes, and history of good customer service. While I'm sure not every trainer lives up to the desired standards, the ones that I have met and continue to work with only have the dogs' best interests in mind. We can also have dozens of dogs on our minds in any given week, so ask us if you have any questions or concerns about the progress of your dog!
Basenjis ARE trainable, and part of that involves careful socialization. Cooper now works 14 hours a week with me at PetSmart. He's gentle with toddlers, flirts with old ladies, and reminds teenagers and puppies to use better manners. He knows that he needs to tolerate other dogs in the store, and now even makes a point to greet each one. But if he misses a week of work, he is snarky on his first day back. Constant socialization is needed to keep him on the ball.
I'd also like to note that, at least in my store, training sales are well below what they should be at this time of year. With economic stress (especially here in Michigan), people are still getting puppies, but they have no intention of training them. $100 in the short term can save your furniture, shoes, leashes, carpet, and more in the long term! It really makes me worried that if the economy continues to decline, we will end up with a lot more shelter dogs.
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Tampa has a "Dog training club of Tampa" group of volunteers that do all kind of classes (puppy, obedience, agility, conformation) for about $70 or 80 for a 6 or 8 week class. Some of the instructors are excellent, some are only OK. If St. Pete and Tampa each have a club, it is worth looking to see if Orlando (or any other city) has one. I have taken obedience and agility with Nicky, and obedience with Topper. Poor Eddie has been home schooled, and learned all he knows from Topper and Nicky!
Anne in Tampa
I did a petsmart class with Jack, and it is probably time for us to take the next level of training, and we will probably go back. He did a really good job in there. But, i think a lot of the training has to do with how much you work with your dog at home. We would "practice" every night, and he learned really quickly…..he is so smart (biased, who me? no!)....it is just like school. If you don't do your homework, you aren't going to learn as much.
And everyone else in the class, when I went for the first time, was like....what do you mean he doesn't bark? A dog that doesn't bark? Impossible!
I did a petsmart class with Jack, and it is probably time for us to take the next level of training, and we will probably go back. He did a really good job in there. But, i think a lot of the training has to do with how much you work with your dog at home. We would "practice" every night, and he learned really quickly…..he is so smart (biased, who me? no!)....it is just like school. If you don't do your homework, you aren't going to learn as much.
It is important to practice the behaviors you are working on in many different places. If the only place you ever work on them is at home and class they may get really good at home and class but you end telling people "I don't know why he won't do his trick, he always does it at home."
Of course most instructors can tell who goes home and practices with their dogs and who does not.
I have been going to puppy kindergarten with Dallas for the past 3 weeks, 2 more to go. I wasn't completely convinced he needed it since he did all of his commands with me & in the store etc. Hah! I was proven 100% WRONG! When we got to class it was like he "forgot" everything! He was too focused on all the other puppies to follow the commands that he does to a tee at home & even when we're out at stores. Even waving food in his face wasn't helping! He has gotten better since the first week…and with better treats [cheese!] but it amazes me how situational learners dogs actually are. Now I not only practice his commands at home & in class but I pratice at the dogpark [go off to the side for a few minutes & get him to do them], at other people's houses, in all the stores, etc etc etc. So far it has seemed to help but still when in new situations it is hard to get him to do anything besides sit!
Jack's favorite three tricks are "sit", "give me five", and "roll over" and he will do them just about anywhere. It is a little hard to roll over with a leash on though- lol!
This I am very proud of- we trained him to only eat his bones on his blanket (his binki) and not on the couch (it leaves that weird slobbery residue on the couch cushions) so now, when we go someplace new, all we have to do is bring along his blanket, and he won't eat food or bones on the furniture. In fact, if I wash his blanket, he runs around the house with a bone in his mouth trying to figure out where he is supposed to eat it.
We had our consultation with a trainer this past weekend and it was very helpful but VERY expensive. She gave us some great advice and some advice that I didn't necessarily agree with. Needless to say, we are going to go to puppy kindergarten with Jackpot starting this month and see how that goes.
The one very useful thing that the in-home trainer gave us was the book/pamphlet "How to be the Leader of the Pack and have your dog love you for it". Has anyone else heard of this book and used it? I have read through it briefly and it looks good to me…but I'm curious what others think?
We had our consultation with a trainer this past weekend and it was very helpful but VERY expensive. She gave us some great advice and some advice that I didn't necessarily agree with. Needless to say, we are going to go to puppy kindergarten with Jackpot starting this month and see how that goes.
The one very useful thing that the in-home trainer gave us was the book/pamphlet "How to be the Leader of the Pack and have your dog love you for it". Has anyone else heard of this book and used it? I have read through it briefly and it looks good to me…but I'm curious what others think?
I think that is the one by Patricia McConnell? I really like it a lot. There are a few little things that I, personally, don't think are as essential as some others. But overall, I think it is a great tool for anyone that has a dog that is even mildly challenging (and all Basenjis fall into that category 
)
I much prefer the techniques for becoming the leader of the household in this booklet to those in the teachings of Cesar Millan…but again, just my opinion.
Sorry to bump an old thread, but I was curious as I'm also in Orlando and soon as I adopt a new basenji mix I'd like to get her started in training. Did you try the ODTC classes? They seem reasonable price wise and if they're located where I think it says on their page at the fair grounds on 50, near my home (bonus!). Hope anyone from Orlando still reads here and will have some suggestions
goodness, for $750, i think i'd just go buy every video on this page:
http://www.tawzerdogvideos.com/Leslie-Nelson.htm
and have a nice dinner and bottle of wine to boot. I actually have Shaping the Future and have watched about 1/2 of it (it's 6 dvd's long, so that's not quite as pathetic as it sounds).
if you really want an in the flesh person, ask to watch them in a class before committing your $$ to them. see if you like their style and how they deal with the dogs first.
See if there is a dog training club. Tampa has Dog Training Club of Tampa, they work with puppies, basic obedience, agility, conformation, for very reasonable rates. They are all volunteer club members but most are great teachers, they team teach so there are at least 2 instructors. Check to see if Orlando has anything like that. DTOT is about $75 for 6 or 8 classes, once a week.
Otherwise, as Agile says, buy some great books and videos and go for it.
Well ODTC.com (Orlando Dog Training Club) does Older Puppy & Beginner Class
for $110, 8 weeks long. They just started this week so if I ended up with the 10 month old I'd have to wait two months to attend the next class. That sound like the one y'all do there?
Do not waste your money on in home obedience training. Go to Petsmart and take their basic obedience class. It runs around $99 for 8 weeks of classes. The socialization and disctractions in the store are important to teach your basenji to focus.
I did Petsmart training with my basenji and it was worth it! I have my puppy enrolled in the Dog Training Club of St Pete for a little less. $80 for 8 weeks.
I totally agree with this. I took my girl to PetSmart for the 8 week class and she did very well. Of course, as time has gone on, she has decided to keep some, dump some, but a lot of that is lack of consistency on my part. Their classes are very well run, and not expensive.;)
the big box shop training is only as good as the trainer. it is, like many things, hit or miss. ask to watch a class with that trainer before spending any money
