Contented Canines

I just finished the Obedience 1 training class with Rick. What a great experience. I learned as much as my puppy did! He is a great teacher, and in 6 weeks my puppy learned most of the basic commands. I would highly recommend Contented Canines. Also there are a few assistants and trainers in training that personally help you while Rick is teaching. And he had the best personal assistant, Pepper!

I have had great experiences with Rick! Both of my dogs have gone through his basic and intermediate obedience classes. They improved a great deal and they absolutely loved going to class. The way the class is structured is that Rick introduces a command and then we break up to try it with our dogs. He comes around to everyone individually and gives us pointers so we can improve as handlers. That way we are practicing correctly at home. The class sizes are small so everyone gets attention. You don’t need to look any further than Rick’s own dogs (who come to class to demonstrate) to see what a good trainer he is. He is always willing to answer questions and address any issues we bring up, so the class really revolves around the client’s needs.
I have also taken my dog to Rick’s agility class. She has a great time and it is a fun, relaxed atmosphere. He knows how to make a dog feel comfortable on the different obstacles and has good tips for handling here as well. I would highly recommend this class to anyone who is past the obedience stage but still wants to have fun with their dog is a safe, organized way.

I was disappointed by my experience at the beginning obedience class. This review is only for the first class because I decided to drop it.
I found the instructor to be disorganized. He was friendly and patient, but with only an hour for each class, efficiency is important. The way he presented the material was an attempt to be interactive and interesting, but I would have preferred if he just told us his points instead of asking, «Has anyone heard of this trainer?» He spent too much time talking about his experiences at obedience competitions and how great his dog was. True his dog was an awesome role model, but we’re here to get ours on the road of obedience.
This first part may have been my impatience to get to the nitty gritty, but my disappointment continued when it came to the actual training. He would show us what to do with his already well-​trained dog, then the class broke up to try it ourselves. We did it several times, and not once did he stop by to see if we were doing it correctly. There were one or two return customers in the class, and I thought he spent too much time hob-​nobbing with them out of familiarity. I looked around and saw one other dog having a lot of problems (too excited) and I didn’t see the trainer help them at all. We got our dog to sit on cue, but he kept climbing up onto our leg for more treats between sits, and no one came over to show us how to address it.
A good instructor, no matter what the class, will go around to ensure students are doing it right. If all he’s going to do is demonstrate his technique and then go talk to friends, I may as well save my money and watch YouTube videos. In fact, that’s exactly what I’m going to do. I actually found a wonderful series by a user named «kikopup». Excellent tutorials using actual dogs who need training.
Final note: If you attend the class during late fall or winter, dress really warmly. Classes are outside in the cold.