Agility in Galway..

Ms.Sunshine

I am very interested in getting my collie into Agility classes in the next month or so.
Has anybody got any experience with clubs in galway? I contacted Galway Dog Club but was told to contact a lady called Alex & would get her number on their website but I can't seem to find the website online!!

Any advice is welcome. Thanks in advance.

tk123

First result in google is their fb page and scrolling down reveals details on agility and the number you're looking for
https://www.facebook.com/events/292581260932569/?ref_newsfeed_story_type=regular

nala2012

Stay away from galway dog club. They do have the best agility equipment but their training methods are awful.
I brought Nala there and didn't return after the first night. she was nervous so i was treating her for any bit of interest she showed and generally trying to encourage her, i got told i was too soft on her and he wanted to drag her over jumps and through a hoop. I refused to give her to him but I saw him tell someone who'S dog didn't recall to go get the dog lift them by the scruff of their neck and slam them down on the ground. This made no sense, why would a dog want to come back if they are going to be punished?!

DBB

nala2012 wrote: »

i got told i was too soft on her and he wanted to drag her over jumps and through a hoop. I refused to give her to him but I saw him tell someone who'S dog didn't recall to go get the dog lift them by the scruff of their neck and slam them down on the ground.

Jesus H. Christ :mad:

OP, I can't link you directly to them, but if you google Tara Nic Dhiarmada or Marina Fiddler, both are involved in dog training (and rescue) in Galway, Tara herself is quite highly qualified, and whilst I don't know if they teach agility, they may know someone who does who won't ask or expect you to do dreadful things to your dog in the name of training.

ACD

Nala2012 was that recently? I don't know the guy that you're talking about, nor I want to after hearing about his methods, but I personally know Alex and she's big into positive reinforcement training and agility and I can't honestly imagine she would treat any dog the way you described. So OP it may be worth checking who is actually running the class and maybe go and watch how they train and what methods they use before signing up?

Ms.Sunshine

Thanks for the replies, they are very insightful. My collie actually did Training with Tara as he is a <snip> dog She mentioned Galway dog club but as Nala2012 mentions she did say that the guys there can be pretty harse on the dogs and occasionally use choke collars , which I would not be ok with for our pup.
I spoke to Alex once tk123 linked the facebook page and she seems lovely so I am really on the fence about what we should do... Maybe we might go to the Starter Class and see how we get on, although I think this class is only with her not the guys! .....

It is annoying as this seems to be the only proper one in Galway.

DBB

With the exception perhaps of Dublin, Ireland is generally poorly served for dog sporting activities alright, which is such a pity.
But knowledge is power Ms. Sunshine... you seem clued in and would be sensible enough to walk away if there's a whiff of anything dodgy going on, and you'll no doubt be able to ally yourself to the good people in the club. They need more people like you to swell the numbers of dog owners who won't accept harsh methods
Good luck with it! Do report back

tk123

Usually what happens is you do a starter/foundation course so X amount of lessons and then probably an intermediate one after that etc and once your dog is at a certain level you go to a weekly class and pay per class... Theres nothing to stop you learning the basics if you think the trainer is ok and then when you get to the stage where you're training with the other group you can decide for yourself if it suits you and your dog. I've done foundation classes with both mine and in one of them we had a shouty owner with a compeltly different training ethos to the rest of the group - they were taken aside by the trainers and told what was and wasn't acceptable quick enough.

nala2012

ACD wrote: »

Nala2012 was that recently? I don't know the guy that you're talking about, nor I want to after hearing about his methods, but I personally know Alex and she's big into positive reinforcement training and agility and I can't honestly imagine she would treat any dog the way you described. So OP it may be worth checking who is actually running the class and maybe go and watch how they train and what methods they use before signing up?

It was over a year ago. They have really good equipment so do go if alex uses more positive methods!

ACD

If it is Alex who runs the class, I wouldn't be worried. We've met on the dog training course with Elista education and they only promote positive methods, Alex is a fan of Susan Garret and other positive trainers, so as I said I can't imagine her using a choke chain or any other harsh methods/equipment. I'd give it a try, OP, if you're not happy, you can always leave.

Ms.Sunshine

Thanks all for putting my mind at ease! I will go ahead with the starter course & see what we think!