One of the things you have to accept when you get a pit or pit mix is that a lot of people are going to look at your dog askance whether she's behaves perfectly or not. I have Rottweilers. That's just part of owning certain breeds, and you're better to accept it and handle and protect your dog with it in mind. I've experienced prejudice in a training class, although the instructor didn't act on it, just made a few snotty remarks. I ignored her, proved her wrong, but if she'd tried taking my dog and doing anything I didn't like, it wouldn't have happened.
I'll admit I look at pits askance in spite of having a breed that's also often prejudiced against, not because I don't know a lot of pitties are lovely dogs, but because a high percentage of the ones I've encountered are owned by irresponsible, macho jerks. When I did rescue work it helped me understand the anti-Rott prejudice because I encountered some of the "You got any big Rockwilders" crowd.
I've attended puppy kindergarten at 2 different training centers. In the one, the puppies never interact, they're on leash with their owners, everyone learns certain training and handling techniques, and puppies are exposed to various strange things they probably wouldn't otherwise meet. For instance, the last time I was there, they had, among other things, a short agility tunnel and a kid's wading pool filled with crushed cans. Puppies aren't forced to do anything with those strange obstacles but encouraged to and praised madly when they do.
The other class divides the sessions into two parts. For the first part, the puppies are let loose together to interact. The play is supervised by training assistants who make sure no puppy is picked on, etc., while the owners go off to a classroom for a lecture on training and puppy care. For the second half of the class, the owners go back to their puppies, and there's regular training instruction. They don't present puppies with unusual things but concentrate on showing owners how to train - sits, downs, recalls, leave it, etc.
I don't think I'd go to the second class for puppies again (I've done it a couple of times) unless the instructor agreed I could skip the classroom part. Once you've sat through the classroom instruction, it's been there, done that and boring. While I think playing with other puppies is good, especially for ones like mine that don't get around other dogs much, I don't like leaving my puppy for others to decide what supervision and handling is needed. And at least one of the training exercises involved treatment too harsh IMO. I simply refused to do it. (That's your responsibility as the owner. If something strikes you as wrong for your dog, you don't do it. You don't let the trainer do it. I walked out of a training class once when the instructor insisted on something I didn't like.)
Your post sounds like a lot of your problem is your mother's dog. That's also your responsibility. If another dog is causing a problem, get away from it. If someone gets their nose out of joint, too bad. You wouldn't let someone run roughshod over one of your kids, would you? If the trainer is taking your dog from you and doing something you don't like, speak up.
I'll admit I look at pits askance in spite of having a breed that's also often prejudiced against, not because I don't know a lot of pitties are lovely dogs, but because a high percentage of the ones I've encountered are owned by irresponsible, macho jerks. When I did rescue work it helped me understand the anti-Rott prejudice because I encountered some of the "You got any big Rockwilders" crowd.
I've attended puppy kindergarten at 2 different training centers. In the one, the puppies never interact, they're on leash with their owners, everyone learns certain training and handling techniques, and puppies are exposed to various strange things they probably wouldn't otherwise meet. For instance, the last time I was there, they had, among other things, a short agility tunnel and a kid's wading pool filled with crushed cans. Puppies aren't forced to do anything with those strange obstacles but encouraged to and praised madly when they do.
The other class divides the sessions into two parts. For the first part, the puppies are let loose together to interact. The play is supervised by training assistants who make sure no puppy is picked on, etc., while the owners go off to a classroom for a lecture on training and puppy care. For the second half of the class, the owners go back to their puppies, and there's regular training instruction. They don't present puppies with unusual things but concentrate on showing owners how to train - sits, downs, recalls, leave it, etc.
I don't think I'd go to the second class for puppies again (I've done it a couple of times) unless the instructor agreed I could skip the classroom part. Once you've sat through the classroom instruction, it's been there, done that and boring. While I think playing with other puppies is good, especially for ones like mine that don't get around other dogs much, I don't like leaving my puppy for others to decide what supervision and handling is needed. And at least one of the training exercises involved treatment too harsh IMO. I simply refused to do it. (That's your responsibility as the owner. If something strikes you as wrong for your dog, you don't do it. You don't let the trainer do it. I walked out of a training class once when the instructor insisted on something I didn't like.)
Your post sounds like a lot of your problem is your mother's dog. That's also your responsibility. If another dog is causing a problem, get away from it. If someone gets their nose out of joint, too bad. You wouldn't let someone run roughshod over one of your kids, would you? If the trainer is taking your dog from you and doing something you don't like, speak up.
