[Shaina]

Sometimes it seem as though there is a split on the forum between those who have been training for some time and who have a great depth of understanding of the learning process, and those just beginning.

Another forum member and I were exchanging stories earlier today, and we though, in an effort to bridge that gap a little bit, that it would be fun for people, no matter if they are novices training for a nice household pet or veterans at the highest level of working/performing to post some of those moments when you just had to take a step back and laugh. No critiquing required unless requested...I imagine in retrospect most of us know what went wrong, lol.


I suppose I'll go first...with a tale of how Kim led a mass breakout in a training club obedience class.

Last spring, before we moved, Kim was in an Novice Obedience class (that is, a class to prepare dogs to earn the obedience trial title of CD and to introduce elements of the CDX).

One day well into the course, the instructor decides to take things up a notch and have us do out of sight stays. Kim and I had never done this outside of our apartment, but Kim is one of those dogs that tends to make her handler look good despite all the silly things a novice handler does, so with all the mass confidence of a group of people who are unknowingly in over our heads, we agree with enthusiasm.

In unison, we place our dogs in a long line and ask them to sit and stay, then file out of the ring, around the corner, and down the hall.

About forty-five seconds into the minute, Kim (unbeknownst to us) suddenly goes from her sit to a dead sprint...and to make matters worse, she's on the far side of the ring and buzzes by all of the other dogs...so THEY break as well. With Kim at the helm, the whole pack does a joy lap around the ring, then rushes the gate guard and breaks out.

We handlers are chatting away without a care in the world when we hear someone scream "INCOMIIIIIIIIING!" Thinking one dog must have broken his/her stay, we start toward the corner...just as twelve dogs, Kim still in the lead, swerve around the corner, running like the wind, and scatter their startled people like leaves in a storm.

Chaos.

Needless to say, when I found out what had *ahem* sparked the whole incident, I apologized profusely, but I couldn't help but laugh at the look on Kim's face...she had clearly been having the time of her life. Looked something like this, in fact, but wilder:

So that's my story

 

[coldnoze31]

That is too funny! I think this is a great idea to help us all remember thatto err is human, and to laugh at our mistakes.
When I was 14, I decided to teach my GSD, Irish, some protection work...namely to go for the arm with the weapon. Not surprisingly, nobody wanted to help me by being the criminal. I didn't know that dogs don't generalize...I just figured if I could get her to go for my arm while holding a toy gun, she would get it and I could simply point at who's arm I wanted her to go after.
Consequently, whenever I gave the "Arm!" command she would go straight for my arm and only mine! Thankfully, we loved each other dearly, and she never inflicted any damage.

 

[ColoradoSooner]

How funny! I've got two little stories for you...

We were in basic obedience with Ranger, our rat terrier, and the class was working on recalls outside. The trainer took Ranger to the far end of the area and we called him. Well, like a shot, he starts running toward us. Unbeknownst to us, there was a dip in the middle that hadn't been mowed so you couldn't see the dip. Well, he hit the dip, rolled, and kept running to us. Yay!

So the second time he did it, he started off straight as a shot and then started veering over to the right. We figured we had lost him at that point. That there was something more interesting by the fence. But no...he just made a wide berth around the dip and then got back on course and ran straight for us. He was not about to make the same mistake twice! The whole class died laughing.

At a separate class inside, we were working on out of site stays. I hung back with the trainer and my hubby put Ranger in a sit-stay and walked around the corner and down the hall. A couple of seconds after hubby was out of sight, Ranger broke his sit. Again...we thought it was all over. But instead, he just walked over to the water bowl, took a few laps, and then sat back down waiting for my hubby to call him. I guess he figured if Dad couldn't see him and he went back into a sit, it was okay.

 

[melgrj7]

One I can think of at the moment . . . We were doing "wait" in class and Lloyd is always very good about it, I actually think he thinks it is a stand/stay as he never moves. Anyway, I went out into the hallway, walked around a bit, waited, then walked into the door at the opposite side. Lloyd didn't see me as he was staring out the door I had walked out of. I said something to the instructor and Lloyd shot out the door and came running in through the 2nd door. I learned an important lesson there . . . proof for everything, including me talking

Oh another one, not really a training thing but happens in training class . . . Lloyd loves Bob (the instructor), a lot. Every time we walk into class and Lloyd sees Bob he starts chattering and once got very, um, *excited*, about seeing Bob.

 

[britishbandit]

I can only really think of one embarrassing moment off hand, and it occurred while working with my boy in the front yard.

I was getting back to working on a solid heel with my guy, and had him attached on a very short line to my "doggie belt". A couple of kids walked up and stopped and started ohhhing and ahhing at him. He wanted to go see them (you could tell the excitement was building up in him), but he didn't pull to go and see them. Instead he walked around behind me to the other side (which I didn't really notice because I was talking to the kids, and the belt didn't move around me with him) and I fell flat on my back.

We all got a good laugh about it, though now I pay more attention to where he goes when he's belted to me, and I've not been putting the belt on so tight. LOL I leave a little slack around my waist, just in case.

 

[Darkmoon]

Lol, some of these are cute.

Nubs has only taken a Beginner Obedience class and passed it with flying colors.

The funniest thing happened the second time the class was working on recall. Nubs has no issues with recalling at all. In fact if I get too far away no matter what we are doing he'll come back. It's great.

Anyways... So I know Nubs has this down, no worries. I hand him over to the trainer, a big guy 6' tall about 260lbs and start walking toward the other side of the room. Next thing I know, I hear a *thud* followed by a TON of laughing. I turn around in time to be greeted by Nubs who is wagging his whole body and the trainer who is still attached to Nubs leash. Nubs must have pulled him a good 10' before he stopped. I was laughing so hard I started crying. After that, that trainer loved Nubs even more.

 

[Sunshyne]

My story isn't embarassing, just highly entertaining (for me at least!).

We were in beginner puppy class, Chloe was 4 months old. She was the only toy breed, there were 2 labs, two cockapoos (SP?), and a golden. The trainer had already told me pugs "were the hardest dogs to train, they won't listen, blah blah blah". I hated her but paid for the class so followed through. She had an obvious affection towards the labs and always favored them, making excuses for them constantly.

So, we learned sit, stay and down. Trainer says "let's try something crazy and see if anyone can do crawl". The labs failed, the two cockapoos just ran wild (literally wouldn't even sit), and there goes Chloe... staying in her down position as chaos erupted from the other dogs, and she crawled at least 10 feet across the floor to get the treat. None of the other dogs could / would do it.

The trainer apologized to me, but also said she must be an abnormality. How bad did I want to punch this girl!???!! Anyways, Chloe was obviously the clear winner in the group but a lot had to do with us reinforcing it at home. All the other owners had their mouths open while their dogs jumped up on the trainer for a treat.

 

[Inga]

I know I have told this story on here before but it is still the most embarrassing moment I have had with my dogs to date. I am hopeful that it will continue to hold the record forever as I am just now beginning to get any confidence back again.

When Inga was young and full of life, and I was foolish enough to try to show a dog with an extreme sense of humor.....
There were so many of those show stopper moments with her. The worst one was when we had made it through some of Inga's worst exercises and it was time for the recall. This was one of her best exercises. I confidently called Inga to "front" and she immediately responded. She came at a very brisk gallop toward me. At the very last moment she bypassed me and jumped OUT of the ring she then proceeded to snatch a hot dog off of a plate a woman was holding on her legs outside the ring. She jumped back IN the ring ended up in a perfect "front" then looked up at me and swallowed hard to get the hot dog down her throat before I could get it away. I didn't know if I should start crying there, beat her or just simply die of embarrassment.

As I have also stated before, Inga ended her show career and just ended up being a "demo dog" for exhibitions only.
That was only 1 of the many things that dog to bring a crowd to it's knees with laughter.

 

[Marsh Muppet]

This one was not embarrassing, because my Rottweiler pwn3d me in the privacy of our home. I came in the house one day to find "Mack" lounging on the couch. He didn't jump down when I came in but merely gave me a surly look. I ordered him "OFF!", and he grudgingly complied. I ordered "PLACE!", and he swaggered off to his throw rug in the corner.

He then picked up his rug, trotted back to the couch, flipped his rug onto the couch, and jumped up to resume his previous lounging activities. Before I could unleash my wrath, he "harrumphed" at me. I was undone, and he damned well knew it.

 

[angel_baby]

Wow these have been great so far. Mine isn't as good as the others but it's my all time most embarrassing moment. I had been working to teach Cricket to sit and when she finally got it down pat I decided to show this new behavior off to some friends. Much to my dismay when told to sit she would sit pretty instead. No matter what I did. My friends were laughing at me and my dog was sitting pretty, waiting for a treat instead of sitting. Then to be smart about it one of my friends said sit and she plopped right down in a sit. I was so red in the face. I didn't know what to do or say, I was dumbfounded.

 

[ThoseWordsAtBest]

Not embarrassing for me, but maybe for my Elkhound. We've been trying to teach him to take a bow for months. We've done every thing right, but he just can't get it. He'll follow a lure, but his butt will hit the floor in a split second. One day I left it alone and approached him after a few hours, with a bit of hot dog, and gave him the bow command. My mutt is watching the whole thing, walks up casually, and goes right into a bow. We never worked on this with her, we never attempted to teach her. She just picked it up watching and wanted that hot dog way more than Jack McCoy did.

 

[ACampbell]

Not embarassing, but it's certainly entertaining...I'm pretty confident about video taping (is it still called taping even though Beta and VHS tapes have gone the way of the DoDo bird?) this.

Teaching Lacey "down"...she does it on command, but the way she does it is amusing. instead of sliding down from a sit, she flails both front feet out like she's going to pounce on you and lands in the down position. She also does "shake" with both feet sometimes, landing them on your arm crazy dog.