I have a list of all trainers but it’s hard to choose without recommendations. I would like to find someone who is specifically into dog sports.
Hi, I am curious if anybody’s doing Obedience, Rally Obedience or Agility with their dog and can recommend a good trainer in Zurich, Zug or Aargau.
Is training in German OK for you?
Are you looking to compete, or just to have fun?
We've done all three, but only for fun, I have no interest in competition. (Not to mention, I'm way too wobbly and slow these days. No, we just potter about the course and enjoy ourselves.)
However, I can ask my colleagues who are into serious sports who they recommend.
Not too far from the areas you mention: IDS, in Ibach SZ, is well known among those who are serious about Agility.
(Again, we only goof around with Agility - these days in the Familienhund class at our Hundeschule in Wollerau SZ - so I don't have personal experience with IDS.)
Thank you! My German is very poor but if there is no other option I guess I’ll manage.
Agility - just for fun, it’s for my older dog who is hyperactive. And Obedience, Rally O - to compete, for my younger dog. We have already started trainings with her back in our home country and I would like to continue without taking a long break.
You might also want to contact EF member CherryTree, who is a certified trainer, has her own Hundeschule, and offers training in English. I'm not sure if she does sports as well, but if not she would likely be able to recommend someone in your area.
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If you don't get a personal recommendation from this thread, the next step would be to ask to sit in on each of the sports groups in your area that are on your list. Watch how the class is conducted, watch how the dogs, owners, and trainers interact with one another. Speak to the trainers, emphasis on training philosophy. For those that tick all your buttons, ask for a trial lesson. (This is often done here.) IMO and IME this is the best way to assess whether a training group is right for you, or not.
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I'll also ask my trainer who she recommends for OB/RallyO at competition level and get back to you. We are on break for two weeks, will check in once we are back to class.
Thank you for your help, meloncollie!
On our walk this morning I got talking with another owner, as you do, who recommended the Plausch (i.e. fun) agility group at Fair Train, in Ottenbach which I think isn't too far from you:
https://www.fairtrain.ch/angebot/fun...ausch-agility/
If one of the motivations for agility is to help with hyperactivity, getting involved in a group run by a trainer/behaviorist - as opposed to someone who is largely sports oriented - is a good idea.
The Fair Train website also offers an English option, btw, so you will likely not have any language issues.
IIRC a few EF dog owners have mentioned Fair Train in variousl threads; you might want to do a search for those posts.
meloncollie, thank you so much! They do offer a lot of interesting courses and trainings. We definitely will pay them a visit.
Ubka, have you seen this list from Polydog?
Polydog is the SKG commission that regulates the newer 'niche' sports, including RallyO. The site lists trainers/clubs by canton and sport type.
https://www.polydog.ch/de/Anbieter
Looking at that list I see that Dogscool in Sins AG offers RallyO - not next door, but not too far from Hausen aA.
https://www.dogscool.ch/kursangebot/rally-obedience/
I'm pointing them out as a second hand recommendation. I do not have personal experience with them, but a friend trains there, albeit not RallyO. (She and her pooch are into Trailing.)
Thank you, melloncollie, I have that list. However, just from the names I can’t figure out if a trainer is actually good at sports, so I hoped somebody here would share their experience.
Hi Ubka,
I read that you want to compete. Here in Switzerland you can compete in IPO, in Swiss PO, and in Obedience.
You wrote that you started training. So where do you stand? What do you need to improve? Where are your weaknesses? Do you want a regular training or sporadic support?
I plan (at least I want to try) to compete in Obedience (possibly Rally Obedience) with my younger dog. We are at the very beginning, she is 7 months old now. My weakness is that I am a novice and I need constant guidance, therefore I would like to have trainings on a regular basis. Ideally, I would like to find a trainer who competes with his/her own dogs.
Do you have somebody in mind? I plan to come to you for a junior course. Maybe, we could discuss it in detail when we meet?
We most certainly could do that. I did compete with my second dog, so I know the drill as well as the in-crowd.
Whenever you're ready, shoot me a mail.