I have worked with Robin for going on 12yrs. I have owned Labrador Retrievers for the purpose of recreational Waterfowl Sport Dog use. I recently purchased a new Labrador Retriever puppy. He is from strong hunting lines. I knew right away he would be getting all his obedience training with Robin. Drake is a very energetic, busy dog, so needs good obedience to keep his composure.
I also have 2 kids ages 8 (boy) and 10 (girl). My last Labrador Retriever was “my dog”, as I was the one who trained him 11 yrs ago. This time, I wanted my kids to be very involved with the training so Drake could also be a family dog. We enrolled Drake into Robin’s Puppy Preschool right away! This built a good foundation so both Drake and us were well prepared for his obedience training. By 18 weeks of age we enrolled Drake into private “Do it yourself” lessons.
Our experience with private lessons was a very positive one. One of the things that benefited us with the “Do it yourself”style of training, was that the kids were able to be very involved with the lessons. We also built a good relationship between myself, my kids, the trainer, and Drake. We had to practice at home between lessons and Robin held us to a high standard and helped us improve each time.
The biggest thing I would like to tell anyone who chooses the private lesson path is to build a good relationship with your trainer. They are the professionals, do what they tell you to do, and most of all PUT THE WORK IN!!!
Remember that you’re paying Robin for knowledge and experience but it takes time and work on your end to be successful.