# Puppy class questions



## pwrstrk02 (Aug 11, 2010)

Mabey someone could fill me in on the advantages of puppy classes. Just about every post that someone says I'm getting a new puppy, they are recommended by so many on here to get into puppy classes. I train my dogs myself. Sit, stay, down, come, off, no, potty train, fetch, socialize, stand, stand up, leave it, trim nails, cut hair, give baths, give shots, and whatever else there is to make her the way I want her. If a person has the ability to understand dog behavior, what is the purpose beyond that to go to puppy classes. Is it mostly for people that don't know much or newbies, and for pups that are harder to train? Or is it for everyone? I can teach my little girl to do about anything that a person could want a dog to do, but I don't find most of it a must. All I ask is to listen to me and be a good DOG at the same time.


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## RedDogs (Jan 30, 2010)

Puppy classes are NOT about basic training (response to cues).

It is about your puppy learning about the world and having good experiences (not bad and NOT neutral) with the world. Different surfaces, smells, textures, noises, smells, experiences, people, animals, etc.

Puppies classes should be (but aren't always, unfortunately) taught by professionals who can note if they see any potential challenges with your puppy. If these things are not addressed now...it could take MUCH more work later to help your puppy be a happy and healthy adult. 

And it's a great way to bond with your puppy. You only have a few weeks where there is massive brain changes in a growing puppy..we need to make the most of this prime socialization period.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

I agree with Red Dogs.  

My previous instructor said that my sister and I could probably teach obedience classes, because my sister had been going for 7+ years and I'd been hanging out with her at dog class that long, even before I started training dogs myself. 

And since I already had some experience, I started training my golden all of the basics the instant I brought him home. Off leash heel, instant sits... he was already doing all of that at 8 weeks old. I was BORED at most of the classes, because they were focused on teaching stuff that my puppy already did better than the demo dogs! 

But I still did all of the classes because of the varied socialization that dogs need. They need to be exposed to crowds of people and dogs. They need to learn how to be calm and obedient around other dogs and people. 

If you don't want your dog to be aggressive or macho or fearful around other dogs, then the controlled environment of dog classes (puppy K through obedience 2) are ideal for getting your young dog through that dangerous development period of their life. 

And it is to teach the trainers how to handle their dogs. <- Probably a good example is I know people who have never been to dog class with their dogs. They still think that the best way to train a dog to behave is to beat them with newspapers or brooms.

And more than that... problems do pop up in the first couple years of a dog's life. It's about that time when people who do not take their dogs to class or bother training their dogs... it's when they dump the dogs. Because their dogs are unmanageable or developing behavioral issues.


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## Abby (Aug 17, 2010)

Agree with the above!
I went into puppy class feeling pretty confidant, but I still learned ALOT from my trainer, he had a great time with the other pups as well and it was an over all great experience. 
But if you can teach your dogs all that, I guess you don't have to go. Have you raised a puppy before? If you did, you probably know what your in for.


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## pwrstrk02 (Aug 11, 2010)

I have trained all of my dogs and I have trained four other dogs basic obedience for friends and family. I even pulled a Cesar on a dog that a friend bet me that I couldn't pet. The owners quit petting him because he was getting mean. I was playing with him in their backyard within three hours. Amazing what a little attention will get you. I super enjoy teaching puppies. My friend just had a littler of am staffs. He is sending me the one that he is keeping so I can teach it a little. I'm not a pro by any means. I was just wondering what the pros of going to a puppy class were and if it were for beginners or for everyone. And as far as knowing what I'm in for, my little girl is 2 now and I miss the begining training. The puppy training is the funnest. You don't have to dig through baggage or bad habits. You just set them on the right path from the get go. And it is so fun to watch a puppy try to make the owner happy by doing something right. You can see it in their faces when they realize that they actualy got something right. Ughhh now I'm starting to want another pup. Look what you are doing to me.


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## jackie_hubert (Jun 2, 2010)

I agree that classes are not for learning how to teach obedience unless you really don't know anything about dogs. We found it helpful to learn that Cosmo had some issues with proper play behaviour around other puppies. We may never have known that had we not gotten thrown into a room with a bunch of other puppies during puppy class. It was helpful to have the trainer's perspective of him too.

Also, if you look you should be able to find even puppy classes that are designed for the more experienced in mind. In our class (for 12-25 week olds) the trainer already expected us to have taught the dog sit, down, stay, etc. and the class was about challenging the pups to do all the commands with lots of distraction.


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

I have been teaching Puppy Kindergarten for close to 25 years. I can train a dog. But when I have a new Puppy, I have someone take it through my classes. The socialization is critical. I've had clients come through with several dogs. They know the stuff and can certainly teach the dog commands at home, but they won't get the socialization that they do in a class situation. Teaching a puppy or dog through the distractions of a class helps them to become reliable in "real life", as well.


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## Ranger (Nov 11, 2009)

I did all Ranger's training when I got him at 9 months. Basic obedience and some more advanced stuff and then called in a behaviourist in regards to some unpredictability around food (Ranger, not me). I found what we really missed out was socialization. Ranger at 9 months hadn't been exposed to many dogs and didn't know how to greet them properly which led to a few bad experiences, especially with unfixed males. Had I got him younger, I would have enrolled him in puppy class but he was too old, too strong, and too big for the puppy classes offered around here. 

I hired a dog walker on the behavourist's recommendation and it made a world of difference with Ranger. Ranger got to learn how to meet dogs properly, play with dogs, ignore dogs and keep his focus...something puppies get to learn in puppy classes and that he missed out on.

The other downside by training himself and taking private sessions was that Ranger never got to experience an environment filled with other dogs. Like mentioned in other posts, taking your dog to classes gets them mentally used to the excitement of being in a room with lots of other dogs. Sometimes the good effects are what's not written in the class lists; the ability to focus and learn with lots of distractions, not necessarily the sits, downs, stays. 

That's actually the reason I signed Ranger up for agility. Sure I wanted to do something fun with Ranger, but he's in there to learn how to focus and work and behave when there's dogs running around and doing other things. Learning to jump, walking A-frames, etc is just a bonus to me.


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## iansgran (May 29, 2010)

Our trainer in puppy class was amazing the way she sized up the puppies and saw things in their behavior that I could not begin to see. Like Jackie said this helped the owners know their puppies all the better and how to work with them. Plus, of course, the socialization which was so much fun for the little guys.


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## Elisabeth Kazup (Aug 23, 2008)

Puppy class is a definite for us. I know how to train too but I can't provide that level of socialization or distraction. It's a great, social way to teach your pup and to meet other puppy owners. Penny loved class and would start to whimper with joy as soon as we turned into their parking lot. THAT was priceless!


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## Loisiana (Jul 29, 2009)

I put my pup in a puppy class too. I knew way more than the instructor about training a dog. But I wanted my puppy to be used to being around other dogs and people and working in that environment. I told the instructor up front that I wasn't taking the class to learn how to train the dog, just to get the dog in that environment. And many times I would be doing something completely different from the rest of the class because they were doing things I didn't want to be doing.


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## The_Artful_Dodger (Mar 26, 2009)

The first "classes" I took Dodger to didn't teach anything. It was purely for socialization. The puppies would play with each other and the other people and kids. They would also learn to take breaks from playing. Sometimes just the bigger puppies would play, and sometimes just the smaller ones. 

Then I put him in puppy kindergarten. They would do training for a bit and then take a break for the puppies to play. Sure I could have taught him to sit, down, etc. myself but he wouldn't have gotten the socialization. I still take him to group classes. I did a tricks class with him, even though I could have taught him the tricks myself - it was good motivation for me to keep up with it. Sometimes I take him to a drop-in agility class. We practice on some of the equipment but also do heeling and stays etc. to practice while different dogs are running every which way.


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## Retrieverlover (Feb 8, 2010)

I love puppy kindergarten and it has helped SO much with my Dalmatian.


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