Question:
Are puppy training classes beneficial or a waste of money? Can anyone share experiences with their dogs at training class?

Answer:
On the contrary, obedience class was the best investment I made for my dog!

They are great for socializing your dog, they are great for bonding, and of course wonderful for teaching you how to train your dog.

They can also give confidence to dogs lacking in it because it makes them successful.

Just choose the obed class carefully - maybe ask a trainer if you can watch a session just to make sure that methods you don't approve of aren't being used.

I think obedience classes should be mandatory!

Answer:
Originally Posted by LuckyRescue
On the contrary, obedience class was the best investment I made for my dog!

They are great for socializing your dog, they are great for bonding, and of course wonderful for teaching you how to train your dog.

They can also give confidence to dogs lacking in it because it makes them successful.

Just choose the obed class carefully - maybe ask a trainer if you can watch a session just to make sure that methods you don't approve of aren't being used.

I think obedience classes should be mandatory!

I agree with absolutely everything Lucky said! It's VERY important, it benefits both you and your dog! Plus, they really enjoy it. It can also help with dogs that are heading towards thinking they are the alpha, training can teach them that you are the leader - that's very important for a long, happy and healthy realationship with your dog! I don't regret it for one moment and in fact are planning to continue to the next level with training...

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Is is okay to take my 11 week old puppy whose had two sets of shots to training class??

By the way, this is the sick bulldog that's slowly recovering!

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I would contact the trainer for that. They can all be different. Mine had to have all three sets. Yours might be able to go to Puppy Kindergarten... I didn't do that step though - that's probably the best one!! Sooo cute!

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Great that this little puppy is recovering and is almost ready for kindergarten!

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I just wanted to thank everyone for their advice. I am a new puppy owner and have many questions about how to raise my puppy. Thanks for your time and input! I hope to have my contributions to others' postings as I become a more experienced owner. Thanks again.

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You sound exactly like me when i first started this site... i was iffy about going to the training classes too, cause i didn't know anything about them.... now, me and my 9 month old collie X finished our 2nd class yesterday.. the lesson i learnt ... TAKE THEM WHEN THEY ARE YOUNG-- do NOT wait!!!!!!! cause as i learnt with my dog-- its so much harder when they are bigger.. and tougher to train..

i'm so happy that your pup is all better... keep us posted..

Answer:
Obedience classes are great for dogs. Some dogs who are very laid back don't need them, like my dog, but some do. I would start taking a dog at about four months. If dogs are a lot younger they don't have good immune systems.

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Spoiled you aren't serious by saying Bentley didn't/doesn't need training classes?

Weren't you the one to say he has on leash aggression towards other dogs?
Don't you think obedience would help this?

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My puppy goes to puppy kindergarden. She started when she was 11 weeks old. When we go they split the puppies into two groups - 1 with the larger puppies and 1 with the smaller puppies. Sophie loves going she gets to play with other dogs her size, gets handled by different people and they play on the agility equipment. She really loves running through the tunnels and climbing the A frames. We also have a 20 min sit down and chat session where we learn what to do about different problems we may have.
She also made a good friend there who lives close to us, so we take her over to play.
When we get home after class she has the best sleep.
I would highly recommend it.

Answer:
I think puppy classes are an excellent idea! Trainers usually give advice for common problems (which is especially helpful for new dog owners), your dog is socialized with people and dogs, and some classes even get you started on a couple obedience commands. The one thing I didn't do enough with Kai was socializing. I regret it every day (taking him for a walk is not as enjoyable as it should be!)

I didn't take Kai to puppy classes cause he was too old by a week (grr.. I really think they should have made an exception). So instead, he took basic obedience. HAH! Did I ever get a good laugh out of that class! He didn't do much (obedience wise) during class but he was socialized (a bit) with strange people and dogs. He's still really timid but I'm sure that small bit of socializing helped. I really thought there was no hope for him but here we are, in advance obedience classes and getting ready for agility.

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Hi, I would suggest "Family Based" Training as opposed to Obediance classes. We found that teaching him basic commands in a positive-treat reward method worked best for our bulldog. Especially considering that Bullies have soft/short throats. We've been told by a few Bully owners, and our Vet that young Bulldogs especially should avoid obediance based training (choke-collars etc...).
Just from our experiance.
Jess

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Many people do take their pets to classes and for some it is great, I do believe everyone in the family must take part so the pup can be trained by everyone in the family the same way. Please don't jump at me but I have never taken any of my pets to class. I train my dogs at home and have no problems with this, my dogs are very well trained andsocialized . I just never felt the need to take classes when I feel if I take the time to teach them they are just as well trained. I am very careful with my dogs and don't want them around pets that are not always vet checked flea or anything else that may be around. It is all in the training with anything... my dogs will stand and watch people and pets walk by my house and not even as much as think about going after them. Blaze gets a ball hoping someone might stop in for a quick game of fetch. In my area there are trainers that will come to your house for classes as many perfer not to attend large classes, that might be another idea for some. About socializing hey I am the pet sitter for eveyone at my office, this weekend thurs-mon I have a golden here playing and having a ball.
It is all up to what each person wants for their dog, I choice to do the training at home.

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Rosie will be attending class as soon as she is able, my son will be taking her as a junior handler. I hope that they will both enjoy it....yes looking towards the future

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