Dog Health Questions: Are dog training classes worth the money?

I have a 1/2 year old chihuahua mix. I used to live in a hard floor apartment and she was trained to use the pads inside and there was a backyard she would relieve herself back there too. Now I live in a carpeted apartment with no yard and I walk her when we wake up, an hour after she eats, sometime during the day, and before we go to bed at least. Since Ive moved here she REFUSES to go anywhere near the pee pads even though the day before we moved here she used them at the other apt! She has accidents all the time on the carpet. If I go out even for 5 minutes I have to kennel her and I cant even trust her out when Im here. I dont know what to do Im at wits end with her she does it and then she sulks and hides under the table from me because she knows shes not supposed to. I looked up in home behavior dog trainers and it costs $300 or more! Is it even worth the money? What should I do?

Dog Training For Dog Problems

Recommended Answer:
Find a good positive reinforcement trainer that is certified by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers. http://www.apdt.com/
Make sure the trainer uses positive training methods because you don't want your dog to start to fear or have anxiety, and she needs a kind hand. Choose a trainer with credentials.

Dog Training Methods - Different Ways to Teach Your Pet Dogs Some Useful Skills

• Well, it all depends on where you take the dog for training classes. Ask around your town to see if anyone has liked/disliked a certain training school. I personally think that dog training classes aren't worth the money...but that is just my opinion. Did you know that you can actually hire a dog trainer to come to your house and train your dog? You might want to consider doing that, because if your dog is in training classes with other dogs, he/she may end up getting distracted by the other dogs around him/her.


• Professional training is totally worth the money. Just think, you could have the best dog ever. Isn't that worth it? They can help you with more than just your house training issue too. They teach you how to train your dog. That's a skill you can keep and use again on your next future best dog ever. Although you may still want to do it again with a new dog. Think of the worth of $300 over the life span of the dog. It's pretty cheap in the long run.


• i have seen so many dogs who were well trained after the school but you really need to research before you do it because there was my friends dog who was sent to a school in which i dont know how the trainer treated the dog because the poor puppy although he was well trained he had bad dreams and was scared and quiet all the time.ofcouse he finally improved and was ok but for a long time he wasnt that happy puppy he used to be .so make sure the school is a happy place and trainer's personality is not abusive or so up tight.but if you find a good school it worths the money
  good luck


• How long have you been at your new place? You may find that your dog is simply taking a while to adapt to their new environment, which is perfectly normal. It can be incredibly frustrating, but if it is just stress and anxiety gentle encouragment and treats when she goes to the bathroom outside should mean that this problem passes quickly.
  
  You could trial the above method for a couple of weeks, and if there's no difference, then yes, I do think that a dog trainer is worth the money. I have seen dog trainers work miracles time and time again, and there's a reason that they're trained for their job. They know how to get it done properly.


• I would say yes! The one I went to socialized my puppy and taught her good things! we still had some issues at the end......but i think that they are good!
  But if you want someone to only be working on your dog like working directly towards your dogs problems then you should probably get a personal trainer!


• Kick yourself for using pee pads int he first place. She didn't go in your old place because she could tell the difference between the floor and pad. New home wall to wall carpeting. To her it feels like one big pad. No she doesn't know she's not supposed to. all she knows is that she will get yelled at for going to the bathroom something she CANNOT CONTROL.
  
  Tighten down her routine as far as going our for walks and bathrooms, be patient and remember had you done this from the start it wouldn't be a problem now.
  
  No more of this some time during the day crap. She's a small dog she can only hold it for so long. She needs regular trips outside for the bathroom.


• Once you take her to the Vet & make sure it's not something medically wrong & just seems coincidental, you may have to sort of retrain her, I've never understood why people pad train, this is the type of problems that pad training causes, it is likely your dog never knew that the pads were where she was supposed to be going.
  
  I used to think the potty patch was silly, but in your case it may be the solution, you still need to walk her & reward good behavior/correct bad behavior. I also recommend you crating her when you cannot be there to watch her every move & until you get her housebroke again & it may take some time for her to get used to the new surroundings & smells. Once you establish her area to potty, you should not have anymore issues.
  
  Good Luck!