Dog Health Questions: Dog training?

at what age should i take my dog to obiedience classes? definately after potty training im assuming..also how often should we go? once a week, 3 times a week? any ideas? also, where can i find a reputable trainer?

Time To Find Out More About Appropriate And Efficient Dog Training

Recommended Answer:
Check the phone directory for trainers in your area and see what their requirements are. Some want you to wait until the dog is six months old, and some are willing to train as soon as the dog's puppy shots are complete and its immune system is strong enough. It just depends on the trainer and their rules.

Petsmart and Petco offer good, basic obedience classes, and I like the way that their trainers are taught. Things that you want to avoid are people who rely heavily on pinch or shock collars, as well as trainers who advocate hitting the dog or otherwise abusing it as a form of 'correction.'

Use your own judgment when dealing with any trainer. If what he's doing sets off a warning bell, get the heck out of Dodge with your dog. It's a lot easier to create a problem from bad training than it is to fix it afterwards.

Considering a Dog Training Career

• Call some local trainers and they will answer all these questions. As far as Who to bring them to....ask some reputable breeders in your area. Good breeders are true dog lovers and will only send you to the best.


• http://www.dog-training-online.info... this a good site to learn from!!!http://www.dog-training-online.info...


• You definitely don't need to wait until after your puppy is house trained. Some dogs don't house train very fast. I have a 13 year old pekignese, for example, who is still not completely house trained. Because of his breed he is very stubborn and hard to train. You should take your dog to obedience classes as soon as possible. I got my newest dog in May from the humane society. She was about 3-4 months old and she wasn't trained at all. When I took her to Petsmart the trainer told me that no dog is too old, but the sooner the better. Petsmart has some good training. It comes in different levels, different days of the week (I think it's once a week), and they have certified trainers.


• Go ahead and find a puppy class.. the sooner the better. It's always good to get the puppy socialized early.
  
  As far as how often, classes generally meet once a week, but your training sessions with your puppy should happen several times a day EVERY day. These sessions should only last 10-15 minutes, depending on the age of the puppy, as they have very short attention spans.


• Puppy classes are great. Once your dog has had all its shots start then. They are protected from all the stuff they could pcik up from other dogs and it is a great time to start.
  Call around and see what the trainer requiers each will be different and some teach different levels of classes.
  The main thing is to get out and train with your pet and have fun.


• A dog should never go to obedience classes until they're at least 1 year old!! You can and should train your dog at home, but obedience classes are extremely stressful for dogs. You've got a lot of yelling going on - people yelling at their dogs, instructors yelling to be heard, dogs barking, there is so much negatiev tension that it's just not good for young dogs. Most classes are once a week and you work with your dog at home every day.
  
  The best way to find a reputable trainer is by word of mouth, and even then you should drop in on a class before you register your dog to watch how sessions are conducted and if you don't like the methods, don't take your dog there. Even if you do like most of the methods, remember that you know your dog best and if there's some treatment that you think is unnecessary for your dog, don't do it.


• you can start training your puppy as soon as you get it...accutally the soon you start the better off you are. you should ask the vet who are some good trainers or look in the phone book. you should train your puppy everyday but usually the trainer will only have a class once a week.


• Personally, I would go as early as is possible for you, or at least before your puppy is 3 months old. The expert trainers in my area typically hold classes that are 6 weeks long, going once a week. Then, whatever you learn in class, you apply the rest of the week.
  
  Good luck to you! I have used a great dog training book that I talk about on my website, works great when you can't get to an actual class!