I have him signed up in a couple weeks at a local kennel club obedience class. I know more information won't hurt but will it be beneficial enough? I've just seen too many people take their dog to obedience class without seeing any results, so I'm a bit weary at giving my money to just anyone. This place should be pretty good since they're a kennel club. Any advice or personal experiences.
It costs $100 which is a lower affordable price compared to the average $189 of other places. The local petsmart charges I think $129 and it's not good. Is it worth it?
Thanks.
Dog Training - Enjoyable Dog Obedience Training Techniques
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Being as I taught classes for 30 years, my opinion is probably biased.
BUT, I will say this, it only takes me about one heartbeat to spot the differences between a dog that has been through those classes and one that has not. Those differences are not so much the training, they are the socialization. Most of the time dogs that have not been to those classes act as if they had never been let out of a closet before when out in public.
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- It's not worth it. It's really not. I've never taken any of my amstaffs to obedience classes. They are well trained and well socialized. Just keep your dog out in public as much as you can because that's all obedience classes are really about. I've done it myself for 20 years, no problems.
- I have never taken a dog to classes, but I have look into them. Look at your towns local pet store or buy a tape online or at a superstore. Also, it more depends on the size and type. I have a Bernese Mountain Dog and he just turn 1 and he looks like a full grown golden retriever. Petsmart isn't really the best, but it's a start. You can buy some books on how to train your dog. We have a 6 pound Chiwawa Papion that likes to pee on everything! We got some books and they work!
- Of course it's worth it. Obedience training doesn't stop when your dog is trained. You do this for life. And it is a fun way for you to spend time with your dog and keep the bond strong and your dog exercised. You will also form some friendships and bonds with other dog owners in class.
You will find that there are many different kinds of classes available to sign your dog up for, that are not so much basic, but other things. You could learn tracking, or agility, or get a CGC badge for your dog. There are plenty of offerings out there. - I too like to train my own dog, but I'm also willing to learn new techniques that might better than mine. It's also great for socializing them with other dogs and people and having to be around distractions. For example we're outside in a fenced in area behind my dog's vet place and there's cars going by, other dogs...So it really helps with teaching them to focus on you and no one else. I've seen results since my dog has gone to obedience class but a lot of people won't practice at home, that's probably why you see no results. They think that one lesson a week is enough and it isn't.
I don't know that the place has a name, my mom signed up for it, but its on Long Island and she's a trainer and assistant at my dog's vets office. 100 dollars sounds really good, but I'd search around to see what others have thought of that place. I wouldn't go to petsmart personally. Also look for a positive reinforcement trainer. - Even though I've been training dogs for 30 years (mine and other people's), I prefer to take my dogs to classes to train them in an environment with lots of distractions, to keep me "honest" (not slacking off in my training), for another pair of eyes to see if I'm doing something wrong (we all fall into bad habits), and for socialization. I even might learn something new.
A good club/school will be happy to let you watch a class before signing up. Look for a trainer that's experienced with different breeds and who has proven their ability to train by earning titles on their dogs.
If you go to an obedience trial and talk to the competitors, they should be able to give you a good idea of who the good instructors are in your area. - If you've seen people take their dogs to obedience classes without seeing any results, its for one of two reasons. Either the people didn't do anything they were told to do to train their dogs or they went someplace like Petsmart where the "trainers" don't know what they're doing.
Classes are hugely beneficial because a dog can't be called trained until he'll work with the distractions of all those other dogs and people and activity and noise. Dogs need to be proofed. And a good trainer has a whole repertoire of methods and uses whatever works with each dog.
My dogs are training for competition obedience and rally and I'm really picky when it comes to instructors. I always watch a class before I'll commit my dogs to any trainer to be sure I agree with how they do things and that they have the skills needed. - As a professional trainer, I'm biased but I think training is absolutely worth it. But are the big box store training programs worth it, absolutely not. Most of those trainers have not been through the kind of training a true professional has been through. Never hire a trainer without seeing a dog they've personally trained. If their dog can't hold a command with distractions around, they won't be able to teach you or your dog much!
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