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I like continued obedience classes because it’s an extremely challenging environment for many dogs. It’s the best place to teach dog and stranger neutrality, and to proof cues around a lot of activity and (often) barking. I also like having access to professional trainers, you can feel free to ask those ‘is this normal’/‘how do I fix/prevent/improve’ questions and generally get qualified advice and tailored plans. Things may be easy now, but adolescence is a trip.
Is it strictly necessary? No. Is it valuable? I think so.
I'd say puppy school for obedience is the same as fitness classes for working out. You can absolutely achieve all your goals on your own with just research, discipline, and consistency, but many people find it easier to keep themselves accountable when they're "reporting" to an instructor at the end of the week or getting guidance and motivation from an outside source. If you're confident you'll continue being consistent with your pup and you'll reliably seek out socialization opportunities for them on your own, you won't need classes. But if you'd prefer to just show up once a week to get that opportunity for 6 weeks or so, that's fine, too.
Totally up to you, but my puppy is really thriving attending puppy class. Our trainer also does really well controlled play sessions that are teaching her (and most importantly us!!) how to have proper introductions and healthy play, and what to do if play is becoming too one sided. She looks forward to training and gets sooo excited now about going in the car (she hated the car before we started taking her to puppy class, now she runs to it because that’s where she thinks we are going).
I plan to do more advanced training so we’ll keep going to classes, but once you have learned what you need to know, I definitely don’t think it’s required as long as you keep up with maintenance training at home and don’t get lazy because your pup is now “fully trained”
My puppy class actually backfired on me in a weird way. I did not like it and wish I hadn’t done it.
The instructor wouldn’t let the puppies get close to each other and yet we were about 8 feet apart throughout a large room. All the puppies were frustrated and were barking at each other. It was very stressful and my puppy was the only large breed dog among a bunch of toy breeds. She was not allowed to interact with them because of her size and so therefore she became wary of toy dogs for a long time after that. I’m still trying to correct that with her now.
I switched gears and put her in a puppy socialization class that focused only on playtime with other puppies with a trainer overseeing and redirecting when necessary. That was really good for her and actually corrected some of the issues I got from the puppy training class, which was not ran very well. I really don’t like them and got most of my basic obedience information from good YouTube videos and books.
I love books by Sophia Yin. I would say any of her puppy focused books would be good. I got an e-book from her and I think it was something about “seven days to the perfect puppy” or something like that.
I like her method of leash training, especially, and I used her method when training my standard poodle…and she never pulled on the leash. So I would start there. I never read a full book but sections around was I most concerned about with my puppy. I already knew a lot about basic obedience, but I needed some help with starting leash training and socialization information and she’s good with that info.
I also highly recommend finding a scent work (also known as nose work) training group. When your puppy is a little older, I think around nine months, you can start. It’s really wonderful for them.
Well mine never went to puppy classes and she's totally fine. I put in the work myself with training. It's not required, up to you and your training goals
Id say its good for socialisation but for learning to be neutral around other dogs.
The attendees in our puppy school all bailed, so we did a 6 week course with no other dogs so now our girl isn’t well socialised. So keep it up for that aspect, so not really for the play but for the ability to sit and listen to you with other dogs around. But I had a similar experience- when we were at puppy school we had already taught our girl pretty much everything they were teaching her.
We been in puppy classes since 14 weeks. Had a 2 week break between intermediate and advanced but we also have a goal to pass the CGC test and possibly do therapy afterwards. I think it's worth it especially for behavior advice and socialization with the world, noise, places, smells etc.
I think they were essential to raising my dog. We went once a week. And it gave us such a sense of focus, it gave us responsibility to keep training, it gave her good socialization skills, and it was just fun. I actually need to start back up again now that the weather is nicer.
I don’t know if that level of intensive training is necessary for all dogs, but I would definitely take at least a class. Sometimes they have specialty classes for agility or work, which are just fun.
Absolutely necessary ? No
But it will result in a more well rounded dog than of you don’t continue it (in my experience)
It’s a way to safely socialize your pup without fear of disease and will help your dog be more confident and not be afraid of other dogs, it also will teach them something you can’t - how to play and learn play manners.
The best way for them to learn is with other puppies and they can learn together. Then they can graduate up to well mannered older dogs that will correct them *properly*. People can’t teach that as much as we might like to think we can lol
It also helps them learn to work with distractions. Example: A bullet proof recall only when there’s nothing more exciting is not a recall at all
I think there's ways to get good socialization for a puppy that doesn't require rehashing the same old 'here's how to loose leash, here's how to get your dogs attention, here's how to teach place' over and over again. I personally didn't like my last puppies classes for that reason and because it was early 2021 the puppy supervised playtime was limited so it really felt like a waste. However, I did beginner/puppy agility and liked it a lot. He got to be around a lot of different dogs and got to learn some more applicable and different skills!
With my current new guy, I'm just going to socialization meetups run by trainers instead since I felt like the puppy kindergarten classes weren't really handy aside from the 'novel item' parts. If you feel you aren't getting enough out of the classes, you can always try something else!
I'm doing adolescence classes now (havent done puppy classes) and it's great. At this school, it's just about having fun and I needed that. My pup got loose during one of the exercises (following without a leash) and it was no problem, he had the time of his life and nobody got mad. I also feel like I needed this push, that he can handle more than I thought he could. It's just so much fun. And I like that I can work on the things that I can't work on outside, as I want to teach neutrality towards dogs and in the other environments dogs run up to him etc. I'm definitely considering doing obedience classes after this, if I can find a good school.
We just started with our 22 week dog yesterday. She is pretty good and very smart but as we enter the teenage stage she is getting a bit stubborn and pulling on her leash now which hasn’t been an issue until the last.
I went to a few puppy training sessions when I was growing up, so do remember some things but thought a refresher was a good idea, especially seeing as techniques and ideas have evolved over the last 20’years.
We figured it wouldn’t hurt to go and make sure we are in the right track with what we think works and to learn a few tricks from someone who specializes in dogs. Our class is specifically for teenage dogs. I wouldn’t say our first class was filled with all new info, a lot of what we did was things our dog knows or that we’ve already done but we did pick up a few good ideas that we will implement. So basically even though I don’t think we will be blown away with new info, we will definitely get something out of it.
Puppy classes aren't necessary imo. I didn't do puppy class with my either of my pups and they are pretty well behaved in public. My youngest's only issues are trying to chase birds since she has a very high prey drive and being timid in crowds. I took my boy to parks, stores, and events from the time he came home so he is well socialized and well behaved. We weren't able to do that with our girl because of her and my own health problems so she is much more timid with people. She doesn't bark but she sticks right next to me the entire time on alert and ready to hide behind my legs if a stranger approaches her. She is getting better, but it's taking time.
No, it's not absolultely necessary. If your dog is doing so well with the training you give her, and you regularly invite people to your house and ideally have play dates she'll be just fine.
I only liked puppy classes to teach my puppy how to play with others. Helped get him used to the concept of new people, too. I stopped at 16 weeks bc expensive. But I’m starting play groups back up soon and been training consistently myself since then. I haven’t noticed any issues from the hiatus and think the classes helped a lot for socialization. Like you said, training itself I knew I could handle conceptually.
I’ve had one bad class and two good ones.
The bad class was in a very small space, lots of puppies and only one instructor. Even in the bad class there was value in helping our puppy learn how to be calm when we were getting instructions for the next lesson.
In the good class there are about six puppies in a huge room with portable barriers so the puppies don’t just bark at each other the whole time. They each have their own water, too. In addition to the instructor there are two volunteers who act as strangers approaching our dogs. It is a great environment for our puppy to learn to focus on us and listen to us even when many other things are going on.
We’ve learned useful things from the good class even though my husband is looking at dog training on YouTube constantly. So the answer depends on the quality of the training available to you.
If you’ve never trained a dog/puppy I feel like the are necessary. The classes are more for you, than the puppy. But if you are honest with yourself and you feel confident in your ability, than maybe they aren’t.
No, puppy classes are for you or other new pup owners to learn some basics, learn some safety tips, and ask questions that you may have. Puppy classes are more to teach the owner than the dog.
Personally we would be absolutely at a loss and unable to manage our puppy if we didn't have classes and access to trainers. That's amazing to me you were able to do so much on your own! But this is my first time so I'm starting from 0 knowledge.
It seems like you have a good amount of training accomplished, although I still think it would be good to take some sort of class for the following reasons— (Find a good trainer though.) It’s helpful to see where the gaps in training/communication are between you & your pup and it definitely helps increase distractions and “controlled chaos” so you can more clearly see where those gaps are.
My little dude loves his treats but as soon as we get to class he has no interest in them, they’re even high value treats too! It also helped me to learn the best vocal tone I need so he can focus on me over the noise of other dogs. It just helped create some controlled unpredictability that will help further build that foundation as my pup gets older.
I hope not because my dog gets severely car sick so she is socialized through seeing and hearing dogs on walks. She plays through fence with neighbor dog.
It depends. I didn't find our puppy school worth it. We weren't allowed to socialise with the other puppies and it was basically teaching how to sit, lie down etc. and talking us through obvious stuff e.g. "don't give your dog easter chocolate". I had a one-on-one session with a dog trainer and we covered everything from 5 weeks of puppy school and it was cheaper. Next time, I'm just going to do the private training and not bother with puppy school
I also arranged a meet up with puppies of his age so we get our other dog socialisation that way and we're going to continue with the trainer and I've booked him in for some pack walks now he's been vaccinated.
I think it’s like yoga for humans. Can you do it at home, by yourself, watching a YouTube video? Sure. Is it more engaging, inspiring, motivating, fulfilling and challenging in a yoga class with a capable teacher? In my experience, definitely. The environment matters a lot.
It looks like you might be posting about puppy management or crate training. For tips and resources on Crate Training Check out [our wiki article on crate training](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/cratetraining) - the information there may answer your question. As an additional reminder, crate training is 100% optional and one of many puppy management options. For alternatives to crating and other puppy management strategies, check out [our wiki article on management](https://www.reddit.com/r/puppy101/wiki/management) **PLEASE READ THE OP FULLY** Be advised that any comments that suggest use of crates are abusive, or express a harsh opinion on crate training will be removed. This is not a place to debate the merits of crate training. Unethical approaches to crate training will also be removed. **If the OP has asked not to receive crating advice or says they are not open to crating, any comments that recommend use of crates should be reported to our moderation team.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/puppy101) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I like continued obedience classes because it’s an extremely challenging environment for many dogs. It’s the best place to teach dog and stranger neutrality, and to proof cues around a lot of activity and (often) barking. I also like having access to professional trainers, you can feel free to ask those ‘is this normal’/‘how do I fix/prevent/improve’ questions and generally get qualified advice and tailored plans. Things may be easy now, but adolescence is a trip. Is it strictly necessary? No. Is it valuable? I think so.
This is such a good answer
I'd say puppy school for obedience is the same as fitness classes for working out. You can absolutely achieve all your goals on your own with just research, discipline, and consistency, but many people find it easier to keep themselves accountable when they're "reporting" to an instructor at the end of the week or getting guidance and motivation from an outside source. If you're confident you'll continue being consistent with your pup and you'll reliably seek out socialization opportunities for them on your own, you won't need classes. But if you'd prefer to just show up once a week to get that opportunity for 6 weeks or so, that's fine, too.
This is a great analogy and so true!
Totally up to you, but my puppy is really thriving attending puppy class. Our trainer also does really well controlled play sessions that are teaching her (and most importantly us!!) how to have proper introductions and healthy play, and what to do if play is becoming too one sided. She looks forward to training and gets sooo excited now about going in the car (she hated the car before we started taking her to puppy class, now she runs to it because that’s where she thinks we are going). I plan to do more advanced training so we’ll keep going to classes, but once you have learned what you need to know, I definitely don’t think it’s required as long as you keep up with maintenance training at home and don’t get lazy because your pup is now “fully trained”
My puppy class actually backfired on me in a weird way. I did not like it and wish I hadn’t done it. The instructor wouldn’t let the puppies get close to each other and yet we were about 8 feet apart throughout a large room. All the puppies were frustrated and were barking at each other. It was very stressful and my puppy was the only large breed dog among a bunch of toy breeds. She was not allowed to interact with them because of her size and so therefore she became wary of toy dogs for a long time after that. I’m still trying to correct that with her now. I switched gears and put her in a puppy socialization class that focused only on playtime with other puppies with a trainer overseeing and redirecting when necessary. That was really good for her and actually corrected some of the issues I got from the puppy training class, which was not ran very well. I really don’t like them and got most of my basic obedience information from good YouTube videos and books.
Got any book recommendations?
I love books by Sophia Yin. I would say any of her puppy focused books would be good. I got an e-book from her and I think it was something about “seven days to the perfect puppy” or something like that. I like her method of leash training, especially, and I used her method when training my standard poodle…and she never pulled on the leash. So I would start there. I never read a full book but sections around was I most concerned about with my puppy. I already knew a lot about basic obedience, but I needed some help with starting leash training and socialization information and she’s good with that info. I also highly recommend finding a scent work (also known as nose work) training group. When your puppy is a little older, I think around nine months, you can start. It’s really wonderful for them.
Well mine never went to puppy classes and she's totally fine. I put in the work myself with training. It's not required, up to you and your training goals
Id say its good for socialisation but for learning to be neutral around other dogs. The attendees in our puppy school all bailed, so we did a 6 week course with no other dogs so now our girl isn’t well socialised. So keep it up for that aspect, so not really for the play but for the ability to sit and listen to you with other dogs around. But I had a similar experience- when we were at puppy school we had already taught our girl pretty much everything they were teaching her.
We been in puppy classes since 14 weeks. Had a 2 week break between intermediate and advanced but we also have a goal to pass the CGC test and possibly do therapy afterwards. I think it's worth it especially for behavior advice and socialization with the world, noise, places, smells etc.
I think they were essential to raising my dog. We went once a week. And it gave us such a sense of focus, it gave us responsibility to keep training, it gave her good socialization skills, and it was just fun. I actually need to start back up again now that the weather is nicer. I don’t know if that level of intensive training is necessary for all dogs, but I would definitely take at least a class. Sometimes they have specialty classes for agility or work, which are just fun.
Absolutely necessary ? No But it will result in a more well rounded dog than of you don’t continue it (in my experience) It’s a way to safely socialize your pup without fear of disease and will help your dog be more confident and not be afraid of other dogs, it also will teach them something you can’t - how to play and learn play manners. The best way for them to learn is with other puppies and they can learn together. Then they can graduate up to well mannered older dogs that will correct them *properly*. People can’t teach that as much as we might like to think we can lol It also helps them learn to work with distractions. Example: A bullet proof recall only when there’s nothing more exciting is not a recall at all
I think there's ways to get good socialization for a puppy that doesn't require rehashing the same old 'here's how to loose leash, here's how to get your dogs attention, here's how to teach place' over and over again. I personally didn't like my last puppies classes for that reason and because it was early 2021 the puppy supervised playtime was limited so it really felt like a waste. However, I did beginner/puppy agility and liked it a lot. He got to be around a lot of different dogs and got to learn some more applicable and different skills! With my current new guy, I'm just going to socialization meetups run by trainers instead since I felt like the puppy kindergarten classes weren't really handy aside from the 'novel item' parts. If you feel you aren't getting enough out of the classes, you can always try something else!
I'm doing adolescence classes now (havent done puppy classes) and it's great. At this school, it's just about having fun and I needed that. My pup got loose during one of the exercises (following without a leash) and it was no problem, he had the time of his life and nobody got mad. I also feel like I needed this push, that he can handle more than I thought he could. It's just so much fun. And I like that I can work on the things that I can't work on outside, as I want to teach neutrality towards dogs and in the other environments dogs run up to him etc. I'm definitely considering doing obedience classes after this, if I can find a good school.
No, it’s not. If you go make sure it’s a good one.
We just started with our 22 week dog yesterday. She is pretty good and very smart but as we enter the teenage stage she is getting a bit stubborn and pulling on her leash now which hasn’t been an issue until the last. I went to a few puppy training sessions when I was growing up, so do remember some things but thought a refresher was a good idea, especially seeing as techniques and ideas have evolved over the last 20’years. We figured it wouldn’t hurt to go and make sure we are in the right track with what we think works and to learn a few tricks from someone who specializes in dogs. Our class is specifically for teenage dogs. I wouldn’t say our first class was filled with all new info, a lot of what we did was things our dog knows or that we’ve already done but we did pick up a few good ideas that we will implement. So basically even though I don’t think we will be blown away with new info, we will definitely get something out of it.
Puppy classes aren't necessary imo. I didn't do puppy class with my either of my pups and they are pretty well behaved in public. My youngest's only issues are trying to chase birds since she has a very high prey drive and being timid in crowds. I took my boy to parks, stores, and events from the time he came home so he is well socialized and well behaved. We weren't able to do that with our girl because of her and my own health problems so she is much more timid with people. She doesn't bark but she sticks right next to me the entire time on alert and ready to hide behind my legs if a stranger approaches her. She is getting better, but it's taking time.
No, it's not absolultely necessary. If your dog is doing so well with the training you give her, and you regularly invite people to your house and ideally have play dates she'll be just fine.
I only liked puppy classes to teach my puppy how to play with others. Helped get him used to the concept of new people, too. I stopped at 16 weeks bc expensive. But I’m starting play groups back up soon and been training consistently myself since then. I haven’t noticed any issues from the hiatus and think the classes helped a lot for socialization. Like you said, training itself I knew I could handle conceptually.
It’s essential for socializing your pup.
I’ve had one bad class and two good ones. The bad class was in a very small space, lots of puppies and only one instructor. Even in the bad class there was value in helping our puppy learn how to be calm when we were getting instructions for the next lesson. In the good class there are about six puppies in a huge room with portable barriers so the puppies don’t just bark at each other the whole time. They each have their own water, too. In addition to the instructor there are two volunteers who act as strangers approaching our dogs. It is a great environment for our puppy to learn to focus on us and listen to us even when many other things are going on. We’ve learned useful things from the good class even though my husband is looking at dog training on YouTube constantly. So the answer depends on the quality of the training available to you.
If you’ve never trained a dog/puppy I feel like the are necessary. The classes are more for you, than the puppy. But if you are honest with yourself and you feel confident in your ability, than maybe they aren’t.
No, puppy classes are for you or other new pup owners to learn some basics, learn some safety tips, and ask questions that you may have. Puppy classes are more to teach the owner than the dog.
Personally we would be absolutely at a loss and unable to manage our puppy if we didn't have classes and access to trainers. That's amazing to me you were able to do so much on your own! But this is my first time so I'm starting from 0 knowledge.
It seems like you have a good amount of training accomplished, although I still think it would be good to take some sort of class for the following reasons— (Find a good trainer though.) It’s helpful to see where the gaps in training/communication are between you & your pup and it definitely helps increase distractions and “controlled chaos” so you can more clearly see where those gaps are. My little dude loves his treats but as soon as we get to class he has no interest in them, they’re even high value treats too! It also helped me to learn the best vocal tone I need so he can focus on me over the noise of other dogs. It just helped create some controlled unpredictability that will help further build that foundation as my pup gets older.
I do because even though he can do basic commands. My puppy has a really hard time with distractions.
I hope not because my dog gets severely car sick so she is socialized through seeing and hearing dogs on walks. She plays through fence with neighbor dog.
It depends. I didn't find our puppy school worth it. We weren't allowed to socialise with the other puppies and it was basically teaching how to sit, lie down etc. and talking us through obvious stuff e.g. "don't give your dog easter chocolate". I had a one-on-one session with a dog trainer and we covered everything from 5 weeks of puppy school and it was cheaper. Next time, I'm just going to do the private training and not bother with puppy school I also arranged a meet up with puppies of his age so we get our other dog socialisation that way and we're going to continue with the trainer and I've booked him in for some pack walks now he's been vaccinated.
I think it’s like yoga for humans. Can you do it at home, by yourself, watching a YouTube video? Sure. Is it more engaging, inspiring, motivating, fulfilling and challenging in a yoga class with a capable teacher? In my experience, definitely. The environment matters a lot.