Pet store obedience classes?

[Heavenly]

I want to take Titus to puppy classes but the ones at private trainers are really expensive. The pet store I shop at (Petcetera) has puppy training classes with a much more reasonable price tag ($89.99 Canadian for 6 weeks as opposed to $160 for 4 weeks!) but I am wondering if they will still be decent quality. Input?

Oh, I forgot to mention he is 12 weeks old today and has just the normal puppy issues.

[ChristyMarie]

I have done several classes with real dog trainers and they have been wonderful. The dog learns, you learn, really positive experiences. I did one at a pet store. Walked out during the second class. It was a nightmare. Now, I imagine this varies greatly based on who they have teaching the class. Maybe if you could go and observe a class before signing up. However, in my experience you get what you pay for. Vets can be a great source to find good trainers.

But you can't take him until he's vaccinated so it won't be an immediate fix, yes?

[SophieAnn]

We found a fantastic trainer at PetSmart and have kept going back again and again with 2 different dogs. Some of the other trainers there aren't so great though.

I'd suggest you observe a class or two and if you are impressed by a trainer, register for a class with that specific trainer.

At the very least, pet supply store trainers are more than adequate for a basic puppy class. It's mostly for socialization anyway. After your 1st puppy class, if you want to do more obedience you can decide where you want to go based on your experience.

Around here pups typically go home at 8 weeks and are "fully vaccinated" after their 12 week shots, so it'd be great to get your puppy into a puppy class asap for the socialization.

[Heavenly]

Originally Posted by ChristyMarie

I have done several classes with real dog trainers and they have been wonderful. The dog learns, you learn, really positive experiences. I did one at a pet store. Walked out during the second class. It was a nightmare. Now, I imagine this varies greatly based on who they have teaching the class. Maybe if you could go and observe a class before signing up. However, in my experience you get what you pay for. Vets can be a great source to find good trainers.

But you can't take him until he's vaccinated so it won't be an immediate fix, yes?

I wasn't thinking of it as a "fix" for anything, I just want him to be well socialized. Thanks for the input.

[Mirzam]

I agree with the pp who suggested observing the classes, the trainer may (or may not be) great. Another option which you might not have looked into is your local Humane Society. Ours has a training/behavioral center attached to it and they host a variety of classes. I haven't taken Oscar because he isn't vaccinated (yet?), but he had a good start socialization wise before I got him and we have worked on that ourselves. I would like to start taking him for classes when he is over 16 weeks old. If your main aim is socialization for these puppy classes, then I would give them a go. Can you do drop in's, there are several options here that offer drop in including the Humane Society, I think they charge $10 a session.

[greenmagick]

Puppy classes are very important IMO regardless of whether it's your first or 50th dog. They are awesome for socialization! I am talking puppy classes, the ones for young pups before 16 weeks. It is absolutely critical that young pups get out and exposed to as many people, places, and experiences as possible before they hit the end of the socialization window. While of course you want to keep your pup healthy physically, you have to balance it with keeping them mentally healthy.

Pet store classes tend to be hit and miss. Most would probably be fine for basic puppy stuff and some really awesome trainers can be found. Usually where they fall short is in problem dogs and actual issues that are not your run of the mill things.

[Ola_]

Nope, sorry. We took a class at Petcetera and after the first one asked for a refund. The only upside was that the refund was easy to get. The "instructor" spent the entire class ignoring the dogs and talking about how great her own dog was. When a couple of people asked for help finding the right collar/leash for their dog it was clear that she was only allowed to suggest what that particular store carried.

I don't think you need private lessons or anything but group classes with an actual dog training place would be much better. Have a look around on Google, often there are different places and some teachers who do it more as a hobby than a business (albeit those classes are often not held in a fancy training building but rather in a community centre or similar).

With any class it's important to sit in on a lesson (just you, without your dog) to see how everyone is interacting and how the dogs are treated. Personally I don't want to see any harsh corrections, confused people OR dogs, and like to see the instructor noticing when someone needs extra help or explanation. I would NOT sign up for a class without seeing that particular trainer in action.

[Heavenly]

I talked to the woman who runs the classes at Petcetera and she seems pretty good. She talked alot about their philosophy of training and it sounds good. She only accepts 3 dogs per class so she can give lots of personalized attention and she tries to match them by age as well. We are starting October 30 at 2pm and besides Titus there will be another pug the exact same age as him and another puppy who is also the same age. We will see how it goes.

[somegirl99]

Another vote for checking out the Humane Society, they have good reason to have good training classes as it helps keep dogs in their homes.

[lonegirl]

It really depends on who the trainer is...
You can ask at your vet's...they may have an opinion of how the classes are or recommend good inexpensive ones...they are a wealth of knowledge. At a previous hospital I worked at the other tech ran a puppy class at the hospital in the evening it was great and quite inexpensive.

[Sol_y_Paz]

The pet store is better than nothing. But I personally wouldn't go to a big chain pet store for training unless it was the dead last and only option.