Dog training classes offered today are very different from those 20 years ago. For a long time, training was conducted with force and even aggression but now, animal behaviorists understand that positive reinforcement gets much better and longer lasting results.
After all, training should not be tortuous but a positive experience for both dog and owner. Even though concepts and philosophies adopted specific to dog training classes have evolved, it would still be imperative to choose wisely.
Remember, some breeds are laid back whereas others are more sensitive and high strung. Because of this, it would be nearly impossible to use the same training process for each. Instead, you want to consider your breed of dog, his personality, any specific behavioral issues age, and even health to find the class that would prove most beneficial. Below, we provided some helpful tips that would make it easier to choose dog training classes according to need.
Gain Firsthand Dog Training Knowledge
Rather than trust everything you see and read, we strongly recommend that you visit a number of classes and observe from the sideline. For this, make sure you arrive at the start of the class and stay until it ends so you can see everything going on. While there, you want to pay close attention to a number of things such as:
- Number of customers with their dogs
- Behavior of dogs being trained
- Interaction between pet owner and dog
- Interaction between pet owner and trainer
- Interaction between customers
- Length of the session
- Method of training used (praise, clicker, and others)
- Attitude of customers
- Types of breeds being trained
- Method used by the trainer in handling the dogs
- Advancement level of dogs from one class to another
- Commands being taught
Type of Dog Training
Another consideration when choosing dog training classes would be based on the kind of training your pet needs.
This could be training to stop bad behavior such as barking, digging, or jumping, obedience training whereby your dog would learn basic commands to include sit, lie down, stay, heel, and so on, field training, which is usually designed for certain breeds that perform in field trials and other competitions, and even puppy training to help get the dog’s attention and ultimately, maintain better control,.
Dog Training Class Resources
Finding dog training classes is much easier than you might imagine. An excellent place to start would be with your veterinarian.
Often, some of the best recommendations come from this source but other options would include trainers and training classes mentioned in top selling books, online websites dedicated to dog training, and of course, word of mouth. If you know of someone with a well-behaved dog, it would never hurt to ask about the dog training classes used.
Individual Dog Training Classes versus Group
You will find that dog training classes are broken down into two categories. The first would be individual training in which you, your dog, and the trainer would work together. Because this type of training is one-on-one, cost would likely be significantly higher than group dog training classes.
However, there are some instances in which individual training would be more effective. As an example, if you have an aggressive dog, trying to go through training in a group setting would make for a miserable experience but also pose some degree of risk.
The second option would be group dog training classes. Just as the name implies, this means several customers would bring their dogs to work under the guidance of the same trainer. In this case, the cost of training would be more affordable but if you were to choose group training, it would be essential to choose a class with a limited number of pet owners and pets. Otherwise, things would become too confusing and little time with the trainer would be provided.
Trainer Qualifications
Probably the most important factor when choosing dog training classes would be the qualifications of the trainer. As a potential customer entrusting your pet to the trainer’s expertise, you have the right and responsibility to ask about education, certification, licensing, and overall experience as a trainer.
In fact, we suggest you ask for references and then talk to those people to see if they were happy with the actual dog training classes but also outcome.
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