Find the class you want before you need it.
This is especially true for puppy classes, which are time-critical: your puppy should be in class long before she is six months of age. In fact, she should start class as soon as your veterinarian okays it, usually after a well-puppy checkup and age-appropriate vaccinations.
Puppy classes that are good attract crowds. You don’t want to miss out on that critical development period for your new pup just because you failed to register on time!
Once you decide to start looking for a puppy—or an adult dog—start searching for the right class. In fact, if you inform the training school that you haven’t chosen your puppy yet, you may get some extra (and always needed) help—information on breeders and socialization, what to look for when you go to see puppies with their dams, what questions to ask about puppies or adult dogs.
Dog trainers and class instructors often end up dealing with pup and dog adoptions after the fact—when things have gone wrong. We much prefer to be asked for advice before the fact, when we can help steer you in a safer direction. Of course, we all have our prejudices, but in general, I think you will find that people knowledgeable about dogs are usually willing, often eager, to help. And those of us who have been at it for a while know a lot about what’s available in our areas.
(I always welcome inquiries from potential dog owners! I’d much rather talk with you now than have to help you deal with disappointment later, when your family has a serious dog-related issue to solve. I’d rather give you information and resources before your mind is made up about anything! In fact, most trainers are available at reasonable rates to go with you to view a litter or accompany you to the animal shelter when you go to look. Also, rescues and shelters often have experienced, knowledgeable staffers onboard to help answer your questions, and maybe even to suggest which dogs might best suit your circumstances and wants. And there’s no charge for that!)
You’ll have lots of time to look for the right class if you do it before you get the dog.
What’s the best recommendation for any dog training class?
You guessed it—word of mouth.
You have friends with dogs. You have friends with dogs that seem very well-behaved. You have friends with dogs that don’t seem very well-behaved, too. I’d suggest that you ask them all!
You’re walking down the street or through the park and you spot a stranger with a well-behaved dog. If it seems appropriate, why not ask the person with the dog if they’d recommend any particular dog training class in your area? Who knows what you might find out! (I don’t recommend asking strangers with poorly behaved dogs. That conversation might just be too darned awkward.)
Ask the staff at your veterinarian’s office.
They have seen dogs under stress—sometimes severe stress—right there in their clinic, even just for wellness checks and basic vaccinations. They get to know the dogs and their owners over the years. They hear owners’ stories about training classes, plus they see how the dogs behave as they mature. Veterinary staffers are in a great position to appreciate a well-behaved dog!
Check the phone book and online listings, of course, but remember to discount the ones that tout their low prices . . . especially any that promise a guarantee. You are dealing with live animals—canine and human. There are no guarantees. If you pick the wrong class, the best you will get is your money back—and you might have to create a ruckus to do that! You will not get back your time and effort, and you won’t be offered an opportunity to undo any wrongs that have been done.
Location is another question.
You might be in a position to drive some distance to go to a weekly class, or you might not. In a family with young children, you’ll have to consider whether or not you’ll be transporting the kids with you or finding someone to care for them at home. You might have seasonal weather issues.
That said, I feel it’s far better to find the best training class for you and your dog rather than just the closest training class. Most classes last six to eight weeks. (Some facilities set up even shorter runs of lessons, too—maybe only four weeks for each class.) It’s not a huge time commitment to go to class. The much bigger part of your time commitment will come at home, as you practice what you learn.
How do you find out what kind of training is offered?
You may see several notices—more if you live in an urban area—about dog-training classes within a reasonable distance for you to drive. In their advertisements and information, most training facilities make it fairly clear what kind of training they offer. For example, if there is a photo of a dog wearing a shock collar, or the facility boasts that they are a registered dealer for X brand of shock collar, I would strongly suggest you give that one a pass. Chances are, if punitive training is their top tool, they have no positive alternatives . . . and they will definitely be more than willing to tell you that their way is the only way—which just isn’t true.
Focus on the ads that use language which appeals to you. “Positive” is a very important word. (Although don’t believe everything you read. It is possible to yank a dog around with a smile on your face.) Be sure the classes truly do offer what you need, which is not obedience training to compete in dog shows, but rather instruction on the basics of dog behavior and how to live happily with your new canine family member.
Once you have a list of possible classes, it’s time to start asking questions.
- “May I come and watch a class?”
You will know to hang up if the answer is no.
You will know to keep talking if the answer is yes.
Visitors should be welcome to classes, although most instructors do not want you to bring your dog (of course not) or your young children (for obvious reasons). You will probably asked to “make an appointment” to watch a particular class so that the instructors and assistants will be expecting you.
Do not plan to ask questions during the class!
You are there to get a general sense of how comfortable you’d be in that class with your dog, to see what kind of training is being done, to consider whether or not the individual instructor’s approach might work for you and your dog. Pay attention to how the human students are understanding what they are told. Pay attention to how the doggy students seem to “feel” about being in that class.
As you observe, answer these questions for yourself:
- “If my dog does something ‘wrong,’ what would happen to her?”
- “If my dog does something ‘right,’ what would happen to her?”
You can also ask these questions of the instructor or facility staff after class, online, or on the phone. If these two questions cannot be answered to your satisfaction, it’s not the class for you.
It’s amazing to me that so many potential training-class attendees never set foot in the training location until the night of registration, or their first night of class. The opportunity to pre-screen training classes is one of the most important chances you will get to find the right instruction for you.
