If you went to puppy class...

I wish that she hadn't handed me a nylon slip collar, for my eleven week old puppy, and instructed me on giving leash corrections. I wish that she'd told me that aversives can really increase aggression, as well. I wish it'd been a clicker class, because Emma learned more in two weeks of clicker training than she did in a year and a half of slip collar corrections.

Otherwise, I was very happy with the class. That sounds crazy, but Emma *did* learn. We met friends, and made playdates at the beach. I got advice on her food aggression, and help with her housetraining difficulty. I was encouraged. I needed that, because she was such a difficult puppy. I learned handling skills, from those classes, that I wouldn't trade for anything. I know, now, that the way you stand, the way you move, the way you walk, and the way you speak *really* affect the dog you're handling. At work, I can often handle dogs that the other girls can't. They bend over the dogs and coo, when the dogs are afraid, and I *know* that those are mixed signals. I grab the leash, call the dog's name, and say, "Let's go!". Confident body language goes a LONG way. It was a very beneficial set of classes (and we continued, in her classes). It's probably the least aversive training offered, in this area. I may end up driving an hour to go to classes at a training club, in Savannah, after I go to the dog show there, in Dec. Most folks won't do silly things, like that[]

I loved my puppy class.  My trainer was great about teaching different techniques.  We learned leash corrections, as well as using TONS of positive reinforcment.  It really was a great balance.  It was a very large class, but every dog passed in the end.  They all did very well because there were helpers to demonstrate and it was very focused on using what works for your dog.

Our class was for slightly older "puppies" - most under 2, but all rescues who were new to their homes - 6-18 month range.  I wish the instructor was more hands on and taught a little more about obedience training (it seemed to me that the class was more about performing certain tricks - not building a relationship and really teaching a dog that he/she has to listen to his/her person all the time).  We learned some commands and had fun, but there was no real training - it was really only about luring your dog into doing the few commands that were on the roster.  We ended up quittting when we were learning "drop it" and the instructor was trying to demonstrate on Wes who was holding a toy.  He tried to take the toy, Wes growled, and the teacher just backed away and told us we should "deal with that."  I don't blame him for not wanting to get into it with Wes over the toy, but, as the trainer, I think he could have been more helpful...  We ended up getting a different trainer to work with us 1 on 1...

We ended up quittting when we were learning "drop it" and the instructor was trying to demonstrate on Wes who was holding a toy. He tried to take the toy, Wes growled, and the teacher just backed away and told us we should "deal with that."

Uhh... nice demo dog!!!

I wish he addressed that Maisie was scared when she walked through the opening of the training ring. Eveytime she when through there, the big dogs (a boxer and weim) would step all over her. He was jus like "be confident and so will you dog" She's still scared to go through that opening..*sigh*

My husband took our dog to puppy kindergarten and his only complaint was that the teacher 'let' one puppy and one owner be very disruptive.  I wish the class had included a lesson on loose-leash walking.  The only place I could find that does include loose-leash walking and heel unfortunately isn't focused on +R training, so I wouldn't go there.  I also agree with Schleide in that I would have loved for the class to deal with relationship issues rather than just commands.   It was a 4 week puppy class, though, so of course the material was limited.  I wish the class had been longer, more extensive and more 'holistic'. 

But my husband learned a lot, he taught me and it definitely set us all on a good path.

I loved my puppy class trainer. Everything is positive-based training. I like how for the first class, it was owners only and no dogs so we could all focus on what we were learning. The first class she talked about the general philosophy of dog training positively; successful leadership; and what to expect from our relationship with our dog. It was nice because for many people there (like my boyfriend) these were all new concepts and his idea of the way our dog should be was based on Lassie the movie.
 
Yvette (our trainer) has such a great eye for little cues that each dog does. I only wish the classes were longer!