Why Don't They Go Straight to...

Well, the next available puppy class at our shelter isn't until OCTOBER. I can't wait until then to take care of some of the issues with our 11-week old puppy.

Also, even then, I don't know if we'll be able to go. I live almost 40 minutes from the shelter, and have two young kids and work full time. We have soccer games, violin and piano lessons, dance class, etc.

I have a trainer who will come to the house in the fall (she'll let him out during the day and work on leash walking, etc.). And Rudy gets plenty of socialization with many many dogs and puppies (and cats and people) in the neighborhood.

But in the meantime, this board has been a GODSEND to us! I've learned so much here.

Puppy class was great. No amount of reading could have given me the ability to get a grip the way class did. The trainer being right there to help really gave me (and I imagine everyone in there) the sense of calm and focus that is so important for puppy training. Plus, I have always had a really difficult time translating written word into three dimensional physical activity... it was so much faster and more clearer to have the trainer correct (or condone) my body positioning in person.

While I can understand not being able to enroll in a puppy class right away for practical reasons (classes are full etc etc etc) what I CAN'T understand is not doing it because of some kind of principle, or out of the belief that "my dog won't get anything out of puppy class that I can't give him myself" or whatever. 
 
IMHO, EVERY puppy, in an ideal world, would attend puppy class.  Yes, we as humans can train dogs with methods that evolve every day - but we are not dogs.  We can't replace or even replicate the socialisation a puppy needs with others of its kind.  We can take our pups to dog parks for them to meet other dogs, but I don't even consider that to be a "controlled environment", and learning in a controlled environment with just the right amount of distraction is, again IMHO, the quickest route to a well trained dog.  As the dog grows older and works up in the world of training, distractions have to be increased, but there always has to be a starting point. 
 
I wouldn't trade having taken Ben to puppy class for the world.  It did him SO much good, not to mention the good it did me.  Help where I needed it and praise when I deserved it made ME a more confident dog owner - which translates into a more confident dog.  As much as I appreciate and value the advice on this board, it could not replace the sight of seeing my pup romp happily with other young dogs, or the smile my trainer gave BOTH of us when we got it right.
 
And you know, I still want more.  We start a class for older puppies on Thursday. 
 
Kate

well, around here, you have two choices of puppy class: Petsmart, where you have to enroll months in advance (good look getting your pup in there before he grows up), or a place that advocates the use of ecollars on pups as young as 10 weeks.  All the real dog training clubs prefer pups to be at least 6 months of age before attending class. You can get a number of trainers to come to your house, but they are expensive. Most folks wait until they have a major problem before shelling out the bucks.

I can't even come up with a good EXCUSE as to why I didn't take Maddi to a puppy class. Heck, I'm only JUST now getting her into a basic obedience class... I'm not truely ashamed of that, but I'm definately not proud of it either.
 
I wish I'd gone to puppy classes with her, basic obedience, and possibly advanced obedience (if we did well in basic) before I'd even had her for a year. I really think life for both of us would be much better and we'd possibly have a better bond... but, alas, you live, you learn, and future pups benefit from previous mistakes [&:].

I think a lot of people don't even realize puppy classes, or dog training classes, in general, exist.  Furthermore, I certainly don't think many people, when they first come here, recognize what kind of issues can be mediated or resolved by a training class. 
 
In other words, it is ignorance.  Thankfully, they come to boards like this to cure it.

ORIGINAL: probe1957

I think a lot of people don't even realize puppy classes, or dog training classes, in general, exist.  Furthermore, I certainly don't think many people, when they first come here, recognize what kind of issues can be mediated or resolved by a training class. 

In other words, it is ignorance.  Thankfully, they come to boards like this to cure it.

 
That's exactly what I was going to say. When I was growing up, I had certainly never heard of puppy class. It wasn't until a friend of mine got a puppy a couple of years ago that I even knew such a thing existed. For that matter, I didn't know until last year that message boards as great as this one existed.
 
But now that I know, I'm a strong advocate for getting as much education about your dog as humanly possible. I've taken both my dogs through numerous classes. I've read tons of dog books. And I'm on this forum all the time. It's all about learning the avenues that are available to learn about your dog.
 
And as some people said, puppy classes are not readily available in all areas. So this message board can be a great substitute since there are so many professionals to give advice.

Admitted - We are a puppy school drop out !
We started off great, the trainer even used Buster as an example
many times. But then DS started getting sick. I was worried that
he was allergic to Buster and went for allergy testing.
It ended up that he was allergic to the Johnson grass that was in the field
next to puppy class.
We dropped out & my son wasn't sick anymore.
We got a DVD on Amazon & learned a few more things.
Good thing I didn't listen to the doctor, he thought DS was allergic to the
dog & thought I shouldn't keep him ! Ugg !
Buster ended up okay, his manners are pretty good.

How old do puppies have to be to go to puppy classes?What is involved in the classes? I have an 8 week old puppy is that to young?

My neighbor had gotten a boxer pup just before we got Thor and Sheba.  He took Buddy to the ONLY trainer in town...a typical yank and spank type complete with alpha rolls and choker.  We DID do training with Shadow at Petsmart, since that was the only place we could find in THAT town, but that didn't turn out great when a little dog got right up his butt when he was wagging his tail and got sent flying across the room.  That owner was a total jerk....but SHADOW was on lead....the little one was not.
 
Everyone ELSE has gone to classes, and the older boys have gone on to earn their CGC awards finally.  But, yeah, sometimes availability IS a problem.

I can see that availability and financial restraints can be issues.  But, if you bring your dog to a vet, your vet should be able to help you find someone in your area and price-range.  Or direct you to resources where you can help yourself find what you need. 
 
Maybe more vets should be more pro-active in helping new dog owners.... recommending puppy classes to new puppy owners, asking about behaviors during annual visits to direct folks to trainers before things get out of hand, etc.

Maybe more vets should be more pro-active in helping new dog owners.... recommending puppy classes to new puppy owners, asking about behaviors during annual visits to direct folks to trainers before things get out of hand, etc.

 
That seems like a good idea!  One would hope that the pups are going to the vet for care and could have some type of info. on classes that they endorse available to owners.  Some I'm sure do this already. 
 
I would assume that shelters also are able to give out info. on local trainers that they feel comfortable endorsing for all new adoptees. 
 
When I took Kato to Petsmart for class (he had already been through a puppy class) he was 18 mos and huge.  The other dogs in his class were all small breeds and the owners all seemed terrified of my dog.  The dynamics were horrible for us, having people all looking at me like I owned a monster or something!  The instructor suggested it might be better for all if Kato took his class by himself.  That worked better for us, but he seemed to be on display in the store for all the customers to point at and laugh.  At least he got more socialization with strange people and he seemed to like it.

None of my pups ever went to puppy class. I have an oddball situation though - other dogs come here, I go other places, and I've got some experience under my belt raising pups.

Classes are expensive, too! The puppy classes I'd be willing to use are $125 plus the gas I'd spend getting there (min $35 for the Queen Mary to get to the closest place). I'm just better off luring people here. [sm=biggrin.gif]

Then again, I'm not here asking basic puppy questions, which was the original point, I guess. I would hope people wouldn't get scared to ask about a really pressing issue. It's much better, I would think, than just giving up and dropping Snookums off at the shelter.

ORIGINAL: Candy1999

How old do puppies have to be to go to puppy classes?What is involved in the classes? I have an 8 week old puppy is that to young?

 
It depends on the class, you probably have to call and ask. I took my pup in when he was 9wks.