Dog school?

[DarknessDivine]

I have noticed alot of you take your dogs to school and I was wondering why?
Is it for basic obediance, specific behavior problems or for prevention?
I know it is expensive, here it costs anywhere from $75.00 and hour on up and you only get 2 follow up visits afterwards..
My sister n law took the boxer we got her to Dog School but it didn't make any visable difference.
I wanted to put Zeus in it since he will be a rather big dog and since there will be 2 male Boxers in the home but I'm afraid to waste the money if it won't do anything...What do you guys think?

[Carrie]

I don't know where you live, but $75.00 an hour is nuts! I paid $60 for a 5 week session, 1 hour a week. That may be low because this is Idaho and it's a fairly poor state, but it shouldn't be vastly more than that.

The purpose of school may be all the things you mentioned. If somone doesn't know anything about training, they can get some good tips. The main importance of school for me is the socializing benefits it offers to pups, not only to other people, but to many dogs. It's very important and helpful. Plus, it's just plain fun.

If I were you, I'd try to find something a little less expensive or try to set up a play date with several people and their puppies. If your dog is a pup, it's important to start out with puppy friends and be careful about any bad experiences toward your pup from other dogs.

Good luck.

[doberkim]

seriously - that is an ok price for privates with a super trainer....but....

i have taken 5? classes with bowie and would take 4-5 more if i can find the time a tihs point it will have to wait until im done with school.

i use them because 1) obedience in class or at home is one thing, but i want full attention when i need it, i want him proofed, i want him stable and willing to work.

2) its fun for us. he enjoys working, i like doign this with him, and it keeps his brain sharp and thinking.

3) socialization - its great, we meet new people.

4) its always fun doing new things

i would recommend ANYONE and EVERYONE take their dogs to classes, its a blast. and its NOT just for puppies - we took beginners obedience at 5 years old

i never consider training my dog a waste of money. i train in class, i train at school. and we have a blast!

[Coldnose]

I payed $99 for 8 weeks of 1 hour sessions. That is actually pretty reasonable pricewise. The reason I did it was to enable me to better handle the dog, give the dog socialization and to have fun. Fiona is a lot better behaved now that we have gone through the classes, and it was all done humanely. I think the obedience classes are more for the owners than the dogs.

[sheltiepups]

I pay $60 (get a discount) for seven weeks. I do it because I need help training, its fun and additive, and I am competing in rally-o.

[Barrett]

I went to PetsMart for Bailey's classes. They are $99 dollars for 8 weeks. The classes had about 10 dogs in them and 1or 2 trainers. Many times the classes would go over an hour if everyone was having fun and didn't want to stop. They have a good variety from puppy kindergarten to advanced I, II, III and agility classes. They even trained Bailey for her Canine Good Citizen test. It was a blast and I think it did so much for Bailey. I often meet dachshunds that are aggressive, barky, and unsocialized and scared. Bailey is such a wonderful, loving dog. She loves everyone she meets and even the vet says he can't believe she is so sweet. He calls her a dachshund with a golden retriever personality. I owe it all to the socialization she got as a puppy that continues almost everyday and will for the rest of her life.

[Coldnose]

Originally Posted by Barrett

I went to PetsMart for Bailey's classes. They are $99 dollars for 8 weeks. The classes had about 10 dogs in them and 1or 2 trainers. Many times the classes would go over an hour if everyone was having fun and didn't want to stop. They have a good variety from puppy kindergarten to advanced I, II, III and agility classes. They even trained Bailey for her Canine Good Citizen test. It was a blast and I think it did so much for Bailey. I often meet dachshunds that are aggressive, barky, and unsocialized and scared. Bailey is such a wonderful, loving dog. She loves everyone she meets and even the vet says he can't believe she is so sweet. He calls her a dachshund with a golden retriever personality. I owe it all to the socialization she got as a puppy that continues almost everyday and will for the rest of her life.

That's where I went for Fiona's class and had a blast too. My hubby always teased me that we always went over an hour. LOL People always would laugh and stare when they saw my dog in the puppy class, because of how big she is and how little the other dogs were. People couldn't believe that she's just a puppy. I am so glad though that we did the class. It's because of that class that we no longer have to use a halti when we walk our dog and she actually listens to us now. And we are going to use the same trainer for the advanced class, so that we can do Canine Good Citizen test, because we want Fiona to become a therapy dog.

[BXRchic]

Originally Posted by sheltiepups

I pay $60 (get a discount) for seven weeks. I do it because I need help training, its fun and additive, and I am competing in rally-o.

I was paying $100 for a 10 week class for puppy kindergarten and the same price for Basic Obedience.
I just enrolled Kaida for Obedience 1 at $110 for an 11 week course.

I'm curious... what is Rally-O, I think it's obedience, but please school me.

[sheltiepups]

http://www.canismajor.com/dog/rallyo.html here’s a site, I can’t really explain it except saying it’s tons of fun, it’s almost the same as AKC obedience but you can talk to your dog. your getting a good deal btw, it would be the same as mine except, I just keep going from one class to another. If your looking for something to do after the obedience, this is a great dog sport.

[His masters voice]

Have you ever considered joining a dog club? Normally there are a lot of people there that can give you some good training tips, the dog gets socialized and they are generally cheaper than lessons. At the one I go to there are a couple of qualified trainers who are always willing to give out free advice.

[Carrie]

The thing about the group class is that...sure, you can train your dog at home. But those same skills in the face of all the distraction, (people, dogs, equipment, activity) is another thing. This group class situation is very important to get your dog to obey in real life situations, out in the midst of all kinds of distractions. The class is one kind of situation. Then from there you can do other things later.

I find that with Lyric, the distractions are a real exercise for him. He likes them. He turns up the concentration level even more, as if he knows he needs to. He really gets into the "Ok....it's working time now" serious mode. Really interesting.

[GreenleafGreyhound]

Holy Cr@b!!!!!

If we were to join a dog obedience class it'd cost 125$ for 6 week- 1 hour per lesson......Man, I hate CA sometimes....

[schnaps]

It looks like we had a very good deal. Heidi went to 4 weeks of puppy preschool when she was 13 weeks old, this was with compliments of our Vet. I guess what he wanted was well behaved patients.
There after we joined the club paying $A120 per year membership and $A20 each additional dog.Chessy started when he was about 4 months old. This is not a big club, there are bigger ones in the area, it holds 12 classes 3 times a week, 4 different stages of obedience. Once 4th stage is completed then we can choose to continue training as either a pet or competitive obedience to CD and onwards. I could attend as many classes as I wished. Of course there is home work as well. Instructors are volunteers, not all but most of them good, some of them very good, all trialing their own dogs. The club has its own grounds, own agility equipment. Club appreciates if members help as stewards in trials, club grounds maintenance, canteen help etc. This is also voluntary. The land was gifted as a part of Community assistance project by state government which also provides small financial help. I guess thinking behind it is to get as many dogs as possible to the good citizen stage.
Problem dogs are also helped in one to one, and if that fails referred to private trainers.
It works well and training time is a scream. Dogs everywhere. Positive reinforcement is the key and just watching it is great fun, let alone participating.
No dog should be without.

[flyndog]

Dog obedience class is good for anyone who doesn't know how to train his or her dog. Even if you think you know how to train, it is helpful to have someone to critique you and help you refine your technique. Even trainers go to classes. You can always learn something. And it's good experience for your dog to be around other dogs. And, it's fun. It can lead to a whole new sport for you.
Group and private instruction rates vary based on what part of the country you live and how much the trainer can get. Group classes can range from around $40 - $100 for around 6 - 8 weeks of one day a week class. Usually Puppy Kindergarten is less than dog obedience. The smaller the class size, the more attention you will get from the trainer.
Behavior training costs much more than basic obedience training and addresses particular behavior problems.
Concerning your sister's dog not showing ANY difference before or after obedience class is not normal. It happens. Usually, the handler doesn't follow through. Sometimes the dog will do fine in class, but not at home due to a behavior problem.
Look for a trainer in your area that charges less than $75/hour and has small class sizes. http://www.APDT.com has a list of trainers that use positive training methods.
Kit

[TinyAlbinoDancer]

I took Missie to Petsmart's obedience classes (I believe it was around $80 for 8-10 weeks? Once a week, 1 hour classes.) mainly for socialization, and so she could learn commands in public with distractions. I taught her basic commands at home just fine, we just didn't have many opportunities to practice when there were lots of distractions (and I know this was something she'd have a problem with!). We also don't have many friends with small dogs, and I'm too spastic to just let her run with the big dogs. So the socialization she got there with other dogs (on-leash), and the people, was important. I think it was worth it, for the socialization if nothing else. Truth be told, she still doesn't follow commands when there's something more interesting going on, and I don't have a problem with it.