Group dog training classes, what they are good for
Group classes are excellent at one job, which is teaching a dog to work while other dogs exist nearby. They are poor at another, which is fixing a problem that only happens in your house.
Choose a group class for socialisation, distraction proofing and basic obedience with a friendly, confident dog. Choose one to one work for reactivity, anxiety, aggression or anything specific to your household. A reactive dog in a class hall usually gets worse, not better.
What a class does well
Working around other dogs is a skill in itself, and no amount of garden practice replaces it. Classes also give owners a deadline and other people to compare notes with, which keeps the homework happening.
What a class cannot do
A class cannot see your hallway when the postman arrives, or your kitchen at dinner time. If the problem is contextual, the fix has to happen in that context.
Is your dog ready?
A quick honest check before you book:
- ●Can the dog take food from your hand with another dog ten metres away?
- ●Does it recover within a minute of a surprise?
- ●Can it settle on a mat for two minutes at home?
- ●If any answer is no, do a few one to one sessions first.
Getting value from it
Arrive early so the dog is not walking into a full room, sit at the edge if your dog is unsure, and do five minutes of homework daily rather than an hour the night before. The dogs that transform in a six week course are the ones whose owners practised on the other six days.
Need hands on help?
Not sure which suits your dog? Describe the problem on the phone and we will point you at the right one, even if that is the cheaper option.
Three generations of the same family, over 8,000 dogs trained.
Common questions
Six to eight with one instructor is workable. Beyond that, individual feedback disappears.
Not yet. Start with one to one work at a distance the dog can cope with, then join a class once it can think near other dogs.
Per session, yes. For a problem that needs individual attention, one to one is usually cheaper overall because it takes fewer sessions.
Related guides
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