Puppy class experience

StefJackUk

I took my JA pup Keiko to a puppy class last week and to be honest I did not enjoy the experience. The lady who was running the class sat myself and another family down together as we were both new comers. The other family has a tiny pug cross terrier that as well as trying to lunge and bite at my pup (who just sat calmly watching it go crazy, although she may have just been plotting how she was going to make it stop lol) she was nipping the little girl with them and the trainer. I was then asked 'is that a husky cross?' (a question I keep getting repeatedly asked!) when I said no she is a Japanese Akita one person from the other family recoiled her hand from stroking her and said they are vicious aren't they? to which I replied it's not the breed it's how they are raised that can make ANY dog vicious! annoyance number one!

Then the trainer proceeded to give us a lecture on how to be a responsible dog owner which was expected. Meanwhile the rest of the class are doing their obedience although I noticed many of the pups were barking and lunging at each other and that concerned me as they had been attending the class for weeks. What annoyed me the most about the trainers lecture was she was asking questions about what we are currently doing with our pups, now we have been training Keiko since the moment we got her and have been following Dr Sophia yin learn to earn positive reinforcement training (when I researched this class it stated it uses positive reinforcement training) and that Keiko works for all her meals by learning obedience as stated in the training; she huffed and said she had never heard anything like that before and in front of the other people I was made to feel not like I was learning something my self but like everything I have done up to this point was wrong!

Keiko already knows near enough everything they teach in the class so the reason I wanted to take her was so she can socialize with other dogs and learn how to greet a calm older dog which they teach as part of the course. I always have Keiko on a harness when we are out, she hates being led by her collar and just wriggles and wriggles and I don't like having her on her collar as it can hurt her if she pulls or starts chasing a bird and gets to the end of the leash so I only have it on for ID purposes. The trainer said I cannot have her on the harness she must be on her collar; but I feel if I'm never going to have her on her collar why can't I use the harness because that is the tool I will be using all the time myself. She spent so much time telling us what we had done wrong and what we must do in future that we spent less that ten minutes actually training.

I felt that the trainer was rude and I was made to feel that even though Keiko was one of the best behaved pups there (I know I'm biased lol) and she has already made more progress with her obedience than some of the pups there that have been going to the class for weeks that everything I have put in place was wrong and training should only be done exactly the way she says it should. I thought that the training would be adaptable to the tools etc that I am comfortable with myself. Also one of the other trainers did a correction on Keiko which I personally felt was too rough and it made her shut down for a few minutes.

The second class is tomorrow evening and I'm in two minds as to whether to take her again. Maybe I'm wrong and shouldn't feel like this but when I left the class I didn't feel like it had been a good experience at all and I felt neither Keiko or I had taken anything from the class. There aren't many trainers or classes available in my area so I don't know whether I should just get over myself and take Keiko again so she can benefit from the socialization?

Have any of you had any similar or better experiences? Do any of you have any advice on what I should do for the best?

Calia

When it comes to puppy classes, the focus should actually be more towards dog-dog interaction and experiencing new things than any actual obedience training. If you feel uncomfortable with the class, stop going and ask for your money back. The fact that one of the trainers gave a strong correction to a young puppy says a lot to me, and to have to deal with similar experiences in future classes doesn't sound very fun. I'd look elsewhere.

WrylyBrindle

Puppy class should not be like that. You are correct, the trainer is not appropriate. Listen to your gut and listen to your dog- I hope you can find another class to go to! This one sounds like it is likely to do more harm than good.

In our puppy K, we did clicker training and had free play interspersed with settle-down time and lesson time. Lesson time worked on self control, settle on a mat, "touch" my hand. We also had handling on a table (like a practice vet visit/groomer visit), and exposure to some different items. We'd work a few minutes, let them loose to play, then recall them to us out of play, then settle down on a mat while we talk abotu the next exercise, then do some loose leash walking, then trade puppies and treat them. That's what puppy class should be like.

Many trainers are stuck in their rigid chosen dogma and refuse to see other ways that will benefit dog-owner relationships, or to see that one dog may learn better with different equipment or technique. Its about whats best for the puppy and for the owner, not about the dogma and -isms of their training system.

venus

if she had corrected my girl in a way i wasn't happy with i'd have told her straight to not do it again. at our club we only use positive reward based training and even our trainer has stepped into advise when he feels owners are over correcting. he as a real issue with lead yanking at the moment, hates it with a passion. i will say i prefer collars though and its one of the things with our training club that we prefer collars although we have allowed harness in puppy classes they are not allowed in the later classes.
if your not happy with them steph or don't feel comfortable tell them not to correct keiko in a way that your not happy then find a new class. makes me realise our lucky i am with my own training club, but then i have been going for a number of years and now work as support staff at the classes i don't train in.

shibamistress

I'm sorry this happened to you and Keiko! I agree--I'd say I wasn't going back and that the class was not what they said (ie. positive reinforcement) and that you'd like a refund (they may not give it to you, but it is worth asking for it and explaining what you have problems with in the class, though I doubt they'll listen--so many don't).

And bad socialization is worse than none, so I wouldn't take Keiko back...And of course she should work in her harness! Why not?

Why even do ANY corrections in a puppy class? (Actually, when I think about, the trainers I like don't do corrections in any class--if there is a problem that needs to be addressed there may be time outs for separating dogs if need be but that's it).

It's frustrating in the extreme though. I live near a biggish city, and it's only been in the last two years that positive reinforcement has caught on! I used to call trainers and grill them on training methods--if they said "positive" I would say "what does that mean to you? Clickers? Lure and reward? Capturing only?" I use only got that far: the so-called "balanced" trainers who were trying to pass themselves of as positive always got annoyed with me and let their colors show (usually with rants on how clicker training is bad, and once with telling me I needed a shock collar on my 4 month old Akita pup!)

But a good puppy class should have lots of play breaks. It should focus on stuff puppies can do, like sit and focus and down, and polite walking and polite greetings, but still have plenty of play time for puppies to be puppies.

I'm so sorry this happened, and it really pisses me off to find people like this, especially when they pass themselves off as something they are not. If they think their training methods are so good, why aren't they honest about them?

StefJackUk

Thanks for all your feedback guys! I definitely won't be going back and I'm going to email the trainer and tell her exactly why. I'm doing some more research into different trainers but it looks like I might have to travel a bit to find a decent one but that's ok as long as Keiko gets the right experience

Calia

You may want to see if there are any meet up groups near you. These are great for getting Keiko out and doing fun things around other dogs, generally free (or the cost of parking fees), and doesn't have the "stresses" of training.

StaticNfuzz

Great points above! So glad you are going with your gut on this. Training can be a stressful time on owners as not everyone is going to be coordinated, so expect some zany puppies in any training class as people gather themselves.

In any case, I would start your search here if in the U.S.: http://www.trulydogfriendly.com/blog/?page_id=4. (The page itself has a lot of good info if you look at the side bar too.) If there isn't a location that is close to you I would call the nearest trainer on the list in your state and ask if they know of anyone. More and more trainers are taking training on the road and have travel classes, particularly for older puppies and dogs that have had the basics and full round of shots after the 14 week mark. I would check that option out for the future.

If you are in the UK I would take a look at Kay Laurence and staff http://www.learningaboutdogs.com/html/evening_classes_.html

About the collar, I see this age as a good time to get a puppy acclimated to one just in case you should ever need a collar placed on your dog. In addition, it can be used as a way of adjusting your dog to having people reach for it. Usually there is no harm in having a regular collar plus harness on in the training/puppy class. Take it off after class.

Good luck!
Snf

lwroth

Another thing that would have been a red flag for me is letting the puppies bark. All the puppy kindergarten classes I've been to used distraction and then praise for stopping barking. A lot of barking doesn't provide a calm atmosphere for the pups or the owners.

StefJackUk

@Iwroth I did think that they weren't very calm. I know they are puppies but if they had been going for weeks before I would have thought they would be calmer and more used to being around other puppies.

Thanks all for your feedback! Just to update I've met a few people in my local park with friendly dogs who have been meeting me and Keiko for socialization which is really good for her. Also we are attending a ringcraft class on Monday at a training company I have done research into which I feel will provide a good experience for us both.