Therefore, the puppies who attended the class not only gained valuable confidence, but their owners learned training techniques that further avoided fear and anxiety in their dogs. This research showed that puppy classes are an effective and essential component of socialization. Yes, puppy school is vital to preparing a dog for success. The critical socialization window begins to close after 14 weeks of age, so it is vital for a puppy to engage in as much social activity as possible during this time.
The puppy school allows them to interact with other puppies and smells and teaches owners how to raise a happy puppy. When you have a self-confident 16-week-old German Shepherd and a fearful 12-week-old small breed dog in the same class, you really need to know what you're doing to avoid scaring the smaller puppy. If you're not sure what kind of foundation your puppy needs, I suggest you start with my Puppy Coach training program. If you want to learn the basics, group training classes for puppies can be much more affordable than hiring a private trainer to come to your house.
Puppy class once again (since Dodge was sick and missed some classes) to master fundamental skills and techniques so Dodge can obtain and receive a certificate from the American Kennel Club. Puppy Class and Next Step Class We recommend enrolling your puppy in the two main classes to provide a solid training foundation for life. If you're a first-time puppy parent or it's been a long time since you've had a dog, this type of educational training is invaluable, as long as it's done in a balanced way. The truth is that for a puppy training class to be effective, you need to establish a solid foundation that is designed to avoid problems in the future.
You can supervise your puppy and eliminate tempting objects, but at a certain point, you'll want to instill some behavioral training to prevent bad habits from getting worse (via VCA Animal Hospitals). Develop a really clear and consistent routine using a command word and then praising your puppies when they do well. With home training (or cage training), leash training, obedience training, and other types of canine education, there are many things to teach. Obedience classes come after puppy school, and although there is an element of socialization in training, it focuses on basic training, progressing to more advanced training commands, and also establishing some basic behaviors.
In general, training classes for puppies have many benefits for both owners and pets, but nothing will hold up if you don't practice at home. Experienced dog trainers are here to lend a hand and train you and your pet to work together, understand your dog's behavior, and learn to communicate in a way that you understand each other. This is why veterinarians recommend that puppies be put on a vaccination program and kept away from other puppies until they have received all the vaccinations. While there are certainly concerns about putting your pup in puppy training classes, there are also a lot of positives to trying a class.