I am being pushed to join a puppy kindergarten class by the owner. I prefer to train my puppy myself. What do you suggest?

Question

I have just purchased your DVD's on Basic Obedience, Raising a Working Puppy, and Training Focus and Drive. I have previously owned a working line GSD, but had adopted him at 6 months old, well after he had been started in training towards Schutzhund titling. Due to unfortunate personal circumstances, he had to go back to my co-owner and was later placed with a disabled man for personal protection. Therefore, I haven't learned everything I need to know to title my new GSD puppy, who is a very well-bred puppy showing wonderful potential for Schutzhund, which is why I purchased your DVD's and plan to purchase more.

    My question is that I am being pushed to join a local puppy kindergarten class by the owner/trainer who said the following when I told her that I was going to pass on her class and train my pup at home on my own:

        "Hi Trene,

        I am going to be a little pushy here and try to convince you to come to puppy class. Puppy class is great for the socialization of all breeds and all pups! It is in puppy classes that pups meet other breeds, other people besides their owners and grow to be the wonderful dogs we expect them to be! Hope you'll reconsider coming and if you do, come 1/2 hour early so I can catch you up to everybody else.

        There are two other pups in the class that are from your breeder in Marengo too.

        I don't offer Schutzhund training here. I have worked to varying degrees in Schutzhund with my Malinois but have never had her titled. One of the other GSD owners is very interested in pursuing Schutzhund also and has a Police K9 dog that is working now. He is an Officer in Utica and is pretty knowledgeable in that particular venue.

        I don't train the Leerburg way. I work on relationship building and have found even working dogs need this very tight bond to perform to their optimum level.

        Let me know if you are interested in class and I'll get you directions.

        Take care,
Pam 
        CPDT, CDBC"

    Do you have any opinions, comments or advice for me?

    Thank you!

    Trene

Accepted Answer

I wonder what she means when she refers to the Leerburg WAY? You may want to refrain from answering that until after you have watched my work on DVD – it's funny how people have opinions about things they know nothing about.>

Tell her to listen to my philosophy of dog training and ask her what she disagrees with.

I would recommend that you have this person listen to my podcast on WHO PETS MY PUPPY.

Also the podcast on TRAINING WITH MARKERS.

The problem with a lot of well intentioned people is that they have opinions on dog training and they lack the experience on the correct way to do it. I would say this person falls into this category. I am not a fan of puppy classes. They have nothing to offer your dog. Your pup is a pack animal and these other dogs are not part of their family pack.

I get many many emails every day with serious behavioral problems in dogs – almost all of these people have taken their dogs to obedience class and wonder why these still have these problems. It's because obedience is only 20 to 25% of raising a dog – the rest is pack structure and establishing pack structure is not able learning to be around other dogs.

You made the right decision.