I was scheduled to attend a puppy class this Saturday, but I canceled it. I can teach my dog how to sit,lay down, come...
With access to the internet and the free advise/resources it provides why should I pay to have my 10 week old puppy in a puppy class?

I agree with you; also a 10 week old pup's immune system is not developed and you may be exposing the pup to parvo, distemper etc...

Puppy class is about much more than sit, down, stay etc.
As a former teacher of puppy classes for 11 years I can tell you that a good puppy class will offer puppy socializing time, puppy raising advice for the humans, as well as basic obedience. Our classes even included the obstacle course for fun and confidence building.

In my classes while the puppies had free play time, we humans discussed everything from housebreaking and crate training to dominance issues such as mounting and mouthing.

As a breeder I recommend that my new puppy buyers get their pups enrolled into a puppy class at 12 weeks of age! If they never do another formal training course again, a good puppy class will help my puppy owner avoid all kinds of problems that they and Google might not anticipate.

You can create so many problems without even being aware of it. Going to puppy class you get to see other people's problems with their puppy and the solutions that were offered. These you can put in your toolbox for future use.

Anyway, just my 2 cents!
Good luck with your pup!

 Quote: Tammy Dempsey

You can create so many problems without even being aware of it. Going to puppy class you get to see other people's problems with their puppy and the solutions that were offered. These you can put in your toolbox for future use.

That's what I'm doing here!

My pup was very excitable, and for me, I felt that the distractions of the other puppies would have meant that very little would have been accomplished. My vet also recommended limited contact w/ other dogs until 16 weeks or so to limit potential exposure to disease.

I do like the idea of being able to give/get feedback from other puppy owners, but I really trust the advice I've received here.

I never attended a puppy class. Ed's DVDs and the information here were more than enough to help me turn out a well-trained dog. Plus, like Lynne, I felt that less would be accomplished in a hectic group environment than at home one-on-one.

In one of the DVDs, I believe Ed mentions taking classes later on...to proof the OB you've already taught. I can see a class being helpful for this reason.

Second vaccinations and Bordatella were required for all participants, we never had a health issue.

Also, as valuable as this forum is, it still can't provide the important socialization and confidence building that puppies need! I've got some pretty smart pups, but haven't seen any of them master the keyboard very well! lol

 Quote: Tammy Dempsey

Also, as valuable as this forum is, it still can't provide the important socialization and confidence building that puppies need!

Tammy, do you not think that puppies can receive socialization and confidence building without attending a class?

EDITED TO SAY: Socialization as a word seems to mean different things to different people. For me. socialization is basically exposure...not necessarily rolly-polly interaction with strange pups.

 Quote: tammy dempsey

Second vaccinations and Bordatella were required for all participants, we never had a health issue.

Also, as valuable as this forum is, it still can't provide the important socialization and confidence building that puppies need! I've got some pretty smart pups, but haven't seen any of them master the keyboard very well! lol

reading this just made me shake my head. I have seen more pups have socialization PROBLEMS later in life due to puppy classes. If the pup is roughly played with by older or more aggressive pups, it causes a lot of confidence problems. The funny thing is, many trainers would recommend MORE solization to correct the problem initially CAUSED by socialization! I agree that not everyone knows how to train a pup, which makes it necessary to bring in someone to help you. But think about it, really. Nearly every trainer out there tells you that you need a distraction - free environment to first introduce a command. So why in the h*ll would you try to train in front of other pups? Socialization is another thing as well. If you are taking your pup all over creation to "socialize" it doesn't guarantee you that your pup will like other dogs. In fact, a lot of dog aggression issues stem from a dog that was bullied in dog parks, or group classes. So why is it that a pup trained in the way supported by this website doesn't usually have the same issues? Simple. The pup, as it grows, learns through contact with its HANDLER that other situations are ok, and not a problem. Dogs, kids, vet, strangers, everything you can think of to throw out there to say that you have to take the pup out and socialize. Every excuse you can come up with can easily be handled if the dog TRUSTS you. That bond is not built by allowing your pup to play with other puppies at a class, or be petted by some stranger you will never see again. It is built by limiting who can be around your pup, period. Group classes are great for proofing later, but not for learning.

 Quote: Cameron Feathers

Nearly every trainer out there tells you that you need a distraction - free environment to first introduce a command. So why in the h*ll would you try to train in front of other pups?

Huh. That must be why my son can't learn his algebra at a playground.

lol