Your assuming it was a prepaid package if i lead you to that conclusion I'm sorry . I was told by the trainer to pay $50 but I insisted to pay half of it. Which is $160, he actually refused 3 times.. I was trying not to get into much of the payment details. Anyways I did that to show some trust and to build a relationship. I think we were both happy and I can't wait for next week!

 Quote: nick logan

No classes sooner they are booked and I already am fully paid for the in home stuff.

Nick, I wasn't assuming anything. My comments were based on the fact that you said you were " already fully paid". If you both are happy and it works out well for all involved, then it is a non-issue.

 Quote: Betty Waldron

Pre pay or purchasing a group of lessons type thing is not that unusual. I've never attended a group ob class where I was given the option of paying as I go along.

Betty, I agree completely. I've paid for a puppy classes in advance as well. I think it is somewhat different having private lessons in your home... with group classes the onus is on ME to get my butt there and participate... with someone coming to my home I'm at their mercy as to whether they show up or not. Maybe it is just me who feels this way, and that is okay!

sorry Barbara I was tired when I posted.

I pre-paid for Jethro's second level OB classes and we attended the first class. The trainer brought out a bottle of bitter apple and put it in the middle of the floor and said, "If any of you need this for your reactive dogs, feel free!" I knew then that I was going to have to be careful with this trainer.

We were in the same training room we had been in for his first level classes, when he had a really hard time with an intact staffy. Well, the staffy was back, too, and Jethro was almost wall-eyed trying to keep it together and losing it whenever this dog got too close. It was not a big room, so that happened a lot.

On the drive home that night I realized that one session had probably set Jethro back a month and I couldn't imagine being able to take him into that room and actually have him learn anything.

So we dropped the class and I feel really good about it. I left the money as a credit, I might be able to do something with them later if they have an outdoor program for agility or something fun.

I don't regret the decision. We have started an outdoor distraction class with our first trainer and it looks like it is going to be just what we all need to help Jethro learn to cope better.

Puppy kindergarten did my pup a world of good. He learned some bite inhibition, he learned to pee on leash on command, he was introduced to the idea that humping gets you picked up and you can't play.
I stopped going because 2 agility classes were held at the same time as pup stuff and the barking was so loud I couldn't stand it.

My 4-month-old pup, Cinco, is in a puppy kindergarten right now. We've attended 2 classes. It's a class that teaches (pup and handler) the skills for the relatively new AKC "Star Puppy" program. It's clicker based.

Simple stuff--click and reward for looking at you. Click and reward for turning toward you when you say his name. Click and reward for moving toward you. Plus simple exercises like being calm when the trainer holds the leash and handler walks away a few steps.

All that I could do by myself. The real value (to me) is the frequent "puppy play time" (1-minute breaks) that lets him interact with 8-10 other pups of similar age to learn things about dog manners that he can ONLY learn from another puppy.

They play for 1 minute, and then everyone uses high-value treats to get the puppy's attention BACK on the handler (i.e. puppies are fun to play with, but my handler is even better!) Another few minutes of attention-focus on the handler, then back to puppy play. It's great.

It's an hour once a week that gets the puppy out of his home environment, in the car, seeing people he wouldn't normally see (women, black guy, lady in a wheelchair). We get to walk across a blacktop parking lot. We get to walk on linoleum. (neither of those things are at my house.) Last night we stopped at an ice cream stand on the way home. That's socialization.

I went through similar puppy classes with all my dogs. I wouldn't raise a puppy without this experience.

 Quote: Tracy Collins

It may not be appropriate for a working dog prospect. I don't know about that.

If it's not, someone should probably tell my dogs :-)

I raise all my dogs playing with each other, and other people's dogs, IF, and this is the main point, IF I trust the owner of the other dog(s) and the dog(s) themselves to behave appropriately. IE the owner will step in if things start to get out of control, their dogs are stable with good social skills, etc. If not, then my dogs can learn social skills within my pack. If I only had 1 dog (like that will ever happen LOL) then I'd take advantage of outside socializing opportunities.

I know people who won't let their dogs ever interact with other dogs, wanting to keep the dogs focus on the handler 100%. What I see is that many times it backfires. My dogs know from experience that playing with other dogs can be fun, but interacting with me is even better. So when they have a choice, they choose me. I see dogs all the time who are prevented from interacting with other dogs making the decision to seek out that interaction when they can, because they THINK it might be better, but they have no experience so they don't know. And since they also generally don't have good dog social skills their attempts at interaction can be quite inappropriate, either aggressive, or excessively pushy, etc.

 Quote:

They play for 1 minute, and then everyone uses high-value treats to get the puppy's attention BACK on the handler (i.e. puppies are fun to play with, but my handler is even better!) Another few minutes of attention-focus on the handler, then back to puppy play. It's great.

I like this, it's how I raise my own puppies, to teach them other dogs can be fun, but I'm even better.