Out of my four dogs, only one has been to a puppy class...and she is the one who is not comfortable with other dogs she doesn't know (lots of work to get her to ignore them...). There was another GSD in the class who was horrible and it was just too chaotic and not controlled by the trainer. There are other factors, of course, but the puppy class definitely worsened things. Wish I knew then, what I knew now!

My other two, my older GSD and my Cairn Terrier, are dogs who could be released with a bunch of other dogs they have never met and completely ignore them. They have their priorities...the CT hunts and the GSD looks for a person to play with.

And then there is my pup...he has not been to any classes yet. I will probably take him to one in the spring or summer depending on how much distraction he is ready for. Currently, we are still working on behaviors in the house, in the yard, and also at my mom's house. One reason I haven't done anything so far is also because of the stupid vaccine requirements these place have!

I like a well-run puppy kindergarten class. IME the puppies that have had the opportunity to be around 'outsiders' from a young age and have been allowed to interact with other puppies under safe, controlled circumstance have been much nicer dogs and far less concerned about other dogs and strange people as they get older.

To me this is the real value of the class.

We find it depends, too.

For instance, now that I have had time to reflect on Jethro's formal training experiences, I'm not convinced it was the best thing for him. I suspect the lessons might have put him in situations he really could not handle, and exacerbated his hyper-arousal at the sight of dogs on leash (especially when he is on leash).

On the other hand, there are certain dogs, and they find each other pretty quickly, for whom play provides a level of fulfillment that we could never provide. Our sense is that these experiences actually build Jethro's confidence to learn to be calm with new dogs. We have noticed that he has gotten better and better at reading where the other dog is at, and choosing to play to their level, or leave them alone entirely, depending on the situation.

That said, we have to be very observant of the energy of other dogs when we are at the dog beach or on the trails. Jethro is getting better at avoiding iffy situations, as he becomes more savvy of other dogs' body language. We don't assume any dog is a ready playmate for Jethro. We wait to find out if the other dog wants to sniff, and or play. Then we remain ready to step in and call Jethro into us if the interaction is not working for both dogs.

Skipper, on the other hand, is an old soul, and he really doesn't want to sniff or play. Only very, very rarely does he find another dog that will get a tail wag. The rest, he pretty much ignores.

That's why his relationship with Jethro tells us something about Jethro, because, out of all the dogs Skipper meets, Jethro is the only one he has really made friends with.

Pinker went to puppy kindergarten. There was a "play time" before and after. The
leader of the group did a good job of having us pick up our pups when their behavior was inappropriate. Pinker learned that humping wasn't cool, and has a very open mind when he meets other dogs now, he expects a good outcome from his interactions, does not T-up or become stiff when meeting a new dog.
Overall, it was a good experience.
We stopped formal obedience because the classes were held in a steel building, there was always some agility going on, and the barking was deafening.

I had been wondering the same thing about my dog. He is about 16 months now. We went to classes, 4 in all when he was younger, until I too, found my way here and learned what I really needed to be doing. I think the first couple puppy classes were really great for him, again, what you all said, about how it was run, and the age and size of puppies there.

On the flip side, he wants to play with every dog he sees, and it is hard to get him to ignore a dog.

I have concerns about him being the only dog, and not getting to EVER socialize with a dog at all, but I don't have anyone who I trust their dog, and I learned quickly to not greet strange dogs, no matter what the owner says.