Puppy Classes!

I'm doing this post because I was recently asked what I thought about puppy classes. So if you don't have a puppy you can likely skip over this post!

I'm not much of a fan of puppy classes. It's a pricey side business that Petco's and Petsmart's have going. They are filled with lots of info but problem is most of the info is common sense or doesn't pertain to your dog. Or at least that was my experience!

I took Cody a few times. He never completed the program. The trainer was very much against hitting a dog. Which I understand in today's world. However, I will pop the boys on the butt when they do wrong. I don't go overboard, still they get the message. I personally don't have a problem with one hit to the backside when the boys do wrong. Most of the time with my two boys all I needed is a stern tone to my voice and maybe threaten to spank.

In one class I went to with Cody the trainer suggested hitting a wooden spoon against a cookie sheet EVERY TIME you told your dog "no". Now that's a lot of banging on a cookie sheet if you really follow that advice especially with a puppy! I tried it once! Literally once! I annoyed myself so much with the noise of beating a wooden spoon on a cookie sheet I decided that advice was not going to be used. Cody was a very good dog from day one. I could tell him "no" firmly and he respected it. I'm glad Simon was the second dog because from day one with Simon he's been the mischievous one. I can at least count on Cody to always set a good example! I can't remember when Cody got in trouble last! I mean real "trouble" not just simply needing to be told "no" or "stop". I remember the last time Simon got himself into major trouble! Not that Simon finds his way into trouble much! But he does find trouble more than Cody. Cody's such an angel that it's somewhat entertaining to read the disappointment in Cody's face when his little bro gets in trouble. That's a sight in and of itself!

When Simon was a puppy there was one issue beyond the usual "puppy stuff" that needed attention. I simply called his vet and the vet told me how to correct the behavior. No class needed to correct him. So much of the advice or "training" as they call it in puppy classes is practical advice. It's not anything stupendous! Oh I remember the trainer that I took Cody to, she hyped up an upcoming lesson about teaching the dog to "come" to you when called. I literally laughed out loud in my chair as we sat there that day. Really? A lesson on how to get your dog to "come" to you when called? It's a natural innate ability that dog's "come" when they're called! Cody never once sat in a corner refusing to come to me when I called his name or even motioned him. Puppies and adult dogs are way too curious of creatures to not "come" when they are called on. I know with my two boys even today I can call Simon and I usually get both of them. Why? Because it's natural to come when called on! And when you have two well the other one has to come along to make sure he doesn't miss out on anything! Think about it,we are the same way. My boyfriend may stand at the top of his stairs and call downstairs to me....I answer him. It's natural! That's just the kind of stuff that they are advertising at those classes to be monumental and groundbreaking of lessons when reality is....it's either innate ability or rather practical no-brainer advice. I say go spend $15 to $20 on a book containing practical tips on how to train a new puppy and skip the Petco/Petsmart classes! Then again if you've had dogs before you likely don't even need the book.

However, I will add that I do have moments with Simon when he won't come to me when called. But that's only because he knows what's going on. Moments when I just want him to come over so I can cuddle him or clean his face. The only solution to that issue is to remind him I'm in charge! Time to get your face cleaned little one and that's just how it is! I'm the mommie and he's the dog...I always win out!

No dog is perfect even with a bunch of training! You just have to stay consistent with what you are teaching them. Consistent with the type of things your dog needs to know to fit into your environment. The dog is the one that needs to fit into your environment not the other way around. You are the one in charge of showing them the ropes, so to speak! Quite frankly dogs are what we make of them. We make them into decent dogs or not so decent dogs. I see it a lot around my apartment complex, owners that have taken the time to instruct their dogs as to how things will be versus owners that have let the dog rule the environment.