Puppy Classes

[fuzzy82]

Anyone know any really good puppy classes on the northside of Brisbane? I really like the Dunbar style puppy classes, where most of the class is off leash and the puppies are free to socialise, and where all the people in the class interact with all the puppies at some point (like collar grabs etc).

I have asked around at a few places, and they are mostly on leash, or they don't allow clickers, or it's mostly about the skills and not so much about socialising etc etc. I already know how to teach basic obedience, so my main reason for wanting to find a class is to socialise.

And the Dunbar team also recommend meeting at least 100 people in the first month after you get the puppy... How would you go about doing that? Just taking the puppy everywhere and sit outside supermarkets/shopping centres/cafes etc and trust that other people want to come up and say hi to the puppy?

[Swizzlestick]

Personally, I don't recommend a puppy class that spends the majority of time off lead. This often ends up with "puppy bashing" and can lead to many problems for pups.

Pups can socialise perfectly well on lead, and if there's need to break things up, it's quicker and easier with the lead on.

I also wouldn't be taking a pup to any public place like the park/supermarkets/cafe etc until they are fully vaccinated. Never know what people are carrying on them. There are other ways to go about socialisation than public areas.

Heck, mine are all well and truly vaccinated and I'm still picky about who touches them!

Edited September 25, 2010 by Sir WJ

[fuzzy82]

Well, I'm a big fan of off leash classes, and I figure we might as well work on off leash control right from the start. And I also think it's a good idea to teach puppies how to play nicely with each other, which isn't going to happen if they are deliberately hindered from interacting with each other by being on leash. What happens when the dog grows up and has never played off leash with another dog? It won't know that it needs to be gentle and not be a bully etc.

Edited September 25, 2010 by fuzzy82

[Swizzlestick]

Was only trying to help you.

It appears you don't even understand what I was trying to say. Did you read the post?

I have no idea where to go in your area.

ETA: You've now edited your post to take out the part saying you didn't want opinions on off leash play, just for someone to tell you where to take the pup! Why would you do that??

Edited September 25, 2010 by Sir WJ

[Staff'n'Toller]

Well, I'm a big fan of off leash classes, and I figure we might as well work on off leash control right from the start. And I also think it's a good idea to teach puppies how to play nicely with each other, which isn't going to happen if they are deliberately hindered from interacting with each other by being on leash. What happens when the dog grows up and has never played off leash with another dog? It won't know that it needs to be gentle and not be a bully etc.

You may find someone...I'm not really sure. Whilst it's all nice in theory for some pups it's just plain disaster for others.

If your pup was a little timid of people, forcing (flooding) it with collar grabs from unknown strangers could give you a lifetime of headaches to deal with. I know with my latest dog that would have been the undoing of him.

If your pup got a fright a couple of times from a bigger more exuberant puppy (before a trainer could get to them) then was fearful of all dogs larger than it automatically and it took you years of careful socialisation to fix but it never went away would you be angry??? I know I sure would.

When I take puppy classes I have an obligation to EVERY puppy and their owner that their puppy has a positive experience and learns at their own pace.

If you want to work off leash that's fine- go find a regular group at a dog park and practice there, but give your dog the benefit of learning with as little stress as possible before you start to add in distractions.

[Staff'n'Toller]

And the Dunbar team also recommend meeting at least 100 people in the first month after you get the puppy... How would you go about doing that? Just taking the puppy everywhere and sit outside supermarkets/shopping centres/cafes etc and trust that other people want to come up and say hi to the puppy?

His books are free to download- it tells you exactly how in them.

[badboyz]

For what you are looking for I would recommend contacting PADS http://www.pads.org.au/. They may be able to offer the sort of classes you are wanting.

[fuzzy82]

Was only trying to help you. ;)

It appears you don't even understand what I was trying to say. Did you read the post?

I have no idea where to go in your area.

ETA: You've now edited your post to take out the part saying you didn't want opinions on off leash play, just for someone to tell you where to take the pup! Why would you do that??

I realised the comment might have been a bit harsh, so I removed it.

It's just that a lot of the time when I ask questions in forums people try to talk me out of it, even tho I wasn't asking whether or not I should, I was asking where to find what I have already decided to do. So nothing personal, and I didn't want to be rude because your post was friendly, so I changed it.

[fuzzy82]

For what you are looking for I would recommend contacting PADS http://www.pads.org.au/. They may be able to offer the sort of classes you are wanting.

Thanks, I am already a member there, and my adult dog does motivation and control there. I have emailed them about their puppy class, but haven't heard back yet. I think they might only do on leash work tho, not sure.

I have signed him up to one puppy class that does off leash socialising, but I figured I would sign him up to another one, because socialising with other dogs one day a week as a young puppy doesn't seem enough to me.

Obviously with an older well socialised dog you don't need to work that hard on socialising them.

[Red Fox]

You'd be much better off teaching your puppy to have a neutral value for other dogs/puppies over a positive value through off leash socialisation. It's all well and good to have a dog that loves other dogs - until you realise that your dog now has such a high value for dogs/play that he now couldn't give a hoot what you ask of him in the presence of other dogs. BIG problem if you want to compete in dog sports or have good off leash control and not one that is easily fixed.

People are not trying to talk you out of it. Just trying to point out some of the negatives that you may not have considered ;)

[fuzzy82]

I just found one that sounds really good: http://www.dogtech.com.au/puppy-schools

They just called and the guy told me which cues they teach, sit, drop, come, stay, on lead behaviour etc, and then I asked if any of it is off leash, and he went 'Oh yeah it's all off leash, otherwise it defeats the purpose' and then said something about the main imprinting period in a puppy's life etc. I told him some puppy schools do all their stuff on lead, and how some people think puppies shouldn't be allowed to interact off leash, and he thought that was quite ridiculous.

So for anyone interested in off leash puppy classes, that's the place to go, and I have signed up for it.

Thanks for your help.

[Swizzlestick]

Glad you've found something that will suit what you're after. ;)

I thought all puppy schools have at least some off leash play?

I think the problems occur when there are 4 or 6 or 8 pups put in a room together, varying sizes, ages and temperaments. It's often these times when a pup will be picked on by the others, often not deliberately, and this can have some serious consequences of the pup/adult dog.

I've no problem with off leash play that is closely supervised by someone who knows the difference between play and bullying.

[Red Fox]

They just called and the guy told me which cues they teach, sit, drop, come, stay, on lead behaviour etc, and then I asked if any of it is off leash, and he went 'Oh yeah it's all off leash, otherwise it defeats the purpose' and then said something about the main imprinting period in a puppy's life etc.

Yes, and anything that happens to the puppy in this period good or bad can have life long effects.

I told him some puppy schools do all their stuff on lead, and how some people think puppies shouldn't be allowed to interact off leash, and he thought that was quite ridiculous.

Of course. Everybody thinks their way is the best way. Otherwise they wouldn't do it.

At the end of the day it comes down to what you want out of the dog and how the classes are run. There's nothing wrong with working your puppy off leash around other dogs, it's when it becomes a puppy free for all that problems start.