Puppy Preschools

[Staff'n'Toller]

It depends what you need, if you need a training refresher then it may be worth it.

Myself, I am usually running the Puppy Schools, so I would just head straight out to a club and do some careful distance work for very short periods until puppy was old enough to join in. However I take the parvo risk on my own head.

Some pups really NEED puppy school and their owners just don't realise how valuable that early intervention was. The way you describe your pup though, it's probably less of an issue.

I would definitely line up some friends with nice calm adult dogs and aim to go for short walks after the 16 wk vaccination.

I'm not sure if this is anywhere near you but I think for some pups this would be very beneficial.

http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/just-walk-me-program-4488.html

Edited September 30, 2012 by Staff'n'Toller

[Inka3095]

I searched for a while for a 'trainer-run' puppy school but didn't find one until I'd already signed up and paid for a 4-week puppy school run at a vet clinic by vet nurses who allow a free-for-all

I was close to not returning after week 1 because my pup was SO unsure of herself, hid behind my legs and growled/snapped at the puppies coming too close. Also, I didn't like the way they dealt with her temper tantrum after their attempt to 'get her used to having her nails clipped' but I went back for a 2nd attempt the following week and my pup loved every second of it. However, I'd done a TONNE of work with her during that week and she was a lot more confident with life in general, so perhaps that helped.

I'm finishing week 4 this coming week and then swapping into a puppy class run by a dog trainer who only allows matched puppies to have some supervised off-lead time and no free-for-alls. I can't wait to go to this class, wish I'd found it before I paid my $120 for the first one. However, Cinder has a ball there each week so I think it's worked out ok.

[SarahJ88]

I would suggest urban as well. We used them with Ava when she was about 11 weeks old and also used there free play groups on sundays. On the other hand my sister has a 13 week old border collie and is using another one in the redlands, I went with her on the first night and was kind of shocked at what the trainer was suggested, things like a spray of the mothers pheromones so they are less anxious, also asked if the puppies had been chewing stuff and asked the owners to give them something to chew on (kangaroo rib) and then proceeded to say that she could be paid at the end of the class, also seemed to be spruiking alot of companies - kong, the pheromone spray one (can't remember name) certain pet insurances etc. It just turned me right off but I chose not to say anything to my sister mainly because it's her choice, her dog, when asked I told her that she seemed to spruik her products a bit to much but nothing else was said.

Just read around, each one has there pro's and con's

[Brookestar]

I'm on the other side of town to you, so can't help with recommendations, but the preschool we went to kept dogs on lead except for short (well-supervised!) play periods where a couple of pups of similar size and temperament were let off to interact together. If you find something like that, it would be useful to you. Exposure to all sizes (we had everything from some tiny fluff ball that could practically fit in your palm to my boofy lab in my class) with controlled interaction.

Totally agree with that. I want my pups to have off lead time. Dogs cannot play naturally on lead. having said that I do not want a free for all, that is not helpful and does not help dominate ones learn to control there behaviour and nor does it help shy ones to learn to come out of there shells. They need to learn to be around a variety of different dogs. Personally I go and visit puppy preschools before I get a new pup and check them out, so I know what will be going on. I also want my dog to learn from a very young age to come back to me off lead from playing with other dogs, and they cannot do that if they never experience it. I am however of the firm view that it must be very tightly supervised and controlled, two dogs at a time and carefully matched pups at that.

[Rainers]

I think they are good for people who don't have much experience with puppies/dogs and socialisation or people new to dogs. If you are an experienced dog owner, they are optional.